Hamlet Comes to Nuala--Episode 3

Offstage in Nuala by Harriet Steel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once more Inspector di Silva finds himself in the midst of a perplexing murder mystery. Hamlet, as acted by Alexander Danforth, has come to little Nuala. The cast includes his wife, Kathleen and several actors, several of whom were friends of his from their service with him in the First World War. Also in the cast is the young ingenue, Emerald Watson, who it seems is romantically involved with Danforth. When several days after the performance attended by the diSilvas, the body of Danforth is found stabbed in the neck with a pair of scissors, the Inspector has many suspects to consider. Yet, on the surface none of them had any motive for killing a man who seems to have been, not only charming and talented, but also generous in helping his friends. To compound the complexity of the situation, Archie Clutterbuck, the British government agent appears to be interfering with the investigation. His primary concern seems to be to keep Kathleen and Emerald from being interviewed about the evening of the murder.
With the insights of his wife, Jane, di Silva twists and turns with the convoluted lines of inquiry that seem to lead nowhere until finally, the culprit is uncovered and arrested. I knew upon the introduction of the guilty character their culpability but the motive and method of carrying out the deed escaped me and kept me interested to the very end. Another satisfying installment of a delightful series set in India. The differences between the Buddhist Sinhalese Inspector and his British Anglican wife are fun to explore. Their similarities and love for each other is comfortable and warm.



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