A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra

 

First Line: "Where did all the animals go?" asked Miss Roberts, poking Kaveri with a bony finger.

 

It's 1922, and Edward, Prince of Wales, is visiting India. Due to rioting in other cities, security has never been tighter in Bangalore. Kaveri Murthy has been busy teaching women to read and solving small crimes that are brought to her attention, but a request for help brings her into the world of jadoo-- Indian street magic-- and a possible plot against the visiting prince.

 

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I really enjoy Harini Nagendra's Bangalore Detectives Club mysteries, but I have to admit that my greatest enjoyment lies in immersing myself in the books' setting. A Nest of Vipers is no exception. 

 

Did I like trying to figure out what was going on amidst all the magicians, snake charmers, sleight-of-hand, and rope tricks? Yes, I certainly did. I also like the fact that, rather than trying to change his wife and her predilection for crime-solving, her husband, Dr. Ramu Murthy, plays a much larger role in this book. He's not only trying to keep her safe, but he also helps solve the mystery.

 

Kaveri is a wonderful character. She's a wealthy woman who does not see social status. She has friends from all walks of life and will help anyone-- especially downtrodden women from low castes. She is pursuing a degree in mathematics as well as teaching women to read and, with the help of her mother-in-law, running her household. And speaking of her mother-in-law, I am so glad that she has transformed from the stereotypical hateful witch to a staunch ally for Kaveri.

 

As I said earlier, I love immersing myself in Nagendra's setting. A Nest of Vipers brought home to me how volatile 1920s India was. Gandhi's writings were not allowed in libraries. Being in the independence movement was incredibly dangerous because there were so many spies on both sides. People could never be sure of whom they could trust. 

 

When you combine such an incredibly rich, layered setting with a mystery filled with twists and turns and such sympathetic characters, you have a winning series. After reading A Nest of Vipers, I can't wait to see what the next book will bring. If you like historical mysteries, I highly recommend Harini Nagendra. Start at the beginning with The Bangalore Detectives Club. Oh! A word of warning: the food is mouth-wateringly good. You might not want to read these books while you're hungry!   

A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra

ISBN: 9781639366149

Pegasus Crime © 2024

Hardcover, 352 pages

 

Historical Mystery, #3 Bangalore Detectives Club

Rating: B+

Source: The Publisher

Murder Under a Red Moon by Harini Nagendra

 

First Line: Mrs Kaveri Murthy's emerald green velvet blouse showed off her strong shoulders, developed through hours of swimming in the Century Club pool.

 

Kaveri Murthy is astounded when her domineering and very traditional mother-in-law asks her to investigate a minor crime-- especially during a very inauspicious blood moon eclipse. Unfortunately, she stumbles over a body at the very beginning of her investigation.

 

Political upheavals mean that Bangalore is no longer a safe place to be a detective, even with the help of Kaveri's Bangalore Detectives Club, a group of friends comprised of nosy neighbors, an ex-prostitute, and a policeman's wife as well as street urchins who give Kaveri her own "Baker Street Irregulars". 

When her own life comes in danger, she knows she must work even faster to find the killer before she becomes the next victim.

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It's amazing how much atmosphere author Harini Nagendra can add to her charming Bangalore Detectives Club mysteries with the occasional description of sari fabric, adding some flowers, and a mouth-watering meal or two. After being captivated by The Bangalore Detectives Club last year, I was happy to see no evidence of a sophomore slump in Murder Under a Red Moon. 

 

Along with Hindu customs and religious practices, Nagendra's characters show us life in a country with burgeoning resistance to British colonial rule and a growing women's rights movement. Kaveri's Dictionary and Kaveri's Adventures in the Kitchen at the back of the book are icing on the cake. The author effortlessly pulled me into this young woman's time and place, and I loved it.

