The third story in this award-winning series features Captain Jim Agnihotri and Lady Diana embarking on a journey from their home in America to England at the behest of Diana's brother, Adi. Adi is in England on business and wants Jim's help with a matter he only wants to discuss in person. It suits Captain Jim since he has sensed a growing distance between himself and Diana. At first glance, the couple seems ill-assorted. Jim is a half-caste orphan invalided out of the Indian Army, and Diana is from a noble, wealthy Indian family and was university educated in England. Jim's service to the family (Murder in Old Bombay) made him almost a family member. They welcomed him with open arms when Diana set her cap for him. Diana usually gets what she wants! Jim's investigative skills, army background, and Diana's social skills make them a formidable duo.

As much as Jim is happy to take the journey, an old problem arises. Jim is a very bad sailor who never seems to quite overcome it. After one of his bouts, he goes out on the deck, hoping for fresh air and relief. While there, he meets an old soldier, Don Juan Nepomuceno. The two feel a sense of kinship, and the old man is kind to Jim. However, Don Juan is not universally loved, as becomes apparent when he is murdered in a grisly and very personal manner only a few hours later. His past includes the execution of many US Navy prisoners in Cuba years before. Many hate him, and some onboard have reason to do so. The fact that Don Juan is highly placed in the Spanish nobility threatens to create an international incident. The ship's captain asks Jim to find the killer before docking at Liverpool.

Hundreds of passengers are on the ship, from first class to second, and steerage. Then there is the crew. The author does a fine job of keeping them separate and distinct from each other. Diana, as always, involves herself but is limited to the first-class areas. Jim spends every waking hour, while not seasick, all over the ship and learning much about the operations of an ocean liner. Action and life-threatening danger are never far from the duo as they race to solve the murder.

I have enjoyed each of the books in this series and was not disappointed in The Spanish Diplomat's Secret. There is a foreshadowing of the next puzzle for Captain Jim and Lady Diana in the person of Adi. I will be looking forward to it.

Part of series with Captain Jim and Lady Dania who are on a trans Atlantic voyage when they get involved in solving a mysterious murder..
Drama,twists,suspense,mystery
An intriguing mystery.
Voluntarily reviewed.

This was a very enjoyable episode in the Captain Jim Agnihotri series of books.

Jim and Diana are sailing back to Liverpool on the luxury liner Erituria, in 1894, when a Spanish passenger, Don Juan Nepomuceno, is found murdered shortly after he sent a note asking to meet with Jim. When the captain of the ship discovers that Jim is an investigator, he asks him to help discover the murderer before the ship docks in England.

Over several days, Jim and Diana interview their fellow travelers, look for clues and follow the ideas of their hero Sherlock Holmes as they try and figure out what is going on aboard ship. Lots of different suspects are considered, several subplots and red herrings are thrown in, and Jim gets very discouraged as he deals with several bouts of seasickness while getting very worried that he will not solve the crime in time.

I really enjoy these characters, and their different cultural backgrounds. Nev March does a lovely job of setting the scene in both the time period and place, and the insights into the class and cultural differences of the times are well done.

I look forward to the next book in the series!

Thanks to St, Martins Press, Minotaur Books & NetGalley for this free ARC in return for my honest review.

Book 3 in this marvelous series by Nev Marsh follows Captain Jim and Lady Diana as they take a relaxing ocean cruise to England only to have their vacation trip interrupted by Jim's seasickness and eventually the gruesome death of a passenger onboard. The ships captain enlists Jim, who has become a detective in America after his life in the British/Indian army, to lead the investigation into finding the murderer among the ships passengers and before they reach England. The book is set in the 1890's and even then there were cruise liners that plied the seas in luxury as it the case today, and while the ships were smaller back then there were still over 500 passengers or crew who could be the murderer. As always Lady Diana is a silent and reassuring presence and, in my opinion, has much more intuitive understanding of people, and solving clues. There are only 6 days in which to solve this murder, and along the way we meet many of the wealthy first class passengers, their aides, nurses and assistants, as well as many of the crew. Making this more intriguing is that the murder took place in a locked meeting room onboard this moving ship so there is nowhere for the assailant to hide.
And, as with all great mysteries, along the way we have people falling overboard, suicides, attacks on other passengers, and even an attack on Captain Jim! What elevates this novel is the wonderful use of history as part of the overall plot. Spain is in their usual state of civil war, the Spanish diplomat used to be the Spanish governor of Cuba, we learn how the Bases de Manresa situation fits into the plot, as well as the infamous Virginius affair in Cuba also is a driving force in the plot. As the author so eloquently puts it, "A murder and a suicide, occult sightings and stolen treasure. All on one ship." It is all here in a well written, well designed book that keeps us guessing until the very end!

