Inspector de Silva is caught up in the excitement when a professional theatre company comes to Nuala but matters take a dark turn when the company’s actor manager is murdered. Our inspector has a new case to solve and he must consider some very unpalatable motives for the crime. He will need all his persistence, coupled with his wife, Jane’s, invaluable help to unmask the villain of the piece.Set on the exotic island of Ceylon in the 1930s, The Inspector de Silva Mysteries provide a colourful and relaxing read spiced with humour and an engaging cast of characters.

What Amazon reviewers say about this series:

A Breath of Fresh Air
“What a delightful change of pace. I really liked the characters and the location. It took place during a gentler time without all the cruelty and violence that defines far too much of the books we see being published now. There is more than enough violence surrounding us today without having our escape to the land of books filled with it.” Puzzler

Loving this super series“
I can imagine sitting out on the veranda sipping iced tea in the sweltering heat but with a constant reminder of the wilder side of Ceylon just over the other side of the high garden fence. Just stunning!” Books from Dusk till Dawn

Must read police procedural set in pre-war Sri Lanka/Ceylon
“I started reading this series after a quick trip to Sri Lanka. Now I am hooked and read them as fast as they come out. Even if you have never been to Sri Lanka these books evoke an interesting period in history and the low-tech state of forensics in the 1930's. The clash of cultures is interesting as well. I can't say enough good things about this series.” S.Smith

Layers upon Layers
“I don't remember how, exactly, I came upon the Nuala books, but just an hour ago I finished a binge read of all four of them. I love a well-written mystery, and these don't disappoint with their frequent literary allusions, interesting characters, and realistic sets of interpersonal challenges and conflicts…. There's always a new thread to be pulled, and all kinds of insights and events result from each pulling. These are absorbing stories, and I hope there will be more of them.” Julie M. Drew

About the Author

Harriet Steel grew up in London and Wiltshire but now lives in Surrey. Married with two daughters, she has worked in fields from law to libraries. Her interests are travel, history and art, all of which have inspired the historical novels she wrote before turning to crime with The Inspector de Silva Mysteries. She reads widely, but in the mystery genre is particularly fond of vintage mysteries. She would love to go back in time for a day and have lunch with Hercule Poirot, tea with Miss Marple, and dinner at the Ritz with Lord Peter Wimsey.