Kaveri Murthy and her husband, Ramu, a doctor, are progressive thinkers, and it's a pleasure to be in their company even though it's merely as fly-on-the-wall status. They look for ways to help others. Kaveri's "detectives club" comprises women from all walks of life, from nosy neighbors whom she's teaching to read and write to a policeman's wife and an ex-prostitute. She's even wound up with a couple of street urchins who insist on helping her. And it's no wonder because, although Kaveri does love a good mystery to solve, she's even more determined to help those around her. When she sees someone in need, she immediately wants to help (and not in just a short-term way).

Kaveri's mother-in-law, Bhargavi, was a caricature in the first book in this series, but she's not in Murder Under a Red Moon. Nagendra fleshes her out and makes her three-dimensional. The author can also write a scene that makes the hair stand on the back of my neck. (I don't think I'll be sleuthing during a red moon eclipse any time soon.) If I have any quibble at all with Kaveri's second investigation, it's that the whodunit part was much too easy to deduce, but guess what? I don't care. It gave me more time to don a fresh sari and jump into Kaveri's Ford with her to gather clues... and hope that there would be some tasty rewards when we arrived back home. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series!

 

Murder Under a Red Moon by Harini Nagendra

eISBN: 9781639363735

Pegasus Books © 2023

eBook, 300 pages

 

Historical Mystery, #2 Bangalore Detectives Club mystery

Rating: A-

Source: the publisher

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra

 

First Line: Mrs. Kaveri Murthy pulled out her oldest sari, nine yards of checked cotton in dark brown.

When spirited, intelligent Kaveri moved to Bangalore to marry handsome young doctor Ramu Murthy, she believed she had settled down to a quiet life of learning new recipes for her husband and trying to please her chronically displeased mother-in-law. But all that changed when she and Ramu attended a fancy dinner at the Century Club.

Escaping to the garden for some peace and quiet, Kaveri sees an altercation and, half an hour later, the garden is a murder scene.

When a vulnerable woman becomes the main suspect, Kaveri is determined to save her, so she begins conducting her own investigation with the help of Ramu and her neighbor Ooma Aunty. This investigation of hers will lead her to all sorts of different people and places, and to the realization that sleuthing in a sari isn't as hard as she thought it would be.

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Even though I deduced the killer's identity early on, I found The Bangalore Detectives Club to be a thoroughly delightful read, and Soneela Nankani's narration was perfect. (Just enough of an accent for the pronunciation of names and to bring a true feeling of India to the story without causing any auditory confusion.)

Kaveri and her husband Ramu represent the burgeoning new India of the 1920s when Gandhi's fight for independence is taking root and British colonialism is waning. As Kaveri investigates the murder of the man in the Century Club garden, she's taken to one section of Bangalore after another and meets with people from all walks of life. Although her husband Ramu isn't old-fashioned in the way he treats her, Kaveri still manages to get to a neighborhood or two that makes him worry for her safety. These travels of hers not only further the investigation, but they allow readers to experience Indian culture which is something I always appreciate.

One instance of Indian culture in 1921 made me smile. If a person wanted milk delivered, the cow came to their house to be milked. Nothing like being able to get it straight from the source, eh? Harini Nagendra does an excellent job of showing readers both the old and the new. Ooma Aunty, an older woman who is Kaveri's neighbor, has lived all her life under the restrictions of the old ways, but she's willing (and wants) to learn the new. On the other hand, Kaveri's mother-in-law sounds like the stereotypical evil dragon woman who finds fault even while she's sleeping. Fortunately for me, the woman was out of town caring for a sick relative, and I didn't have to put up with her. I do have to admit that I'm not looking forward to meeting her. I wonder if Nagendra can give her an endless supply of out-of-town sick relatives to nurse?

The comparisons to Alexander McCall Smith are good ones. There's an authenticity and a joyfulness to this book that make it a delight to read, especially in audiobook format, and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing Kaveri and Ramu again.

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra

Narrator: Soneela Nankani

ASIN: B09V72739R

Blackstone Publishing © 2022

Audiobook. 9 hours, 16 minutes.

 

Historical Mystery, #1 Bangalore Detectives Club mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Audible.