Book 3 in this fine mystery series with Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife Lady Diana Framji, who both love Sherlock Holmes and sleuthing. A transatlantic voyage in the late 19th century, a locked-cabin murder, multicultural spice, and glorious prose. A winner!

The Spanish Diplomat's Secret is the third in a series. The central characters in all three books are Captain Jim Agnihotri and Diana Framji. Murder in Old Bombay, the first book in the series, lays the groundwork. Specifically, March develops Captain Jim's fascination with Sherlock Holmes which leads to solving the murder of two women from a prominent Indian family. Lady Diana, a member of this family, joins the search and falls in love with Captain Jim. Lady Diana's involvement in solving murders is a constant throughout the series.

In Peril at the Exposition, the newlyweds are settled in Boston. Captain Jim is a detective who deals with a murder set during the World's Fair in Chicago. These two books blend easily into The Spanish Diplomat's Secret. The setting is a voyage to England, when the Spanish Diplomat is murder, While the passengers are captive on the sea voyage, that actually only serves to complicate the murder investigation. March leads the plot through multiple possible accomplices and motives.

As in the earlier two books, there are innumerable plot twists and turns. Well written, you will have a hard time putting it down as each page promises a fresh surprise.

The Spanish Diplomat's Secret is my first read by Nev March in this series. The third in the Captain Jim and Lady Diana series, this story takes place on a transatlantic crossing as the title characters head from the US to England. The journey is filled with murder and mayhem shortly after Captain Jim meets a Spanish diplomat who is well connected in Spain. Captain Jim, a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, relies on the consulting detective stories to help inspire him to solve the case. The mystery is filled with red herrings and murder suspects as the characters race across the Atlantic and face literal storms at sea. I found the story itself seemed to drag in spots, but overall liked the characters and setting that I wanted to see the conclusion, which did not disappoint. I recommend this book for those who enjoy historical fiction mysteries and enjoy Sherlock Holmes.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Jim Agnihotri, tasked with determining who on the ocean liner killed the Spanish diplomat, relies on his investigative skills as well as Diana’s instincts to come up with a pool of likely suspects. The case is complicated by some seemingly unrelated incidents and several red herrings and Jim has to figure out what is relevant and what is not. Jim seems to plod along, second guessing himself throughout. The first half of the novel moved at too slow a pace and it’s only once a second mystery develops that the momentum speeds up. I figured out the identity of the murderer before Jim did!

The Spanish Diplomat's Secret is historical fiction that is true to the time period in which the story takes place. It’s the third novel in this series and I liked it the least of the three. It is not necessary to have read the previous two novels, although they provide more information on Jim’s background. The novel ends with hints of an upcoming fourth mystery for Jim to solve.

This is a perfect traditional historical mystery – author March utilizes classic tropes like setting her book on an ocean liner, challenging the seasick detective (who is obsessed with Sherlock Holmes) to solve the case before the ship lands in England, and lining up a variety of suspects (aka characters) with shady or unknown pasts, including some exotic foreigners. It’s all very Agatha Christie.

