Death in the Andamans in Retro Reads

Jan 03, 2015 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense, oldies-but-goodies, mystery, things-go-bump-in-the-night, squeaky-clean-romance

3.5 stars. Murder mystery with a dash of romance, written in 1960 and set in the exotic Andaman Islands, a former British penal colony that is now part of India.

description

Caroline Randal, known as "Copper," is a young Englishwoman invited to visit her old school chum, Valerie, who now lives on Ross Island in the Andamans with her stepfather, the Chief Commissioner. During her visit, a tropical storm isolates their group on the island, and a man dies--washed overboard in the storm and drowned, everyone th 3.5 stars. Murder mystery with a dash of romance, written in 1960 and set in the exotic Andaman Islands, a former British penal colony that is now part of India.

description

Caroline Randal, known as "Copper," is a young Englishwoman invited to visit her old school chum, Valerie, who now lives on Ross Island in the Andamans with her stepfather, the Chief Commissioner. During her visit, a tropical storm isolates their group on the island, and a man dies--washed overboard in the storm and drowned, everyone thinks. At first. As things get more complicated and the body count mounts, Copper and Valerie, together with Valerie's fiancé Charles and a good-looking Royal Navy man, Nick Tarrant, form an intrepid foursome that attempts to solve the mystery of the murders. But, of course, asking too many questions could run them into trouble ...

A pleasantly creepy, nostalgic kind of book. The murder mystery isn't up to the standards of Agatha Christie, and the romance is pretty quick and understated (a kiss here and there, in between crime-solving and a misunderstanding). It starts out a little slow: after 100 pages I was ready for the exposition to be over. There are a couple of minor supernatural elements to the story (a portentous dream and an unseen ghostly spirit) that are partially based on the author's own experiences on Ross Island, but other than adding to the creepy atmosphere they're not really germane to the plot.

Nick is a pretty good guy for an alpha male, and his friend Charles is a hoot:

"Yes, come on young Sherlock. Spill the sinister beans and put us out of our misery. Then we can tear up all those appalling notes that Val has been preparing for the purposes of spreading confusion and despair, and fall on Nick in a body. I shall direct operations from behind the bookcase, and you and Val can do the actual arresting. After which we can bury him behind the squash court, and go off to dinner secure in the righteous conviction that we have faithfully administered the King's Justice."

It's a fun, light read if you like old-fashioned romantic suspense novels. ...more

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Aug 27, 2023 mark monday rated it liked it

Shelves: murdertime, to-die-for

M.M. Kaye's last of the Death in... mysteries is somewhat messy compared to the prior (standalone) novels. at this point in her career, I think she wanted to do sprawl, and although this is not a long book, the feeling is a lot more loose and sprawling than its more tightly structured predecessors. despite the story taking place over the course of a weekend. the writing also has a certain sloppiness at times, at least when it comes to the sometimes tin-eared dialogue that favors archness over ps M.M. Kaye's last of the Death in... mysteries is somewhat messy compared to the prior (standalone) novels. at this point in her career, I think she wanted to do sprawl, and although this is not a long book, the feeling is a lot more loose and sprawling than its more tightly structured predecessors. despite the story taking place over the course of a weekend. the writing also has a certain sloppiness at times, at least when it comes to the sometimes tin-eared dialogue that favors archness over psychological realism. ok enough of the complaints, this was still an enjoyable read.

the tropical setting of the Andaman Islands was beautifully evoked, per usual for the author. pure pleasure to read about, especially after a typhoon hits the islands. hysterics ensue for some of the characters - and that's prior to the multiple murders. most of the cast are stuck in or near the official English Residence. despite its ocean views, high ceilings, and an expansive amount of space, this is not a very nice manor house. happily for the reader, all the bats flying about and the rain pouring in from the ceilings and the mysterious footsteps pacing just outside the bedrooms make for some fantastic atmosphere. two couples soon form a kind of Young Detectives Club as they roam around the island trying to solve mysteries while flirting and arguing with each other, discussing and updating lists of clues and suspects. this is in some ways a (lightly) decadent novel, due to its uncritical focus on the colonial lifestyle and privileged attitudes of these usually well-dressed and fairly well-off ladies and gents. I love these sorts of murder mysteries and I don't even feel guilty about it - if anyone has suggestions for more in this vein, let me know! Death in the Andamans was like a lengthy prix fixe dinner at an expensive fine dining establishment. not all of the courses were as technically accomplished as the chef assumed them to be, but the entire experience was memorable and full of flavor. delicious novel.

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I've rated all of the Death in... novels 3 stars (a positive rating for me), but here's a ranking anyway:

1. Death in Cyprus
2. Death in Kashmir
3. Death in Berlin
4. Death in Kenya
5. Death in the Andamans
6. Death in Zanzibar

despite the ranking, Zanzibar is pretty much as enjoyable as Cyprus. all are good! and as per the shelf's title that they all find themselves on, atmosphere to die for. ...more

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Dec 04, 2016 Christine PNW rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vintage-women

I think I liked Death in Kashmir better, but this one was a fun little mystery. I like the way that M.M. Kaye combines a bit of romance with her mysteries, and her colonial British settings, are a huge guilty pleasure of mine. Guilty because I know that colonialism was terribly destructive to local cultures and peoples and Empire building is incredibly arrogant and indefensible, but pleasure because I still love them, with their interesting rules, and their exotic settings.

