Let's discuss some good mystery books!
If you love mysteries, this book club is the place for you! We meet every month to discuss the chosen selection, with maybe a little catching up on the side.
June's book selection is A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao.
1914, Fiji: Akal Singh would rather be anywhere but this tropical paradise—or, as he calls it, “this godforsaken island.” After a promising start to his police career in his native India and Hong Kong, Akal has been sent to Fiji as punishment for a humiliating professional mistake. Lonely and grumpy, Akal plods through his work and dreams of getting back to Hong Kong.
When an indentured Indian woman goes missing from a sugarcane plantation and Fiji’s newspapers scream “kidnapping,” the inspector-general reluctantly assigns Akal the case, giving him strict instructions to view this investigation as nothing more than cursory. Akal, eager to achieve redemption, agrees—but soon finds himself far more invested than he could have expected.
Now not only is he investigating a disappearance, but also confronting the brutal realities of the indentured workers’ existence and the racism of the British colonizers in Fiji—along with his own thorny notions of personhood and caste. Early interrogations of the white plantation owners, Indian indentured laborers, and native Fijians yield only one conclusion: there is far more to this case than meets the eye.
Books can be checked out at the Laman Library circulation desk (ask a staff member) or online on the Libby or Hoopla apps. For more information, contact Megan at mhines@nlrlibrary.org. No registration required.
AGE GROUP: | Ages 19+: Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Book/Discussion Club |
TAGS: | Discussion | BookClub |
This is the primary location of the William F. Laman Public Library.
