In this 2nd book in the 'Captain Jim Agnihotri' historical mystery series, private detective Jim Agnihotri and his wife Diana try to avert disaster at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. The book works as a standalone but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.
*****
After serving in the British army in India, Anglo-Indian Captain Jim Agnihotri became interested in being a private detective, like his fictional idol Sherlock Holmes.
Now Agnihotri and his 22-year-old Persian-Indian wife Diana live in Boston, Massachusetts, and - due to a bureaucratic glitch on the couple's journey to America - Jim is now officially called James Agney O'Trey and his wife is Diana O'Trey.
As the story opens, Jim and Diana have been married for six months and are settling into their new home in Boston. Jim works for the Dupree Detective Agency, Diana is studying to be a nurse, and Jim is about to leave on an assignment in Chicago. The 1893 Chicago World's Fair is in full swing and a Pinkerton security guard named Thomas Grewe has been killed, presumably by discontented union members unhappy with their job situation.
1893 Chicago World's Fair
Striking Union Workers in Chicago
The Dupree Detective Agency, which has connections in Chicago, has been hired to investigate Grewe's death. So a Dupree operative called Arnold Baldwin was sent to make inquiries, and Jim - who's a master of disguises - is now going to help Baldwin.
Diana is very nervous about her husband going to Chicago, but Jim assures her he'll be back in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, this is far from the case. Diana doesn't hear from Jim for over a month, and when Diana contacts the Dupree Detective Agency, she learns that detective Andrew Baldwin was murdered and the agency doesn't know Jim's whereabouts.
Thus Diana, who's been learning detective skills from Jim, decides to go to Chicago to find her husband.
Diana, who's very naïve about race relations in America, takes a Black porter named Tobias to help her......
.....and on the train to Chicago, Diana hires a lady's maid/assistant called Abigail Martin.
Diana manages to locate her husband, who's working undercover.
Jim has managed to infiltrate Chicago's disgruntled union workers and is trying to identify the person(s) who killed Thomas Grewe and Andrew Baldwin. Diana gets involved in the investigation as well, and together, the couple discover there's a nefarious plot to blow up the Chicago World's Fair.
The story requires some suspension of disbelief, especially with regard to Diana's exemplary detective work. I was also skeptical about Diana packing her expensive jewelry, elegant dresses, and Jim's best dress clothes and shoes when she embarks on this mission to Chicago.....but it all comes in handy. 🙂
The descriptions of 1890s Chicago and the Chicago World's Fair seem very authentic, and it's easy to picture the grime of the streets compared to the glamour of the exposition's exhibits. The Chicago World's Fair introduced the world to electricity, which soon lit up cities around the globe.
The Electricity Building at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair
I enjoyed reading about Diana's stay in Chicago's elegant Oriental Place Hotel, where she called herself Lady Diana and hobnobbed with the rich and famous. I also liked Diana's musings about her life back in Bombay, where Diana grew up in a wealthy Zoroastrian family. Diana's father taught her about business and money; Diana's lawyer brother helped her learn common sense; and Diana's loving mother decorated the house with tuberoses and prepared delicious Indian food like akuri (spiced scrambled eggs) and lamb vinadaloo.
Akuri
Lamb Vindaloo
Though I found this period mystery to be over-complicated with too many characters, it was enjoyable and interesting. Recommended to fans of the genre.
Thanks to Negtalley, Nev March, and Minotaur Books for a copy of the manuscript.
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