by Nilima Rao
Publisher: Echo Publishing, 2025
Review
by Jennifer Cameron-Smith
A Shipwreck in Fiji is a cosy historic mystery set in Fiji in 1915. In this, the second book in the series, we’re reunited with the wonderful Sergeant Akal Singh and cast of characters we got to know in her debut, A Disappearance in Fiji.
There are tensions everywhere, and Nilima Rao has done a deep dive with her research and drawn an accurate and disturbing picture of the conflict between traditional Fijians and the British colonial government. Nilima refuses to shy away from describing the way indentured Indians are used and mistreated, and some of the scenes make for uncomfortable reading. The turban-wearing Akal Singh from Punjab in Northern India is also treated as an outsider by most members of this sharply segregated community. However he has one redeeming feature in their eyes; Akal’s talent with a cricket ball sees him begrudgingly recruited to the team in this cricket-mad town.
Akal’s superior officer, Inspector-General Jonathon Thurstrom, never wanted Akal in Fiji. Akal was transferred there after a shameful indiscretion in Hong Kong where he was offered the choice: go to Fiji or leave the police force. Thurstrom shows his disapproval by assigning Akal the jobs none of the other police want to investigate. His arrogance and ongoing need to remind 26-year-old Akal of his lowly status are a source of constant tension throughout the story.
Akal is summoned by Thurstrom to escort two Australian women on a sightseeing tour on Ovalau, a neighbouring island. The women are the sister and niece of Hugh Clancy, the influential editor of the Fiji Times, and the younger one has aspirations to be a journalist. Even before they catch the ferry there are rumours that Germans have been spotted on Ovalau. At first Akal and Taviti brush them off as they all know The Great War is being fought on the other side of the world.
Nilima Rao presents a picture of class-conscious colonial Fiji which includes the mistreatment and misery suffered by indentured Indian workers. Racism is rampant. Fortunately for Sergeant Singh, he is accompanied by his friend Constable Taviti Tukana, whose uncle is an important local chief. I loved the way we got a glimpse into traditional village life, and it was in the small moments – descriptions of things like cooking underground, basket weaving and daily routines that brought an authentic feel to the story.
Some of the themes are confronting, especially the descriptions of the treatment of the indentured Indian workers, and the ingrained racism that was pervasive at the time. The author also captured that moment in history where people were caught between long-held traditions and the new ways of colonialism and inevitable change. The clash between Fijian and British culture is fascinating, and confronting, to read about.
So, are there Germans hiding on the small island of Ovalau? The men were seen in a shop one day, then the shopkeeper was found murdered. Are those Europeans guilty of that crime or have they got the locals offside because of their behaviour? They’ve been disrespectful to the locals and their traditional ways.
One of the great strengths of A Shipwreck in Fiji is the relationship between Akal Singh and his friend, Taviti Tukana. Their banter is wonderful and they are both interesting and vulnerable characters. The other characters, many of whom will be familiar to those of you who’ve read Nilima’s first novel, are well developed and interesting. And of course the women from Australia are going to give Akal a few headaches, especially the beautiful aspiring journalist.
The pacing of this story is great and it was fascinating to read such a well-researched book about life in Fiji during The Great War. The setting was terrific. We don’t see many crime novels set in Fiji, so this was a treat.
Nilima Rao combines mystery and history in this tightly plotted story which held my attention from beginning to end.
Publisher’s blurb
The unlikely sighting of Germans in 1915 Fiji turns deadly in this charming follow-up to A Disappearance in Fiji.
Sergeant Akal Singh, an unwilling transplant to Fiji, is just starting to settle into his life in the capital city of Suva when he is sent to the neighbouring island of Ovalau on a series of fool’s errands. First: investigate strange reports of lurking Germans, thousands of miles from the front lines of World War I. Second: chaperone two strong-willed European ladies, Mary and Katherine, on a sightseeing tour. And third: supervise the only police officer currently on Ovalau, a teenage recruit with a penchant for hysterics.
Accompanied by his friend Constable Taviti Tukana – who has come to visit his uncle, a powerful chief – Akal sets out to deal with these seemingly straightforward tasks. Instead, the two police officers become embroiled in a growing number of local controversies, among them the gruesome death of an unpopular shopkeeper and the imprisonment of a group of European sailors in Taviti’s uncle’s village. To add to Akal’s woes, Katherine, an aspiring journalist, harbours an agenda of her own. As tensions mount, will Akal be able to keep her – and himself – out of trouble?
Nilima Rao’s critically acclaimed debut, A Disappearance in Fiji (2023), was winner of the 2024 American Library Association Reading List for Mystery Fiction and appeared in multiple US best-of-year roundups (being named as an Amazon Best Debut of the Year and culture website CrimeReads’ Best Historical Fiction of the Year).
This next instalment in the Sergeant Akal Singh series has all the charm and sparkle of the first book, offering fascinating historical insights into the realities of life in Fiji at the start of the twentieth century.