We follow Jim and Diana across the ocean. On the way Jim is ask to investigate an onboard murder. In between being seasick he searches for answers. It’s a good little mystery with an unexpected ending.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

A well-written locked room mystery on board a trans-Atlantic cruise kept my attention throughout. While the main character, Jim, idolizes Sherlock Holmes, this plot is straight out of Agatha Christie's world. The mysterious Spaniard is murdered and as the investigation progresses, we come to realize that this old man made enemies of pretty much EVERYONE. There are a multitude of motives and likely suspects. Nev March does a fabulous job of building the 1890s era onboard along with a colorful cast of characters. A solid addition to this series - I look forward to the next.

It's a hard to review a good book that is not your style. This is a good mystery set on the Cunard in the past and it touches on a historic event that I hadn't heard of before. That is interesting, but it also contains more historical data than I am interested in. It precisely describes how passengers in first class dress and change for different occasions during the course of a day. Many would enjoy reading this but I became lost in the detail and detached from the story and the main characters. I also found the writing a little choppy. I ended up skimming the rest of the book. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review.

Captain Jim and Lady Diana are on their way to England- if he doesn't die from seasickness first!- when an important Spanish passenger is gruesomely murdered in his locked stateroom and Jim is, of course, pressed into service to find the killer. I've been a fan of these complex cozies for the characters as well as for the mysteries themselves but this time, the whole thing felt light on Jim/Diana and heavy on chaotic investigation. There are many suspects, some historical issues related to the Spanish diplomat, and a number of red herrings. Jim tells the story, which does move along briskly, and those who haven't read the earlier books will appreciate that he also provides a bit about his own background along the way. Who can he trust (beside Diana)? I like the period atmospherics (the clothes, the food) and as always, Jim himself. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

A detective and his wife are travelling from New York to London on a steam ship in 1894. Early into the trip a prominent political figure has been found murdered. It is up to the detective to try to solve the murder before they make it to London to prevent a war from starting because of the killing.

I really love that this novel has the same feel as an Agatha Christie novel. It was very well done. The characters retain some mystery as well so you never know who can be trusted. The plot unravels at a great pace and subtle clues are given throughout. If you like a period mystery, you'll love this book!

"A sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree." (Spike Milligan)

And all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't seem to put Captain Jim O'Trey's stomach back together again.

Captain Jim O'Trey and his wife, Lady Diana Framji, are sailing aboard the HMS Etruria heading across the Atlantic toward Liverpool, England. It's the Summer of 1894 and they will be meeting Diana's brother, Adi, when they get to shore. Jim's stomach is not used to the high and low pitches of the Atlantic. He feels more confident on solid ground and even the shifting sands of the desert. Bombay is their home. But his queasy stomach must step aside as there will be a demand for his sleuthing skills.

Jim met Don Juan Nepomuceno on the deck while the don was out smoking a cigar. He and the elderly gentlemen exchanged bits of polite conversation. Later, Jim receives a note requesting his presence by the don. But their future meeting never was to happen. The don's body was found by one of the chamber maids later that afternoon.

Who could have wanted the don dead? And why? The captain reaches out to Jim to investigate the murder. With many upscale passengers onboard, he doesn't wish to disturb them. But the reality is that the murderer is still onboard with nowhere to go until they dock in six days.

We'll follow Jim through the narrow corridors of the ship. He's following false leads that travel to dead ends. Someone even makes an attempt on Jim's life. This will not be an easy case.

The Spanish Diplomat's Secret is the third book in this series, but it can be read as a standalone. Do yourself a favor and read the first book, Murder in Old Bombay, which is my favorite. This third book was a 3.5 Stars for me kicked up to 4 Stars as the ending finally lit a match. The ship storyline was a good one, but I prefer the atmosphere of Bombay for this husband and wife duo. More intrigue and more enchantment. I'm ready for #4, please.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Minotaur Books and to Nev March for the opportunity.

