A Shipwreck in Fiji

Rao serves up an immersive second adventure for Sikh police sergeant Akal Singh (after A Disappearance in Fiji). The year is 1915, and Singh, who has been transferred to the backwater British colony of Fiji due to an indiscretion at his former posting in Hong Kong, is still being assigned only the most inconsequential tasks by his commanding officer, inspector-general Jonathan Thurstrom. This time out, Thurstrom asks Singh to escort two visiting British ladies on their sightseeing tour of the island of Ovalau. As an afterthought, he also suggests that Singh follow up on a local shopkeeper’s report of spotting German soldiers on the island (since WWI is raging in Europe, officials consider the alleged sighting improbable at best). Accompanied by his friend and colleague Taviti Tukana—the nephew of a prominent Fijian chief—Singh tackles both assignments, only to stumble into a murder investigation when a local pariah on Ovalau turns up dead. Through Singh, who’s an outsider both to Fijians and his British superiors, Rao deploys sharp observations about colonial rule and classism. Though the book’s many subplots unfold at a leisurely pace, the author ties them together in shrewd and satisfying ways. Historical mystery fans will enjoy this. (June)