As the book opens, Jim Agnihotri and his bride Diana are making an ocean crossing from the US to England in 1894. The voyage is somewhat spoiled for Jim because of his extreme seasickness, but he soldiers on. Jim has a late night conversation with a fellow passenger, a mysterious Spanish grandee of some sort. Both of the men have served in the army and find a kinship. The next day, the Spanish man in murdered, and the captain challenges Jim, who actually works as a detective, to solve the case.

Jim and Diana between them sort out that the killer probably came from the first class passengers, or maybe second class, as all other classes are locked below and can’t access the deck. This cuts the suspect pool only very slightly, leaving Jim with many, many people to question. This is a novel, however, so March keeps the suspect pool a reasonable size, concentrating on a ship’s officer, a handful of first class passengers, and the Spanish diplomat’s wife and their servants. The wife has secluded herself in her cabin, only emerging briefly, heavily swathed in black. The dead man obviously had some kind of secret, but what it might be is only patiently uncovered by the author throughout the novel.

Meanwhile there’s another incident: a suicide of one of the maids, who jumps overboard. While the ship backtracks and makes every attempt to find her, she cannot be found and they must move on, leaving her for dead. Her bunkmate insists that the voyage is cursed and their cabin is haunted. Diana, who has a fondness for strays, takes the young woman into her and Jim’s cabin. Another attack and a disappearance make everything more complicated. While Jim and Diana are sure everything is connected, they really aren’t sure quite how, and the overabundance of suspects and clues snarls everything up.

This has a well assembled and meticulous plot but I also feel March is at her strongest when she writes about character: Jim’s traumatic memories of battle; a distance between Jim and Diana that Jim just can’t figure out; and even a mysterious process Diana uses to locate a missing person about halfway through the book. Diana’s method relates back to her Zoroastrian culture and references her Indian background. These are strong elements and March would do well to emphasize them. I enjoyed the solid mystery and the deft creation of life on board ship, but what I came away with were slices of character. Even the character of the murderer, when revealed, is memorable and haunting. I look forward to more installments in this fledgling series.

"In The Spanish Diplomat's Secret, award-winning author Nev March explores the vivid nineteenth-century world of the transatlantic voyage, one passenger's secret at a time.

Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife Lady Diana Framji are embarking to England in the summer of 1894. Jim is hopeful the cruise will help Diana open up to him. Something is troubling her, and Jim is concerned.

On their first evening, Jim meets an intriguing Spaniard, a fellow soldier with whom he finds an instant kinship. But within twenty-four hours, Don Juan Nepomuceno is murdered, his body discovered shortly after he asks rather urgently to see Jim.

When the captain discovers that Jim is an investigator, he pleads with Jim to find the killer before they dock in Liverpool in six days, or there could be international consequences. Aboard the beleaguered luxury liner are a thousand suspects, but no witnesses to the locked-cabin crime. Jim would prefer to keep Diana safely out of his investigation, but he's doubled over, seasick. Plus, Jim knows Diana can navigate the high society world of the ship's first-class passengers in ways he cannot.

Together, using the tricks gleaned from their favorite fictional sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, Jim and Diana must learn why one man's life came to a murderous end."

Yes, yes, this week is ALL about Sherlock Holmes!

4.5 / 5.0 stars

Author Nev March spins a wonderful tale, filled with adventure, mystery, and a touch of romance. The writing is excellent and highly descriptive. In this installment of the Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mystery series, one is swept away on a magnificent Cunard ocean liner, HMS Etruria, traversing the Atlantic and experiencing marvelous scene settings, descriptions of exquisite attire, beautifully presented culinary treats and society's mannerly practices. Nev March's rich understanding of society, delicate international diplomacy, classism of the 1890s, and history of the day is beautifully rendered. The way in which she writes dialogue among people of differing cultures and class is insightful and delivers a strong understanding of why things ultimately had to change.

Early on in the story there's a death aboard ship. Owing to the delicate nature of Anglo-Spanish relations, the ship's captain calls upon Jim, a Boston private detective, to lead the investigation concerning the death, which absolutely must be resolved before docking in Liverpool. Given the tremendous number of possible suspects, Jim is affronted with dead ends and red herrings at every turn. Fleshing out the truth within the witness statements is nerve-wracking. Will Jim be able to solve this mystery in the nick of time to salvage international relations and his own reputation? Perhaps with his dear Diana's assistance. Tick tock, tick tock.