This is the third in the series but is very readable as a stand alone mystery. Basically a locked room mystery as the main character Jim and his wife Diana are onboard a ship enroute to America. Shortly after leaving port a Spanish diplomat is found murdered. Jim is asked to find the murderer before they dock. A very enjoyable cozy mystery with a plot that keeps you guessing and wonderful characters.
#TheSpanishDiplomatsSecret#NetGalley#StMartinsPress

The Spanish Diplomat's Secret is a historical and mystery novel set on a luxury liner in 1894. I have read and enjoyed the two previous books by Nev March featuring Captain Jim and Lady Diana. I regret this is my least favourite of the three books. The writing shows meticulous research into political and financial matters, life aboard an ocean liner, and social/class divisions. The physical details of the ship are prominent in following the solution of the mystery, and I found these difficult to visualize. There were nautical terms not known to me. The crew's roles and locations on the ship help determine the outcome.

Captain Jim and his wife, Lady Diana, travel from America to England in a situation where social diversity is apparent, and one must be wary of offending. There is no interaction between the wealthy first-class passengers above and the lower class below deck.

Jim senses a sadness and coldness from his wife, Diana and fears he must have done something wrong to upset her and that she no longer loves him. Adding to his discomfort, he is overcome by a case of seasickness. He has been aware of this illness since serving in the British/Indian military. At the beginning of the voyage, Captain Jim is sick on deck and is helped by an elegant older Spanish gentleman. They exchange a few words about both being soldiers in the past. The next day, Jim receives an urgent message from the man asking him to come immediately. When he locates the Spaniard, it is too late. The man has been murdered in a room that is locked from the inside. This was a time of rebellion within Spain and tension between Spain and England. It has been learned that the victim was a diplomat and a near relative of the king of Spain. He was on a vital mission to the Spanish rulers and had a dark history from when he was Governor of Cuba.
The Captain and his assistant have learned that Jim is a detective. They confront him about solving the murder before the ship docks in six days. They insist an arrest is vital to avoid international repercussions and forcing passengers and crew to remain onboard for an investigation. The Captain and officers may be arrested and forced to resign in disgrace.

Jim's detection method is based on deduction and the reading about his hero, Sherlock Holmes. He is slow and ponderous, eliminating suspicious people individually and then changing his mind when there is more evidence. Lady Diana is better at questioning, showing compassion and receiving solutions in flashes of intuition and insight. Due to a complicated crime and a large cast of suspects, the investigation proceeds at a lethargic pace. Jim, helped by Diana, must interview the five hundred first-class passengers, their servants, assistants, nurses, and crew. Following the murder of the Spanish diplomat, there is a suicide, a suspected stowaway assassin, an attack on Jim, an abduction, a second physical attack, a stolen treasure, and occult sightings.

The slow pace picks up later in the book, but I had difficulty maintaining interest with so much going on. There are some shocking twists while passengers and crew worry about a killer on the loose who may be a political assassin who will attack anyone who gets in their way.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for an early ARC. The book is due to be published on September 12.

Murder on the high seas!

Nev March is killing me with this splendid series
It’s 1894 and Lady Diana and Captain James O’Trey are bound for England on a luxury Cunard liner.
They’re no sooner settled in than a murder is committed. Don Juan Nepomuceno, a Spanish diplomat, but more than that, a nobleman and a general.
Jim offers his services to investigate and is given free rein. He’s become an American, and is seen as a neutral party in what could become a volatile diplomatic occurrence between Spain and Britain.
The thing is Jim had had interaction with Don Juan the night before. A message from the Don was sent to Jim to attend the Don, but had arrived too late.
Eight days to find the killer. Can Jim and Diana do it?
There’s plots within plots, diplomatic and personal.
A young woman drowns, another’s life is threatened.
Then there’s the dark history of the Don Juan. Trouble in Cuba when the US ship Virginius was captured by the Spanish. A military tribunal executed fifty-three men. That tribunal was led by the General.
The pace is relentless and I was on the edge of my seat during the whole of my reading sprint!

