Death at the Durbar: A Maharaja Mystery

George V’s visit to India in 1911 provides the backdrop for Gaind’s excellent sequel to 2016’s A Very Pukka Murder. The king has come to Delhi for the third Durbar, a celebration of empire, which revives an ancient Indian tradition of holding “an assembly of vassals and satraps... to pay homage and swear fealty to their overlord.” Among those present is Maharaja Sikander Singh, who has an impressive facility for making Sherlockian deductions, which he soon has occasion to employ: the body of an almost-naked teenage girl is discovered hanging from one of the rafters of the elaborate tent constructed for the monarch’s use. Since the Durbar was intended in part to discourage Russian and German ambitions toward India, the placement of the corpse suggests an effort to embarrass the empire. The victim is identified as a dancer, Zahra, whose mother’s murder a much-younger Sikander was unable to solve. Golden age fans will appreciate how Sikander works his way through an array of suspects. Once again, Gaind successfully blends detection with history. (Mar.)