The story was thoroughly captivating and I eagerly await the next book in series as it makes its way into the world.

I am grateful to publisher Minotaur Books for having provided a complimentary uncorrected digital galley of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publication Date: 09/12/2023
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 978-1250855077
No. of pages: 320

The best description of this book is a good- old-fashioned page- turner mystery. It will not take you very long and you will be totally hooked. The time is 1894 and the setting is a steam ship. It is a captive environment so it shouldn't take long to solve a case...Right? I read an electronic copy courtesy of Net Galley for review purposes. I didn't realize this was part of a series, it read great as a stand alone book. I will be looking for the previous volumes. I highly recommend this book.

Jim and Diana are traveling to England on an ocean liner in 1894. Jim is a former military man and is now a detective. On the first night, while battling sea sicknesses, Jim meets a fellow military man who is now a Spanish diplomat. The next day, he receives a note from the Spanish diplomat asking for his help. But, before he can meet with him, the diplomat is found murdered.

The captain of the ship enlists Jim to investigate the murder. Assisted by Diane, Jim sets out to solve the murder. Due to the heated political situation in Europe, it is essential that Jim solves the murder before the ship docks in a week.

I have to admit, this novel got a little slow for me in the middle. Jim analyses who the suspects are...over and over again. Once he seems to have solved the murder, he begins questioning himself. Sure enough, that suspect is dismissed and Jim is back to the drawing board. I feel like this one could have been shortened by about a hundred pages with more decisiveness and less repetition..

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
This is the third book in this series. I have read the first one, but not the second one. This story takes place in 1894 on a transatlantic crossing from America to Britain. On the voyage a murder occurs, and James O'Trey is enlisted to find out who the murderer is. This book had some good parts, but it just failed to grab me. It was hard to get to know the characters or to feel anything for them. The plot seemed to drag in places, and I found my attention wandering. It was a good mystery but seemed to need a little warmth to bring the reader into the story.

Set in 1894 newly married husband and wife Captain Jim Agnihotri and Lady Diana Framji are on a transatlantic cruise to England when a Spanish diplomat is murdered. Since Jim is an investigator, the captain asks him to take charge of the case. The couple are fans of Sherlock Holmes mysteries and from time to time muse about what Sherlock would have done or thought. This is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie mystery such as Death on the Nile or Murder on the Orient Express, but in this case there are 1,000 passengers aboard the ship, 99.9% of whom have no connection to each other. It just didn't work for me.

This is the third book in a series - I might have liked it better if I read the first two as they apparently provide the backstory to the main characters, and in fact I had both those books on my "want to read" list on Goodreads, but I just wasn't invested in them or the victim(s).

I do appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy, but would caution readers to start with Nev March's earlier books in the series. Murder in Old Bombay introduces Jim and wife Diana, and then in Peril at the Exposition the couple move to the US and subsequently investigate a murder at the World's Fair in Chicago.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. As a fan of the previous books in the series, I was happy to learn more about what happened with the characters. Being an avid cruiser, I enjoyed reading about luxury transatlantic cruising around the turn of the century. This book was mostly from the point of view of the husband, Jim, as he became involved with investigating the murder of another passenger on the ship as well as other incidents during the crossing. It was interesting to see the difficulty Jim faced when evidence pointed in a direction contrary to Jim's instincts. There were many red herrings and many suspects. I enjoyed learning more about the historical events of Spain, England, the US and Cuba at that time, as well as issues with class, race, and feminism. I look forward to reading the next installment in the series.

This is apparently the third installment of a series involving Captain James O’Trey and his wife Lady Diana, married just two years. Now, it is 1894, and they are on a transatlantic voyage from America to Britain.

On their first night on board, Jim meets an older Spanish gentleman who sends him a note the next day requesting an urgent meeting. But when Jim tries to find him, he discovers that the man, Don Juan Nepomuceno, has been murdered.

