This second book in the Jim Agnihotri series follows Jim and Diana (mostly from Diana's perspective this time) as they try to stop a bombing plot at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. The plot is....leisurely...to say the least and ironically, doesn't spend a lot of time talking about the wonders of the World's Fair, although it's clear that the author did their research. Reading more like a thriller with social commentary, this book will take you through the joys and ills of society in turn of the century Chicago. Kudos here for the nicely done representation of a trans person and POCs.

That said, if you have read the previous book, this book has a different main protagonist, a different setting, a different cast of characters and a completely different feel. Readers who liked the first book may be taken aback by this abrupt change. It's still good but I wonder if the author's plan is to have the Agnihotri's in a different location for each book. If so, that may diminish some of the joy in an ongoing murder series.

When Diana O'Trey's detective husband Jim leaves for an investigation in Chicago, he assures her he will be back soon. But after five weeks and no word from him, Diana receives a strange visitor with an even stranger letter. It warns of catastrophic danger at the Chicago Exposition, and Diana sets out to Chicago to warn her husband of the danger. She encounters many suspicious people and recruits a motley crew of assistants to help her find her husband and save lives. Exciting, taut mystery with an excellent cast of characters.

Jim and Diana have settled in Boston but before they can get adjusted to their new married life, Jim is sent to Chicago to investigate a missing agent and a threat to the World's Fair. Ferring he's gone missing, Diana follows him to Chicago determined to help with his investigation.
Peril at the Exposition is a fast paced page turner. There is murder, anarchy, fraudulent deals and it most of the characters are not exactly what they appear to be on the surface. The investigation is constantly shifting to keep the reader guessing. They characters are complex and plentiful. I really enjoyed finding out how Diana and Jim's relationship is evolving as well.

Diana is a force of nature as she bullies her husband's Boston employers into sending her to Chicago to find Jim. She hasn't heard from him in weeks and the man he was sent to help has been murdered. The Chicago world fair of 1893 is being held and the detail about the fair and the white city is phenomenal. The descriptions had me gaping like a rube. Imagine what it was like back then to the fair goers. The narration of the story is split between Jim and Diana. I loved how you get the different points of view of the events, the suspects, the dangers. The love between JIm and Diana is palpable and their concern for each other is constant. There are so many twists and turns and red herrings in this investigation that I despaired of its solution.

Another engaging mystery by Nev March featuring our favorite newlyweds (and mystery solvers extraordinaire) Diana and her hubby Jim Agnihotri. This time our intrepid couple are in Boston, where they uncover a plot to blow up something very big (but they don't know what) and hurt lots of innocent people (but they don't know when). Centered around the Chicago World's Fair and featuring a rogues gallery of interesting characters, little by little the two of them sort out the good guys from the bad. Peril at the Exposition is fast, fun and easy to read, a great book for an airplane flight or vacation reading as you won't want to put it down!

The second book in the Captain Jim Agnihotri series opens in Boston, where Jim and his new wife have moved, leaving India and their former lives behind. Jim has taken a position as a detective with the Dupree Detective Agency. Diana has found the changes in her life challenging, moving from a life of luxury and servants to one of doing her cooking, laundry, and baking.

She is also missing her family and drawing on her memories of them to help her cope. Diana is more than equal to the challenge; however, making friends and allies both high and low. Understanding of American ways is coming slowly and surely. When Jim goes to Chicago on a mission, one that he is very closed-mouthed about, Diana is all alone in Boston.

Jim warned that he would not be able to communicate with her often or regularly. Still, after five weeks of no messages at all, she is frantic. Adding to her worries, a man arrives at her home carrying a letter for Jim. The man exudes fright, and the letter is in German. Rather than sitting and stewing, she decides to go to the Dupree Agency. Both father, Alfred, and son, Peter Dupree, have also not heard from Jim since his departure. But they tell her Jim is investigating a case at the soon to open Centennial Exposition, which led to an earlier investigator’s death. This situation will not do. Through force of will and a little judicious blackmail, Diana gains a helper, a black man named Tobias, to aid her on the trip and the search for Jim.

The trip to Chicago is a revelation to Diana. She never knew the depth of the racism and poverty that afflicted the still-new nation. The after-effects of the Civil War hung over everyone a decade later. Chicago is in a state of turmoil in 1876 with the opening of the Centennial Exposition. It is the first World’s Fair held in America, and the movers and shakers are determined to show the world that Chicago is stepping back to the stage after the Great Fire. There is also grinding poverty, worker unrest, violence, and a possible anarchistic threat. That is the Chicago Jim has infiltrated. When Diana finds him, she is also exposed to that world. But she also moves into the world of the powerful, presenting herself as an Indian Princess. There appear to be many possible bad actors among the rich and powerful.

Peril at the Exposition is an action-packed, well-plotted, thrilling adventure with dizzying twists and turns. The many characters are fleshed out and memorable. It is a worthy addition to the series, one that I enjoyed immensely.

