Member Reviews
This was a great book! I love this series and read the 1st book in the series Murder In Old Bombay and immediately started this one b/c I loved it so much! I love the relationship that Diana and Jim have together and that she is not a shrinking violet. She kicks ass and takes names! I can't wait for the next book in the series!
a good mystery with an interesting lead couple. I've read the first book in the series as well and look forweard to them continuing.
I enjoyed the first book in this series well enough, but this one felt like a BIG upgrade, and I now consider this a must-read series.
It’s odd because the first book was set in India (a setting I typically like) and this book is set in Chicago (not my favorite setting) during the World’s Fair (a locale that never works as well in novels as it seems like it should). Still, I found this book more lovable and engaging than its predecessor, and I now feel I’ve been won over by March and the series.
Diana makes a terrific protagonist and I loved that she was the hero in this one, and March also gave us a delightful cast of secondary characters who I hope we’ll see again further in the series.
I’m glad the series won’t stay in Chicago, but it worked for the plot used here, and I’m excited to see what adventures Diana and Jim find next.
The writing was pretty pedestrian, so I lost interest in this.
_________________________________________________________
So I definitely thought this was a cozy mystery, which it might still be, but unfortunately it is also a historical cozy mystery, which I am not super into. It’s also the second in the series and unfortunately I was lost about it. I was a fan of the location: Chicago, but disliked that it was in 1893, (which is why I don’t usually read historical fiction). I also enjoyed Diana, our main character, who I believe is the wife of the main character that we had in the first book. All in all, this wasn’t what I expected (shame on me for not reading blurbs), but I thought it was good, if not enough to win me over to the not-cozy-mystery historical genre. Three and a half stars, rounded up. Oh! I also got this on audiobook, which I enjoyed.
The second book in the series is well written and enjoyable with good characters, pacing and storyline. I enjoyed this very much!
This was another great book by Nev March. The traditional mystery sleuthing established in a historical setting is always fun to dive into. The narration was also done well.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of Peril at the Exposition by Nev March Narrated by Safiyya Ingar; Vikas Adam in exchange for an honest review. It published July 12, 2022.
This is a solid second entry in this series. I love Diana and Jim as a couple, and I think they’re quite realistic as far as fiction goes. I found the setting of this book to be very fun, and I learned a lot about the Chicago world’s fair!
There were a few things that I felt were unnecessary, but overlooking them, it’s still worth the read.
Also, both narrators did an excellent job.
This was OK — I really didn’t like the characters when I started, and although they grew on me as the book went on, I never felt like I truly fell for them. The setting is intriguing but the writing occasionally pulled me out of the story. I did however really want to solve the mystery, so that kept me turning pages. And I did really enjoy the narrator!
Unfortunately I’m going to be DNFing at 26%. The narrators did an awesome job, im just struggling to stay in it. Maybe if I read the first book and then try again I’ll have been luck.
‘1893: Newlyweds Captain Jim Agnihotri and Diana Framji are settling into their new home in Boston, Massachusetts, having fled the strict social rules of British Bombay. It's a different life than what they left behind, but theirs is no ordinary marriage: Jim, now a detective at the Dupree Agency, is teaching Diana the art of deduction he’s learned from his idol, Sherlock Holmes.
Everyone is talking about the preparations for the World's Fair in Chicago: the grandeur, the speculation, the trickery. Captain Jim will experience it first-hand: he's being sent to Chicago to investigate the murder of a man named Thomas Grewe. As Jim probes the underbelly of Chicago’s docks, warehouses, and taverns, he discovers deep social unrest and some deadly ambitions.
When Jim goes missing, young Diana must venture to Chicago's treacherous streets to learn what happened. But who can she trust, when a single misstep could mean disaster?
Award-winning author Nev March mesmerized readers with her Edgar finalist debut, Murder in Old Bombay. Now, in Peril at the Exposition, she wields her craft against the glittering landscape of the Gilded Age with spectacular results.’
_________________
3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars for plot. 5 stars for audiobook narration.- 4 stars overall.
Peril at the Exposition is the second book in Nev March’s debut series, Captain Jim Agnihotri, and is a historical mystery.