A St. Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

The Spanish Diplomat's Secret by Nev March
(Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries #3)

Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife Lady Diana Framji, formerly from India, now from the United States, are on a cruise to England. Diana hasn't been herself since Jim's last work assignment away from home and he's hoping this cruise will allow her to open up and tell him what is troubling her. It's as if she is hiding something from him and he's worried she may have lost interest in him. He knows he is hiding something from Diana but he'll tell her later since the news could cause her more distress.

Eight days asea will allow Jim and Diana to relax together. But wait, less than 24 hours into the cruise there has been a murder of the Spanish diplomat aboard the ship. Since Jim works for a detective agency the ship's captain gives Jim the task of investigating the murder. Not only that, the captain wants the murderer found before the ship reaches its destination. Otherwise the 1000 passengers and crew could be stuck on the ship much longer than eight days, due to all kinds of international hubbub. Too bad that Jim spends most of the first days sea sick. Thank goodness resourceful Diana is there to help in more ways than one.

I feel like the series is back on course. I like it best when Jim is present, not off doing something else. Here, Jim and Diana are able to work as a team, especially since there are times when Diana is much better suited to questioning/comforting some of the passengers and crew members. It seems things on the ship are going to get worse before they get better and knowing that a murderer is on board amongst everyone makes this very much a closed room mystery.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of The Spanish Diplomat's Secret.

Nev March introduces us to several characters during Jim and Diana's week at sea, and the political and social divisions of the time often hinder his investigation into the murder of the Spanish diplomat in the title. I enjoyed the cruise ship setting, although some of Jim's searches and investigations seemed repetitive. Will he break the case before they arrive at their destination? Yes, but not before a storm that delays the ship an extra day.

Jim and Diana have a sort of 'Nick and Nora' vibe for me. Entertaining historical fiction.

Thank you to the author, Nev March, and Minotaur Books and #SMPInfluencers, and as always NetGalley for an advance digital copy of the book. All opinions are mine.

This was a beautifully written mystery full of rich characters. But I struggled with this mystery. I also struggled to keep track of the large cast. But I loved the setting, everything having to do with the ship itself.

A fun read!

Lady Diana and her detective husband Captain Jim are taking a relaxing cruise from Boston to England. Aboard the elegant ship is an interesting cast of characters, from the crew to the other passengers. One evening while collecting his thoughts on deck, Jim runs into another passenger, an elderly Spanish gentleman who speaks briefly with Jim. As a fellow soldier, Jim feels some kinship with him, and when some time later he receives a message from him asking Jim to immediately come to speak with him, Jim responds immediately. But the message had been delayed and when Jim finally goes to meet him, he finds him dead. Now Jim is tasked with finding the killer before the ship lands in England. Making things more complicated is that fact that is wife Diana, who is both wife and parter, has been disturbingly distant with him. Jim had hoped the trip would allow her to come clean about what was bothering her.

As Capt Jim begins his investigation he finds that one thing or rather one person after the other is not what they seem to be, from the elderly woman who is confined to her cabin and the young woman who is her assistant, to members of the crew, to the various aristocrats on board. But who would have reason to kill an elder gentleman? And why is the ships captain so concerned that the widow not be interviewed?

The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret is a fast passed, gripping stories, with enough red herrings to keep the greatest mystery devotee in the dark til the very end.

