By B.M. Allsopp
Publisher: Coconut Press
Review by Sally Bothroyd
Crime fiction is a genre that’s especially suited to offering the reader an armchair tour of a town or country, and for anyone who’s interested in spending time in an exotic location, B.M. Allsopp has written a series of novels set in the tropical islands of Fiji.
Death of a Diplomat is sixth in the series of police procedural novels, but don’t worry if you haven’t read the preceding five. I found it easy to pick up without prior knowledge.
The novels are centred on Detective Inspector Joe Horseman, a police detective and former rugby superstar, and he’s an immensely likeable hero, who loves his mother and his dog (named Tina). In this instalment he’s also pining for a colleague who has transferred to another precinct.
As is given away by the novel’s title, DI Horseman is given the job of investigating the death of the Australian High Commissioner in Fiji, made more difficult by a personal connection: the High Commissioner has helped him establish a hostel for the shoeshine boys, who he also coaches in rugby. (Joe Horseman really is a good egg.)
But it’s not smooth sailing on Fiji’s alluring azure seas. There’s a peppering of dodgy characters and red herrings, and more than one shark is ready to take a bite out of Joe Horseman if he’s not careful.
B.M. Allsopp is an Australian writer who’s lived in Fiji, and she makes use of the ties between the two countries, and the legacy left by colonial rule. There are lovely references to aspects of Fijian culture: devout Christianity, a national obsession with rugby, and a healthy respect for tea and biscuits.
This is a gentle novel — despite the murder — told at a gentle pace and with a light touch (no heavy descriptions of violence or gore). The reader is left feeling entertained and relaxed, and hopeful that there are still heroes like Joe Horseman in the world.
Publishers blurb
A VIP diplomat is missing in Fiji.
Detective Horseman’s dream turns into a nightmare.
At two o’clock, the Australian High Commissioner, Her Excellency Helen Armstrong, will open a hostel for the Junior Shiners, a rugby team for Suva’s street kids. As the Shiners’ founder, the ceremony is DI Joe Horseman’s dream come true. But Ms Armstrong fails to turn up. Troubled Horseman instigates a Missing Person investigation at once. And he leads the search himself.
When Helen’s body is found, Horseman vows to solve the mystery of her death despite obstruction from officialdom. As he digs into Helen’s life in the elite circles of Suva, he uncovers dark criminal networks reaching to the highest in Fiji.