Book
The Damascened blade.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780786713332
- ISBN: 078671333X
- Physical Description: p. ; cm.
- Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003.
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Terrace Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrace Public Library | Cle (Text) | 001769645 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2004 July #1
Scotland Yard commander Joe Sandilands never seems to get a real vacation. His third attempt finds him again in India during the Raj, this time near the Afghan border in the northwest. While visiting an old army friend, James Lindsay, Sandilands receives orders to chaperone American heiress Lily Coblenz, who is in search of adventure and the "real" India. The situation at Gor Khatri, a frontier fort, is tense. The fragile peace with the local Pathan tribesmen is broken, a Pathan prince dies, and British hostages are taken. Sandilands and his crew have one week to identify, arrest, and execute the prince's killer and avoid a war. As she did in The Last Kashmiri Rose (2002) and Ragtime in Simla (2003), Cleverly uses her portrayal of life at the fort to capture the essence of the declining British Empire. She also introduces several strong feminist characters who prove that they are more than capable of surviving in the harsh frontier environment. This excellent historical mystery gains immediacy in light of recent events in the region. ((Reviewed July 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2004 July #1
Still temporarily attached to the Indian police, Scotland Yard's Joe Sandilands (The Last Kashmiri Rose) finds himself in a British fort on the India-Afghanistan border in 1922, charged with the safety of an opinionated visiting American heiress. The murder of an Afghani tribal leader leads to turmoil as tribesmen kidnap a British lord and the heiress as well, demanding that the killer be found and executed within a week. An exciting pursuit follows, with several clever reversals. The close juxtaposition of cultures remains just as unsettling, resulting in not a little drama, humor, and high adventure. Recommended. Cleverly lives in Cambridge, England. [See Mystery Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/04.] Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2004 June #2
Devotees of classic Golden Age whodunits will delight in British author Cleverly's third Joe Sandilands mystery set in India in 1922; it evokes, and in some ways surpasses, the work of Agatha Christie. The resourceful and insightful Sandilands assumes a glorified babysitting assignment when a rich and attractive American heiress expresses a desire to tour India's dangerous northwest frontier with Afghanistan during a period of heightened political tension. The heiress and Sandilands end up at a frontier outpost with a motley collection of companions-a Pathan prince and his kinsman, a female doctor en route to serve the amir ruling Afghanistan, a sleazy entrepreneur, an RAF pilot hoping to gain support for an increased military aerial presence and a veteran civil servant advocating a British retreat. When the prince is found dead, evidence suggesting foul play is suppressed. Sandilands is forced to act on his suspicions when the victim's kinsman takes a hostage and imposes a one-week deadline for a solution to the crime. Cleverly does a masterful job of combining traditional puzzle elements, including false endings and subtle fair-play clues, with convincing period atmosphere and characters with more complexity and sophistication than Christie typically provided. This marvelous historical delivers on the promise of the author's first two mysteries-The Last Kashmiri Rose (2002) and Ragtime in Simla (2003)-and should add to her growing U.S. fan base. Agent, Juliet Burton. (Aug. 3) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
