Review: Passage from Nuala

Passage from Nuala by Harriet Steel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Quite fond of Shanti and Jane--Inspector de Silva, a police inspector of Ceylon and his British wife. It is 1930's and the island is under British rule--it is sometimes hard for me to believe how far into the 20th Century European colonialism extended. But in this installment the de Silva's are away from home, at sea as a matter of fact. Shanti has purchased tickets for them to cruise though the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean and Egypt to see the Pyramids.

Unfortunately, though they are on vacation, as is his boss's boss, Sir William Petrie and his wife, Lady Caroline. murder never seems to take a vacation. Though the two couples do get a chance to socialize a bit in Cabin Class, the elegant expensive level in which the Petries are traveling, it is not long into the trip that a less than charming gossip columnists is found dead in his cabin. As the only two official government representatives aboard the two men find they are in charge of determining the ID of the murderer. Being at sea, there is no chance of escape, however, if the guilty party is not found before they reach Port Said on the Med, the chances of escape will increase.

Though there seem to be no viable suspects, the other passengers on the victim's corridor must be interrogated. This is a thorny situation since the murder took place among the affluent Cabin Class travelers. DiSilva and Jane are traveling Tourist Class but with his credentials he is able to move freely on a deck that would normally be closed to him. Jane, too, gets to enjoy its luxuries, since she and Lady Caroline have hit it off and manage lunch and deck strolls. Soon, however, even these social lulls become less frequent when the crooner at the evening gatherings is found dead in a supply closet!

Are the murders related? The men seem to have nothing in common nor do they seem to have been particularly friendly. Nor, do any of the passengers or crew have connection to either man. Not until the boat docks in Port Said is the mystery resolved. In the meantime, the cruise, the moonlight at night on a dark blue sea, the luxurious food and dress and the romantic dancing to a lovely orchestra keep the reader relaxed and curious in equal measure. And, in the end, jane and di Silva reach the Pyramids atop some rather interesting four-legged beasts.

( I have pictures of my Dad in the 20's in the same place atop one, too. The traditional USN Mediterranean cruise! And pix of Port Said etc as well. ) It was particularly interesting to enter the Med by way of the Canal instead of through Gibralter which my father described in detail.'

Looking forward to the next case when Shanti and Jane return to Ceylon.

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