A murder mystery set at the exposition in Chicago, Illinois during the mid 1890s. A murder has taken place and an undercover private investigator has been dispatched from Boston to investigate. He is an ex Indian Captain from the British Army in India. His wife is also Indian from a wealthy family. As time passes, without hearing from him, she departs to seek him out and assist where possible. During which she becomes involved and in danger. A plot to blow the exposition up is uncovered and derailed. This story takes place in a time which is foreign to most of us who were raised during the age of unions, worker and civil rights. Most will read the story and think it is an outlandish tale. But the worker was exploited, Jim Crow laws were in effect and the company owners were absolute rulers over their domains. Not a time most Americans remember or want to remember. This book clearly shows some flaws in American society for the time period. But thankfully most have been resolved.

I have rated this book 4 stars and recommend it to anyone who wants a peek into a dark time in history for the American worker.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

The writing is sharp and interesting. I enjoyed the book, especially the history of the fair, The new inventions displayed at the fair was particularly enjoyable. I thought the author did a good job of portraying the different levels of American society at the time. Look forward to more.

The second book in this series takes place at the Chicago Exposition. Lots of characters, the setting is interesting but
a lot of running around and maybe a little too far fetched and long. Still a fun read and I look forward to the third book in the series.

I loved the first book in this series, but this one didn't have the same fascinating background-- it takes place in Boston and Chicago, and Jim and his bride are separated for a lot of the book, so that I missed the connection between them. Still well-plotted and well-written, just not as engaging as the first.

The two main characters from "Murder in Old Bombay" have married and moved to Boston, where Captain Jim Agnihotri takes work with a detective agency. He is sent to Chicago to work undercover to find the source of the rumors that there will be some action that will disrupt the 1893 World's Fair. Diana Framji, his wife, is drawn into the mystery and travels to Chicago to track down Jim and to help reveal the plot.
Although these are great characters and Diana is a strong, intelligent and resourceful woman in a time when that was not typically the case, I was a little disappointed in this book. There were many characters introduced who had interconnections and their own back stories and it slowed the narrative. The story does justice to working conditions of the times and of the squalid living conditions of the poor.
For those who have read "Murder in Old Bombay" and want to know what happens next to Jim and Diana, its worth the read.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, about Captain Jim Agnihotri and Diana Framji, and was excited to be able to read this second installment.
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I was initially disappointed to find out that the setting of this book was not India - as I felt the Indian backdrop to the first book, Murder in Old Bombay, really added to the adventure.

However, once I got into this book, I found that the setting of Chicago at the time of the World's Fair was equally intriguing. Jim and Diana are now based in Boston, where Jim is employed at a detective agency. He is sent to Chicago to investigate the murder of Thomas Grewe, and finds himself deep in the world of the underclasses of American society during the Gilded Age. There is a lot of social unrest, and anarchists are plotting terrorist acts.

When Jim is not heard from for several weeks, Diana decides that she needs to head to Chicago and find out what happened to Jim. She starts investigating his disappearance, and the potential plots. She gets herself into some difficult situations, and struggles to navigate the layers of society, with the assistance of a friend, Abhigail.

I enjoyed the book, especially all of the history of the fair, the famous people involved, and the struggles between the labor force and the industrialists. Hearing of the new inventions displayed at the fair was particularly enjoyable. I noticed the inclusion of various modern social. justice issues, although they seemed appropriately set in the time period. The author did a good job of portraying the different strata of the American society at the time.

Diana is intelligent and forceful, although she doesn't always get the right idea, and sometimes gets herself and her friends and assistants into real bother. There was a reasonably sized cast of characters to keep track of, and for Diana to try and figure out who was really what they seemed.

I hope to hear more in the future about Diana and Jim.

I first met Jim and Diana in this author's debut book, Murder in Old Bombay. The newly married couple left India's rigid rules and moved to Boston. Captain Jim joined Dupree Agency as a detective and was sent to Chicago on a case. After appearing missing, Diana soon goes to Chicago to look for him and used some sleuthing methods learned through her husband. The storytelling is wonderful and the dangers the loved characters faced made for a fast-paced read. Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC.

I really liked the first book in this series, Murder in Old Bombay, so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, much of what was so charming in the first book was absent from this one. Instead of all the action taking place in India and reading about the Parsee Framji family and their Zoroastrian traditions, now Jim Agnihotri and his new wife, Diana (Framji) live in Boston, while most of the book has them in Chicago at the time of the 1893 World’s Fair, or Columbian Exposition. Jim, a former Army soldier in India, is working as a detective for an agency in Boston. He is sent to Chicago to discover what happened to another operative of the agency, who was in Chicago on a job from the agency, that turns out to be connected with a plot to cause major trouble at the Exposition. (Hence, the title.)