A wonderful setup and a richly imagined setting
Former Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife, Lady Diana Framji, are on a transatlantic cruise to England in 1894. Jim meets a retired Spanish military officer who is now a diplomat and later receives a note from the man asking him to meet him urgently. When Jim rushes to see what the gentleman needs, he finds he has been murdered. The situation is especially delicate because of Spain’s currently fragile international relationships, and the captain asks Jim, who is a private investigator, to help find the killer before the ship docks. Diana is in the background, as would be proper for a lady, but offers her usual sage advice.
This is a locked-room mystery with nice echoes of Agatha Christie and specific allusions to Sherlock Holmes, whom Jim and Diana admire, but the “room” is rather large, considering that there are about a thousand people on board the ship. Among the fun and interesting details the reader learns during the book are the techniques used to keep the various strata of passengers separated (Heaven forbid someone from first class might encounter someone from a lower class of passenger!). As a result, the actual likely suspect list is much smaller.
As part of his investigation, Jim must get to know the environment of the ship so he can understand how the murderer was able to approach the victim and kill him. The setup of the ship, including both the physical layout and the roles and placements of the numerous crew members required for such a large vessel , are explored in great detail. There are also references to historical events, like the Spanish civil war and rebellion in Cuba, where the murder victim had served as governor, that could provide a motive for the murder.
This setting and Jim’s preliminary explorations were interesting, but it gave a feeling of a slow pace on the plot, and I was glad when it finally picked up steam. Jim discovers that several passengers have secrets that add to the complexity of the problem. One passenger apparently commits suicide, and someone attacks Jim before he finally identifies the killer and provokes a very dramatic climax.
A reader can enjoy this book without having read the first book, but I highly recommend reading them in order. Jim and Diana have unusual personal and ethnic backgrounds that are not fully explained but are alluded to and certainly affect how they are treated in society, and it helps to know more about them.
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

“The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret” (Captain Jim and Lady Diana #3) by Nev March ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Historical Mystery. Location: Atlantic Ocean crossing. Time: 1894.

THE SERIES: In 19th century Bombay, Captain Jim Agnihotri O’Trey (British Army, Bombay Police) reads and rereads the books of his idol, Sherlock Holmes. When Jim meets lively Lady Diana Framji, his heart is captured. After a move from India to the USA, Jim becomes a detective at the Boston, Massachusetts Dupree Agency, and teaches Diana the art of deduction he’s learned from the Sherlock Holmes books.

THIS BOOK: It’s summer, and Captain Jim and wife Diana are sailing from the USA to England on the steamship HMS Etruria. On the 1st evening at sea, Jim meets Don Juan Nepomuceno, an old Spaniard soldier and diplomat. The next day, he sends for Jim, but before Jim gets there, his dead body is found in the locked Music Room. The ship’s captain begs Jim to find the killer before they dock in Liverpool, or there will be international consequences. There are 1000 suspects on the ship. Jim and Diana must investigate the passengers’ varying accounts of who, was where, when. Then more crimes are committed, and the investigation gets really complicated.

Author March sets her tale at sea, using the mix of passengers, servants, and crew to build a diverse closed world. She has Captain Jim narrate the story. His point of view reflects growing up in an Indian orphanage, and working as a non-white in the British Army, as well as his intellect and continual learning. Having Jim (lower-class mixed-race) and Diana (high-class East Indian) interact with 19th century privileged white passengers adds depth.

March has written a perfect historical mystery with a locked room murder. The period details are fascinating, the characters interesting, the plot complicated. This is book 3 in the series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone. It’s 5 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️ Thank you to Minotaur Press, Nev March, and NetGalley for this early copy. Publishes September 12, 2023.

The Spanish Diplomat's Secret, the third and latest installment of the Captain James Agnihotri series, from author Nev March, is another meticulously crafted historical murder mystery, this time set up on a luxury cruise liner making it's way across the Atlantic from the US to Liverpool England. Set in the late 1890's, March weaves in countless historical details about day to day life aboard this ocean crossing vessel, from the lives and responsibilities of the crew to the detailed social conventions and protocols of the upper class passengers and their accompanying servants. For fans of historical fiction, especially those interested in Titanic era tales of luxury and intrigue, The Spanish Diplomat's Secret makes for an enjoyable read, and will offer the reader a vivid picture of the times.

For fans of mysteries, the writing varies in strength and effectiveness through out the book, but gains considerable focus and talent in the last quarter of the mystery comes to its conclusion. Early in the book however, the writing feels less focused, and the storytelling gets a bit muddled. This may be in part due to the challenges of writing a mystery set upon a cruise ship, with much of the plot revolving around structural details of the ship, which can be difficult to effectively communicate to the lay reader.

