Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Crime & mystery fiction

THE STRANGLER VINE

Miranda Carter

This introduces a Watson and Holmes duo for the 1830’s and 40’s: Avery, a young soldier with few prospects except rotting away in desultory campaigns in India, and Blake, a secret political agent gone native, genius at languages and disguises, disenchanted with the whole ethos of East India Company rule, but who cannot resist the challenge of an unresolved mystery.

What starts as a wild goose chase – trying to track down a missing celebrity writer whose latest epic lifts the lid on Calcutta society – becomes very much more sinister as Blake and Avery get sucked into the famous Thugee cult and its even more sinister suppression by an offshoot of The Company. Events become progressively darker and nastier as the political repercussions of what they uncover reach up to the very top of English rule in India, and their very survival will be in jeopardy from the institutions who they are supposed to be working for.

There are shades here of Heart of Darkness, and echoes of Grisham’s The Firm, not to mention sly references to Conan Doyle, wrapped around a comic adventure that brings brilliantly to life the India of the 1830s’ with its urban squalor, huge rural spaces, glamorous princely courts, and the ambiguous presence of The Company, which has its own predatory ambitions beyond Westminster’s oversight. For Avery this is a violent coming of age as he finds out the depth of cynicism that underlies the British presence in India. For Blake there is an even greater shock: even he does not guess how close to hand his nemesis is. And for both of them the future will have to be back at the centre of things, in London.

Available products
Book Published 2014-01-01 by Fig Tree
Book Published 2014-01-01 by Fig Tree

Comments

listet as one of the Books of the Year 2014

Intelligent, extensively researched and packed with period detail, The Strangler Vine evokes both the attitudes of the British colonials and the India of the period . . . with its ingredients including murder, gambling, opium wars and crime, it's an imaginative read.

Carter gives us delicious descriptions of the wonderful court of a Rao, or Rajah... It’s a great read, white tigers and all.

This is a gripping story of conspiracy and betrayal set in an early Victorian India that is rendered with complete conviction. And as a historian, the author offers a thought-provoking re-interpretation of the Thuggee story.

With gorgeous historical detail and deft characterization, Carter creates a rip-roaring detective romp — while also casting a gimlet eye on the effects of British imperialism and colonization of India.

The Strangler Vine is a splendid novel with an enthralling story, a wonderfully drawn atmosphere, and an exotic mystery that captivated me.

The Strangler Vine represents what must be a lifetime spent reading and soaking up Indian history and geography: you feel yourself to be in India ...

Tigers, a murderous sect and all manner of deadly double-dealing . . . compelling.

The quest takes some surprising turns, and Carter is masterly at keeping the reader guessing what’s really going on. The final revelation is both jaw-dropping and plausible.

The Strangler Vine is fresh and original with many surprises in store . . . Avery is the guileless Watson of the partnership, and Blake the opaque Sherlock . . . it is a relief to know that the two will be reunited in a sequel.

The Strangler Vine is a considerable achievement, which left me ordering books from its bibliography and waiting impatiently for a promised sequel.

MJ Carter has cooked up a spicy dish in which she has added a pinch of Moonstone, a dash of Sherlock and soupcon of Fu Manchu to a rich stew of John Masters. A splendid romp and just the job for a cold winter's evening in front of blazing fire.

Long-listed for the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction 2014

An exciting fictional debut… A rattling good yarn… I do not remember when I enjoyed a novel more than this. Finishing it would have been unbearable had it not been for the reassuring promise at the end that Blake and Avery will return for more adventures.?