The captain of the ship, upon discovering Jim is a detective, asks him to lead the investigation to find the killer before they dock in Liverpool in six days. The Don was a high-level government figure in Spain - governor of Bilbao - and “the unofficial Spanish ambassador to the United States.” The captain inferred the murder could have diplomatic consequences, so solving the crime is of utmost importance.

The task is a daunting one: there are 945 people aboard the ship, including crew. Moreover, Jim is plagued by bouts of seasickness. He has Diana, however, who knows her way around the upper classes and is curious and clever. Those skills are much needed, since not only did the Don have secrets, but so did many of the passengers and crew.

The plot unfolds in a rather Sherlock Holmesian manner, but I thought the writing was a bit stiff, the plot a bit contrived, and the characters not all that compelling. Still, it wasn’t a bad effort, and ably evoked the class relationships and political machinations of the times.

The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret by Nev March

Thank you to St. Martin’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.

An 1894 transatlantic steamship trip is the background for this third outing for the appealing couple of Lady Diana and Captain Jim. The beautiful, intelligent, and kind Parsi from Bombay, and the strong but sweet illegitimate half English/half Indian army officer-cum-private detective, are traveling from their recently adopted home in Boston to London for Jim’s work.

While the first book in the series, “Murder in Old Bombay,” was clever and well-written, this third in the series suffers from many confusing and unnecessary or misleading events and descriptions.

The book opens with an unknown narrator “upchucking” his meal over the rails of the Cunard steamship. The narrator turns out to be Jim (it was Diana in the second book), and physical discomfort comes up more than necessary in the ensuing pages.

Some of the descriptions, especially about time, are quite confusing. Events are associated with lunch and dinner, but seem to be in the wrong order: Jim and Diana go to lunch in the main dining room, and Jim says “Evening…” to some guests. But it is indeed lunchtime, and dinner comes later. Or it isn’t clear if something happens the day after the murder or two days later, nor how long they are on the ship.

The murder mystery revolves around a Spanish diplomat, apparently seeking funds to secure the position for the current, under-age King of Spain. Much is made of the politics involved, which is neither clear nor interesting.

There are varied characters, some well-written and some not so much. We hear a great deal about the Captain’s changes in face color, and a woman with four young children is described as “an old lady.” Red herrings abound, with many suspicions around ladies dressed in black and others dressed in white.

At least the cause for Diana's emotional distress and distance from Jim are finally explained, and the theme of her wanting meaningful work is introduced. I expected to enjoy this book, but with reluctance, I feel it is not on the same level as the first one in the series, and I hope the fourth (which is hinted at) will be more carefully written and edited.

The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret is an historical cozy mystery, reminiscent of an Agatha Christie locked room murder. It’s the third in the James Agnihotri series but works fine as a stand-alone.
It’s 1894 and Jim and his wife, Diana, are sailing to England on a luxury liner. The second day at sea brings the murder of a Spanish gentleman and Jim is asked to conduct the investigation.
March does a good job of providing a detailed setting, true to the period. The book is also a throwback in terms of its pacing, which moved at a languid pace and became almost torpid in the middle. Jim seems to spend a lot of time ruminating over what he’s learned about each character. March offers up plenty of false leads and red herrings. The pace did pick up for the last quarter and I became totally engaged at that point. I figured out the murderer before Jim did, but that’s not saying much.
March spends a fair amount of time fleshing out both Jim and Diana. But Diana for some reason felt especially two dimensional here.
This was decent entertainment but a little too tepid for my taste.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Disclaimer: I did not read the first 2 books in thia series, but it wounded lile something i would enjoy
This book has a great premise ~ murder mystery on the sea? Sign me up! However, this book was tough for me to read. The writing felt a little too robotic and disjointed. I found myself having to re read paragraphs because the topic would change midway through and I thought I missed something. I think if the writing was cleaned up and more emotion was added to the characters, this would be a lot more enjoyable.