Additionally, the characters suffer at times from feeling a bit two dimensional. I enjoyed most all of the characters, and found myself wanting to know more of their personalities and back stories, and being able to better visualize them (both physically and personality wise) in my mind. Some of the dialogue suffered as well from feeling of two eras . . . the more formal era the book is set in, with more formal constructions of language, and also parts that felt more modern and informal in their construction. I found myself noticing this, and it took me as the reader out of my total imaginative immersion into the world and plot of the book.

Those criticisms notwithstanding, overall, I found the book a pleasant read, especially for fans of the mystery genre, especially of the Agatha Christie type. Would definitely make for a great selection to take along on a ocean cruise today, or perfect for a cozy, rainy weekend at home in your favorite chair.

In 1894, Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife Diana board a transatlantic cruise liner bound for England under the names Captain James O’Trey. The first night Jim is seasick but helped by an older foreign gentleman. The next day this same gentleman sends a note to Jim for an urgent meeting, only it is too late. The gentleman has been murdered.

Discovering that Jim is a detective, the captain begs him to investigate and find the culprit before they reach Liverpool. This gives Jim exactly six days to interview 1,000 people. While he would like his wife to stay out of it, Jim is occasionally bedeviled with his seasickness and has no choice but to rely on his wife. Can the two discover why this man was murdered, as well as who amongst the 1,000 souls would want him dead, in such a short time?

The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret by Nev March is the third in the series, but it is the first that I have read by this author. This is not a standalone novel as the beginning left me with many questions. Particularly about their backstory, because there were references to his military career that just seemed pasted in but had no real bearing on what was going on. Maybe if I read the previous books then the characters wouldn’t feel so flat. I just couldn’t believe the narrator/detective James O’Trey. The culprit was obvious by chapter 33, but he just seemed to want to ignore what he was being told. For me, it felt like the mystery was being dragged out rather unnecessarily.

Overall, I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars.

3.75

This was such a fun addition to this series! Captain Jim and Lady Diana are on their way to England when when a Spanish diplomat is murdered. What follows is a closed circle mystery as Captain Jim tries to figure out what happened before they arrive in Liverpool and cause an international incident.

I love the way Nev March weaves in elements of history into these stories, and how she allows those real historical events to play into the plots. In this case, we learn more about the Cold War between the US and Spain in regards to Cuba, as well as some tensions between European powers.

The pacing of this one did drag for me a little in the beginning but wow was the ending explosive, and I loved the way it all tied together. While this is the third in a series, I think as a mystery it stands well on its own and there are enough reminders of Jim and Diana’s interpersonal relationships that you wouldn’t feel lost if you didn’t read the first two.

I had both an eARC and ALC via NetGalley and listened to the whole book while occasionally using the ebook as a point of reference. The audiobook is narrated by Vikas Adam, who remains one of my favorite narrators.

Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife Lady Diana Framji are embarking to England in the summer of 1894 and are called on to investigate a locked room murder before the ship docks in Liverpool. And even though they’re quarreling, he’ll need Diana’s help with the first class passengers.

I struggled to get into this one even though I read the last book. I kept leaving it and coming back and always checking how much time was left. This locked door mystery was too slowly paced for me. Jim plods along second guessing things and Diana takes a backseat in the investigation, especially since we had her POV for most of the last book.

I’ll still read book 4, which was set up at the end of this book.

Captain Jim and Diana are bound for England on a Cunard liner. Poor Jim is sick as a dog the first evening and is assisted unexpectedly out on deck by a gentleman. The following day the same gentleman is dead. Murdered. Jim had hoped this voyage would give him time to discover what is wrong with Diana. Has he done something? Instead he is roped into finding a murderer to avert an international crisis. Investigating on board is akin to finding the way through a maze in a funhouse of mirrors. A very engrossing and complicated mystery!