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Feb 01, 2022 Barb in Maryland rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, mystery-thriller-goodies, historical-fiction, book-pool-2022

3.5 stars for this entertaining romantic suspense/murder mystery. I'm rounding it up to 4 stars on the strength of the author's preface.

The author came very close to overdoing the gothic vibe: the creeping dread, the jittery heroine, the hurricane, the ghost, the creaking floorboards, and the bats, which were a nice final touch. The murder mystery was clever; I certainly didn't suspect the baddie until much later in the story.

I liked our young heroine, Copper Randal, who has traded wintery Londo ...more

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Jun 16, 2009 Hannah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, 2024-reads, re-read, 2017-reads, mysteries, 2018-reads, favorites

Another winner from M.M. Kaye's " Death in... " murder mystery series. This novel takes the reader to the Andaman Islands off the coast of India, circa late 1940's. Copper Randal leaves the dreary, rainy confines of her secretarial job in London and travels halfway around the world to visit a girlhood friend living with her father, the Chief Commissioner of the Andaman Islands. While there, Copper discovers that all is not as it seems in paradise. Death stalks the colonial residents during the ...more

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Jan 15, 2022 Carolien rated it really liked it

Shelves: english-mystery, 2022

A solid plot and characters, but the setting turns this into a 4 star read for me. In the introduction, M.M. Kaye explains how she visited the islands which are formally part of India, but much closer to Thailand and Myanmar, prior to WWII. In the book, a storm strikes the islands and a small group of British residents and visitors are marooned on tiny Ross island, This in itself was a prison for convicted murderers who were allowed to live on the island and act as servants after a few years of ...more

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Jan 29, 2022 Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-book, tbr-retro

Really enjoyed this romantic suspense thriller - didn’t feel like a mystery, so much, even though the four young friends, stranded after a Christmas hurricane cuts off access and communication with their tiny island in the Andamans, pass the time trying to figure out who is the killer in their midst. In a mystery, I expect to peer into the mind, or at least peer over the shoulder, of the investigator.

In this book, the four young people discuss possible suspects and motives, but don’t do any rea Really enjoyed this romantic suspense thriller - didn’t feel like a mystery, so much, even though the four young friends, stranded after a Christmas hurricane cuts off access and communication with their tiny island in the Andamans, pass the time trying to figure out who is the killer in their midst. In a mystery, I expect to peer into the mind, or at least peer over the shoulder, of the investigator.

In this book, the four young people discuss possible suspects and motives, but don’t do any real investigating, just watching, talking, waiting, and our heroine does some gasping and going white and trembly - but we aren’t privy to her thoughts until the long exposition at the very end, as the four hash out whys and wherefores on a romantic beach picnic. Kind of weird, rom-com vibe at the end, after sustaining such a claustrophobic, spooky, “who’ll be next” suspenseful mood through much of the story, I thought. But, a minor quibble, I imagine the author felt she had to tie up all loose ends and resolve romantic conflicts.

Here, our heroine, “Copper”, is visiting her best friend since school, Valerie; Val’s father is governor of the island, a former penal colony in the Bay of Bengal. It’s Christmas Eve as the story gets going, so the two friends and their beaus head to a picnic at a local beauty spot. There are some events that raise red flags for Copper, creating a vague unease she recalls later. The hurricane blows in, just as the party are trying to get home; the guests in cars make it home, the boaters caught on the water aren’t so lucky. One person doesn’t make it, after boats capsize, others don’t realize until they are rescued and back on land. The body washes up next day, and soon there’s another death among the Government House party (no spoilers). That’s when our young people start discussing suspects and motives.

I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere and beautiful descriptions of the exotic location- that’s what prompted me to find this library book for this frozen January! It’s also in the Book Pool for the Retro Reads group - I had previously read one of the authors mysteries with this group, Death in Cyprus, and this seemed like a fun opportunity to try another.

Kaye was born in India, I believe, and lived all over the world, which is reflected in her writing. The author note at the beginning of my large print library edition, published in 1986, says she actually “roughed out” this book in the 1930s, based on a stay she had on the island. The depredations of WWII destroyed the buildings, and the island is no longer occupied, only available to tourists for day trips among the abandoned ruins. Knowing this only added to my interest in the story, and sent me to Google to look up pictures and find out, yes, even though this was published in the 1960s, this is still the case. Fascinating! ...more

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Jul 13, 2013 Lynnie rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, read-in-2022, romantic-suspense, christmas, read-in-1980s

This book was written in the late 30's just before World War 2 but not published until 1960.

It's classic trapped on an island setting, swirling mists, storms, raging seas, telephone lines down. And a murderer. The descriptions of Government House were very atmospheric.

Kaye is also brilliant at describing the island, so beautiful and vivid.

The mystery was suspenseful but lost its way a little when the four younger people start listing the suspects and discussing motifs and I felt the banter beca ...more

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Jul 21, 2024 Tuesdayschild rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, 2024-read, 2024-audio

Audiobook narrated by Soneela Nankani.
The setting for this suspense murderer/ romance story sounded amazing, a place I would love to visit, the story was just an okay one for me. I wasn’t sure afterwards if this was to do with the narrator - she often has Copper and Val sounding like the same person - or that I really was not invested in any of the characters.
A decent enough, no extra effort required, vintage era suspense mystery to listen to while unwell, so I’m gifting it three stars.

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