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pkprouvs's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Transphobia
visorforavisor's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Nev March writes excellently. A second mystery for Jim and Diana Agnihotri, this one set in the States.
Diana’s voice is a really fun narration. Her view of Jim is really fun to get after spending the first book in his head, to see how others see him. The occasional inclusion of a chapter from his point of view was fun too.
Without giving too much away, there’s a trans character in this. It’s not a book in which I expected to find a trans character, nor one written with such compassion — murder mysteries set in the 1890s aren’t typically full of queer rep — but I loved her very much.
The exploration of whether the anarchists are right and who the capitalism of America really benefits was, I thought, interestingly done.
I’ll be very interested to read the next installment.
Diana’s voice is a really fun narration. Her view of Jim is really fun to get after spending the first book in his head, to see how others see him. The occasional inclusion of a chapter from his point of view was fun too.
Without giving too much away, there’s a trans character in this. It’s not a book in which I expected to find a trans character, nor one written with such compassion — murder mysteries set in the 1890s aren’t typically full of queer rep — but I loved her very much.
The exploration of whether the anarchists are right and who the capitalism of America really benefits was, I thought, interestingly done.
I’ll be very interested to read the next installment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Transphobia, and Violence
carireadsbooksandtarot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Peril at the Exposition by Nev March
The second installment of March’s Jim Agnihotri series is very different from the first in two big ways: Our narrator is not Jim (except for a few scattered chapters) but his new wife Diana, and they are no longer in India but in the U.S. The newlyweds have just moved to Boston, where Jim is working for a detective agency when he’s sent on assignment to Chicago, where the World’s Fair is about to take place. After weeks with no word, Diana fears for Jim’s life and decides to go to Chicago herself to find him. She is soon deeply entrenched in a case of murder, dynamite and anarchists.
While I didn’t mind the story coming from a new character, I was disappointed in the American setting. What was most interesting to me about the first book, Murder in Old Bombay, was its Indian setting and learning a bit about Indian history and culture. While I don’t mind when a series takes their characters to a new location, I think doing so in the second book is too soon, and there also wasn’t any indication that the characters would be returning to India for future books.
I also had trouble following the story, didn’t always understand why the Diana took the steps that she took or how certain conclusions were reached. Some things just didn’t feel clearly explained.
As a cis-het white woman, I don’t want to speak too much about the Black character, Tobias, or the trans character, Abigail, but I don’t think either got quite the care and attention they deserved. We learned almost nothing of their backstories and they both seemed to be there just as representation without being fully formed characters.
I don’t think I’ll read future books in the series. Now, a story with Abigail as the main character? That I would read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Violence