Disclaimer: I received this book from my library. Support your local library! All opinions are my own.

Book: A Disappearance in Fiji

Author: Nilima Rao

Book Series: Akal Singh Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Fijian characters, Indian Punjabi Sikh MC, Indian characters

Recommended For...: mystery readers, thriller readers, historical fiction lovers

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction Mystery

Age Relevance: 17+ (racism, sexual assault mentioned, kidnapping, sexism, religion, slavery, use of a slur, alcohol consumption, gun violence, suicide mentioned, death, rape mentioned, language)

Explanation of Above: The book focuses a lot on how there was a lot of slavery in the early Fiji colonies against Indians. There is racism shown and mentioned and sexual assault and rape mentioned. There is also a scene mentioned where a man is naked and has been naked outside of women and young girls rooms. Kidnapping is mentioned and there are scenes of sexism, alcohol consumption, gun violence, and death. There are a few religions mentioned in this book: Christianity, Hindi, and Sikh. There is a slur used throughout the book (coolie). There is a mention of suicide in the book. There is slight cursing in the book.

Publisher: Soho Crime

Pages: 288

Synopsis: A charming and atmospheric debut mystery featuring a 25-year-old Indian police sergeant investigating a missing persons case in colonial Fiji
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.
Nilima Rao’s sparkling debut mystery offers an unflinching look at the evils of colonialism, even as it brims with wit, vibrant characters, and fascinating historical detail.

Review: I absolutely loved this book so much! It reminded me so much of an Agatha Christie novel, but with that amazing historical fiction setting like a June Hur novel. The main character instantly appealed to me and I loved getting to know him and his backstory. I loved the storyline, the twists and turns in it kept me guessing until the end. The book also had amazing world building, I never realized how much racism and racist stuff happened between Indians and a lot of Asian countries. I loved learning about this piece of history and I feel like I have a lot more nuance into a lot of current world situations because of it. I can’t wait to read more in this series and learn more about Akal.

The only ding I felt this book had was that there was some quick pacing, especially with the traveling portions, but other than that this book was perfection for me.

Verdict: I loved it so much! I highly recommend this book.