The Spanish Diplomat's Secret: A Mystery

by Nev March

Overview

In The Spanish Diplomat's Secret, award-winning author Nev March explores the vivid nineteenth-century world of the transatlantic voyage, one passenger’s secret at a time.

Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife Lady Diana Framji are embarking to England in the summer of 1894. Jim is hopeful the cruise will help Diana open up to him. Something is troubling her, and Jim is concerned.

On their first evening, Jim meets an intriguing Spaniard, a fellow soldier with whom he finds an instant kinship. But within twenty-four hours, Don Juan Nepomuceno is murdered, his body discovered shortly after he asks rather urgently to see Jim.

When the captain discovers that Jim is an investigator, he pleads with Jim to find the killer before they dock in Liverpool in six days, or there could be international consequences. Aboard the beleaguered luxury liner are a thousand suspects, but no witnesses to the locked-cabin crime. Jim would prefer to keep Diana safely out of his investigation, but he’s doubled over, seasick. Plus, Jim knows Diana can navigate the high society world of the ship's first-class passengers in ways he cannot.

Together, using the tricks gleaned from their favorite fictional sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, Jim and Diana must learn why one man’s life came to a murderous end.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250855060
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Series:	Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries , #3
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	189,256
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

NEV MARCH is the first Indian born writer to win the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award for her Edgar-finalist debut, Murder in Old Bombay. After a long career in business analysis, she returned to her passion, writing fiction. Nev sits on the NY chapter board of Mystery Writers of America and is a member of Crime Writers of Color. A Parsi Zoroastrian, she lives with her family in New Jersey and teaches occasionally at the Rutgers University Osher Institute.

Editorial Reviews

07/31/2023

Anglo-Indian private investigator Jim Agnihotri and his wife, Lady Diana, have their 19th-century ocean liner journey from the U.S. to England interrupted by theft and murder in March’s convoluted sequel to 2022’s Peril at the Exposition. With only a week until the ship reaches port and no plausible way on or off, guests are rattled when the Spanish ambassador to the U.S., Don Juan Nepomuceno, is found murdered and missing a case of jewels. A short time later, young Alice Fry also turns up dead, an apparent suicide—though some traveling with her insist she was the victim of a supernatural curse—and Jim and Diana decide to investigate. March provides a classic locked-room mystery setup, but fails to winnow down the suspects early enough, causing the plot to drag—Jim reiterates his purpose (“My mind returned to my present conundrum; who’d murdered the Spanish don, and why?”) one too many times as he wades through a sea of red herrings. He’s an amiable hero, with a rich backstory as a soldier in the British Indian army, but Diana is unevenly drawn, by turns an overeager partner (“We have to catch this maniac!”) and a woman prone to “dark malaise.” Still, historical mystery fans will relish March’s well-integrated maritime research and echoes of such Christie classics as Murder on the Orient Express. Despite this lackluster entry, there’s hope for the series yet. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2023-07-13
Murder on a trans-Atlantic ship, with a luxe collection of suspects.

As his wife, Lady Diana Framji, twirls around the ballroom, former Indian soldier and occasional sleuth James Agnihotri, aka Jim O’Trey, is vomiting his rich dinner over the rail of the HMS Etruria. He’s approached by a concerned military veteran who turns out to be the eponymous diplomat. It’s 1894, and the “floating fortress” has an international guest list on its journey from Boston to Liverpool. James senses mystery and tension beneath the surface of the passengers, even Diana. His suspicions are confirmed when, shortly after he receives a note from the Spanish gentleman, who identifies himself as J. Nepomuceno and requests a meeting, the man is found garroted in his stateroom. Fearing that the ship will be detained in Liverpool until the killer is found, Capt. Hawley requests Jim’s assistance in solving the crime. The flow of the investigation and the circle of suspects have a classic feel right down to the characters’ names, from stewardess Edna Pickle and Dr. Witherspoon to guests Evangeline Pontin, Beau Lattibeaudiere, and Palmer Bly, and waiflike maid Dora Zu. March’s gift for elevated language nicely supports the period setting, and this third book in the series advances the core relationship between newlyweds Diana and James. Along the way to solving the intricate mystery, they banter like a shipboard Nick and Nora, and he eventually learns the source of her initial unease.

Familiar mystery tropes are skillfully woven into an entertaining vintage whodunit.

Kirkus Reviews

March’s gift for elevated language nicely supports the period setting. . . Familiar mystery tropes are skillfully woven into an entertaining vintage whodunit.” –Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Nev March and the Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries

"An instantly likeable character whose good heart and endearing ways make him an ideal narrator.” —The New York Times Book Review on Murder in Old Bombay

“If historical fiction and mystery appeal to you, don’t miss this series.” —Jersey’s Best

“Definitely recommended.” —Historical Novel Society

“Fans of Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy series will find plenty to like.” —Publishers Weekly

“March has created the perfect armchair escape from the summer blues in Peril at the Exposition.” –BookTrib

From the Publisher

Vikas Adam transports listeners back to 1894 as Jim Agnihotri, an investigator, and his wife, Lady Diana Framji, travel to England by ship. When a passenger is murdered, the ship's captain calls upon Jim to identify the killer. Adam's outstanding portrayals of both Jim and Diana create highly believable characters. His depiction of Diana is particularly strong, injecting just the right amount of inflection to represent a woman of her background. His talent for accents is highlighted as he voices the key characters, and his pacing builds the tension as the race is on to solve the murder before the ship docks. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2023 - AudioFile