The story is mainly told from Diana’s point of view, as she follows Jim to Chicago after he hadn’t been heard from in weeks. Now and then we get a chapter from Jim’s point of view. There are some amusing moments, where Diana shows how new to the United States and its culture she is. But this is mainly a story of “who’s going to blow up the World’s Fair” and “can we catch them before they do it.” There are occasional references to how much Diana misses India and her family, but other than that, this couple really could have been anyone. Diana is constantly putting herself and those she depends on (servants, etc.) in danger. There are a lot of characters to keep track of.

This book may appeal to people who like a historical mystery set in the late 1800s in the United States. On the whole, I missed the Indian setting of the first book and was never really engaged with this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I tried to get into this book but was having difficulty. So I read the first book in the series, Murder in Old Bombay. I loved the first book and am glad this one pushed me to read it. That being said, I still was not engaged by this title. The setting, Chicago's World's Fair, and story were not to my taste. I gave it three stars instead of two because the first book was so good. I hope it finds it's reader.
This is a review of an eGalley provided by NetGalley.

No spoilers. No plot summaries. Great follow up to Murder in Old Bombay. The writing is just as quick, sharp and doesn't feel like it was rushed like a lot of sophomore mystery novels. I hadn't read the first one, so I went back and read the first book. This is the kind of book you can smell what the author is explaining. When Diana is making bread, I was like I want bread now. I want everyone I know to read this series.

I recommend this book to people that enjoy thoughtfully plotted mysteries and BBC style mystery shows.

The newly wed Agnihotris have left Jndia and are on living in Boston, USA, where Jim is working for the Dupree Detective Agency. Jim is sent to Chicago to discover the fate of one of their agents. But after weeks not hearing from him and with information he needs Diana leaves to find him. But is she more of a hinderence than any help, as she believes she is more intelligent than she really is.
Unfortunately the story is mainly from her pov but she is not that likeable. I would have preferred the setting to have stayed in India and with Jim as the main investigator and pov.
A somewhat slow paced mystery.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in 1893, this immersive narrative is an unusual combination of history set in India, England and America, those whose inventions changed the world, unionists and workers rights, and a chase to save lives as well as an explosive future.
Told in their alternating voices, the newly wed team of Jim (Captain James Agnihotri), an orphan born in India, and the privileged Indian-born Lady Diana are tasked by the Dupree Detective Agency to investigate the death of another agent involved in a case of the death of the head architect of the Chicago World’s Fair.
With information from a professor that the highly explosive substance Ballistite endangers the Fair, Jim disappears on his own to investigate and protect his wife from accompanying him in danger.
After no word over weeks, a determined and intrepid Diana and an unusual band of hired helpers are in Chicago on the lookout to find Jim.
There are detailed descriptions of the Fair-“Here, fairgoers gawped…” - an immersive tour of beautiful and expressive exhibits around the world that someone is set to destroy. Even Tesla, with his “fanciful”imagination makes an appearance.
Could one man blow this up? Who in this city was boss? Is the World Congress of Anarchists trying to recruit workers from those “trying to put them in chains”?
The cat and mouse chase runs through the Chicago landscape: the underpinnings of the city from the top down, putting the newlyweds at odds with each other. Jim is trying to protect Diana who is determined to protect him as well.
This is a book of an array of characters, many twists and turns, a considerable number of chapters to follow, and the reader might find it confusing if too much time lapses between readings.
An informative reading of culture, class and relationships.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated Nev Marsh's first book, I was interested in reading her second. There is a drastic scene change from Bombay to Chicago, Historically, the detailed descriptions of the Chicago Fair are well researched and part of the integral and complicated plot that involves anarchists, wealthy men with questionable morals, and all of the exciting inventions that most people had never seen to this point in their lives. This book has everything, including questions of race, various detectives with various motives, and a cast of international and recondite characters.

Curious "Lady Diana," as she is called, and her husband Jim have dissimilar pasts. She is from an upper class, well-educated Parsi family, and Jim is an admirable, clever, and just plain good man with a successful military background. Marsh manages to put a lot of themes in one book, and she does so remarkably skillfully. Under the pen of a less-skilled writer, the plot and setting, too, could have been complicated and not always clear. Marsh excels at logically following threads and directions of plot, adding a romantic and intriguing relationship, and I can't wait for her next book.

Peril at the Exposition
by Nev March
St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books
Pub Date: Jul 12

I loved the first in this series, Murder in Old Bombay, with its exotic setting and compelling main characters, Captain Jim and wife Diana.

Book 2 -- equally enticing -- finds them in Boston in 1893, where they've moved to escape India's rigid rules. Jim joins the Dupree Agency as a detective, and is sent to Chicago on a case where he disappears during the World's Fair. Diana, to whom he's taught deductive techniques used by his idol, Sherlock Holmes, sets out to find him.

And that's where the fun really begins, with beautifully plotted twists and turns, a fresh new setting, and a duo you grow to love even more. Highly recommended!

Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

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