Picking up shortly after where the first book left off, Diana and Jim are newly married and settled in Boston. Diana is learning to navigate both being a wife and getting by on limited means all while living in a new country. Jim, by the nature of his work, is adapting well to all the changes. He’s utilizing the skills he honed as a soldier and investigator back home to build a career in the States, which sets the plot in motion as Jim is called a way due to new developments in a case he has been working.
The audio narration of this book was stellar. There were two different narrators: one for the chapters from Diana’s point of view and a second for those from Jim’s point of view, which I found really benefited the storyline. I really recommend listening to the audio version of this book, the narrators did such a lovely job.
I found the first book in the series, Murder in Old Bombay, to be more compelling than this sequel, but still good. Part of this may have been that the tone of this book was entirely different from the previous, from the setting to the dynamic between the two characters to the absence of Diana’s family (and I commend the author for pulling off so many core changes from one book to the next). Mainly though I think it is due to the fact that Jim is not our main narrator. Much of the book is told from Diana’s perspective and although she is smart and can be resourceful, she is terribly naive and got on my nerves at several points. I missed Jim.
Towards the end of the book, I found that things felt a bit scattered. I was getting whiplash from all the accusations that were flying in every direction. So many characters were suspected and accused within a very short timeframe. Not exactly the smoothest investigative work, but then there was a rookie on the case.
It is commendable that Diana wanted to give her all to protect the World Fair and its attendees, but she was often in far over head. I will admit she had some very good luck early on (assembling a team and getting some preliminary information), although she put others in danger constantly without realizing the possible consequences. I’m surprised they didn’t find themselves in even more danger from all the wild accusations and imprudent and unsafe investigative furrays.
I plan to read the next book in the series, but I hope Jim will be our main narrator or that it will be more of a 50/50 split.
_____
I would like to thank Minotaur Books- Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary copy of the audiobook version of Peril at the Exposition by Nev March with me. This is my honest review.
This is book #2 in the Captain Jim Agnihotri series, the first one was called Murder in Old Bombay. I did not read the first one and this one was still making more than enough sense for it to be a standalone.
The beginning started out very interested and it is one that hooks you quickly. While it didn't keep my attention as much as I would have liked, it was still rather interesting and I think many would enjoy it.
While I didn't connect super well with the story, the audio performance itself was absolutely stellar. I would definitely recommend the audio version if you are going to read this one!
Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook prior to release. It will be available for purchase on August 1, 2022. 5 stars for the audio performance.
Nev March does it again and delivers a fantastic novel filled with action and mystery. PERIL AT THE EXPOSITION is a historical mystery that takes place during the 1893 Chicago Exposition. The book has interesting historical figure cameos. It is nice to see the relationship between Captain Jim and Diana grow and get stronger. Together they are clever detectives. The plot is strong and entertaining. The ending is well done and satisfying. This is a great series and I can't wait to read the next book.
The narration was perfect!
A historical mystery of the gilded age set against the backdrop of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. This is the second book in the Capt. Jim Agnihotri series, I had not read the first Murder In Old Bombay but I will go back now!
New in the US Jim uses his ex-army officer training and his penchant for disguise to become a detective. Impatient and worried after not hearing anything from Jim for a few weeks, Indian born and bred Diana leaves the safety of their new home in Boston to find him. She doesn’t know that Jim has gone undercover as a laborer, and they are both being shadowed by men with secrets and a devastating plan for destruction. Throughout the novel there is suspicion and fear - who can be trusted? Who is playing their own game ? Especially when many people are not who they seem to be. Clothing, accents, money, connections – even in the United States Diana sees class distinctions similar to the ones found in India.
Giving a realistic feel for the period, author Nev March authentically describes the various lifestyles of this time - from the well-to-do politicians to the poor laborers and tenement-dwelling families. Her descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells helps to bring this era to life. The historical details bring the story to life and hold up to my google reading about the Chicago World Fair !
Augmenting the novel to be more than a well-written historical mystery, March incorporates the racism, classism, and sexism of the era while bringing in a quite diverse set of characters.
The audio was very well done with two separate narrators for Jim and Diana - we enjoyed our listening so much with this enhanced atmospheric dual point of view narration !
Captain Jim and Lady Diana have settled in Boston after leaving India. Jim is now employed by the Dupree Detective Agency. When one of their detectives goes missing while working on a case in Chicago at the World's Fair, Jim is sent to find out what happened. Jim has been gone longer than expected and Diana goes to Chicago looking for him. I enjoyed the story being told mostly from Diana's point of view. This story was very well researched and includes so much history about Chicago and the exhibits that were at the World's Fair. Several historical figures make an appearance in the story including Nicola Tesla. This story combines historical events, more about Diana's upbringing, family, and education, and an intriguing mystery. I listened to the audio book and loved the two narrators.
I received a complimentary copy of this audio book from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I was SO EXCITED to see that there was going to be a second book in this series and the second it popped up on NetGalley I requested it. I may or may not have squealed out loud when I received the ARC. I am here to tell you that I was not disappointed at all!! YAY!!
Captain Jim and Lady Diana have moved to Boston from India. You get the impression that they like their life there, though it has been a struggle, especially for Diana, who has only known India and truly has only known comfort and wealth. The scene where she is baking and afraid she has burned their supper shows this very well. Though, you can see just how she was raised in thinking independently and with knowledge of how things are run when Jim goes off on a job to Chicago [the World's Fair is happening and all sorts of shenanigans are happening<b>**</b>] and is determined to be missing and Diana goes after him - she is afraid, but does what she has to to find her husband. Once found, they embark on an adventure of intrigue, danger, murder and anarchy begins and keeps you guessing until the very reveal [and I was pretty shocked at this - some of it I had absolutely no idea about] and it is a very exciting and satisfying conclusion.
I hope there are more in this series. I really like Captain Jim and Lady Diana and seeing them trying to make a life in America is very interesting. They work so well together and I love how Diana respects [and deeply loves] her husband, but is not intimidated by the niceties of society and didn't afraid to do what needs to be done and how much Jim respects that aspect of her. It really is refreshing.
If you love good historical mysteries, I highly recommend this one - you'll not be sorry.
I was so lucky to get the audiobook for this book and ohhhh how the excellent narration opened up the book and story for me. I would absolutely recommend this audiobook and will be looking for these narrators in other books as well. Very well done.
Thank you to NetGalley, Nev March, Safiyya Ingar and Vikas Adam - Narrators, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing these ARC's in exchange for an honest review.
<b>**</b> <i>IF you are looking for a good book about the Chicago World's Fair and how it came to be and some of the shenanigans that happened during that time, may I suggest [book:The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America|397483]? It will absolutely hold you enthrall and will "curl your hair" [as they used to say]. I still think about that book and all I learned in it. </i>
Bodies are turning up in Chicago during the earth shattering 1883 World's Fair and Diana's husband has gone missing while investigating it. There's talk of an explosion, the high tension following the Haymarket Riot, and anarchists demanding a change in the world. And through all of that, Diana refuses to give up her search. She refuses to lose the husband she just found.
While in Chicago, Diana is introduced to the true America. All injustice and small kindnesses. She befriends cross-dressing Abigail (who's identity is never confirmed through the book), and scrappy Wadja and soon there are answers, questions, and more than enough suspects.
The book gets a little convoluted towards the end when so many new characters and potential explanations popped up every other page. At some point there's talk about a religious conference being the target, but also there was an ice rink? And other characters went from guilty to not guilty back to guilty so fast that I had whiplash.
Overall a fun book, but not something that can be read quickly if you want to follow the plot easily. I also really loved the romance between Diana and Jim. They were so sweet together, and their love was apparent in every interaction and thought of each other, I also loved the way this book relied so heavily on Diana as the investigator. It was refreshing, and I'll be continuing this series for sure.
In the midst of the preparations of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, newlyweds Jim and Diana are settling into life in Boston after leaving behind the strict social conventions of the British Raj in India. Jim is following in the footsteps of his idol and mentor, Sherlock Holmes be becoming a detective at the Dupree Agency. Jim is sent to Chicago amidst the furor of the World’s Fair to investigate a murder, where he subsequently disappears.Diana immediately sets out to find out what has happened to her beloved husband. Rich in historical detail, readers will delight in this character driven mystery