Today’s featured author is Nev March, whose new release Peril at the Exposition hit shelves last month. The sequel to 2020’s Murder in Old Bombay, this is a beautifully-written historical mystery that mixes the glamor of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair with a grisly, threatening plot.
Connect with Nev on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and her website. Grab a copy of Peril at the Exposition from your favorite retailers here.
Hi Nev, thanks so much for joining! Peril at the Exposition follows newlyweds Captain Jim Agnihotri and Lady Diana Framji as they track down anarchists planning a deadly plot in 1890s Chicago. What inspired you to write a husband-and-wife detective team? Are there any advantages or challenges to writing two sleuths, instead of one?
In any novel, a single protagonist has “plot armor;” that is, it’s understood they will survive to the novel’s end. However, that’s not the case when you have two protagonists. Readers understand this and fear that one or the other may not survive or may sacrifice themselves for their spouse! Western society prizes the individual and their beloved above all else. But eastern ways of thinking value the needs of the group or society higher. This keeps the stakes very high, as they balance their mutual affection with the needs of others.
Unlike Murder in Old Bombay, book one in your Captain Jim and Lady Diana mystery series, Peril at the Exposition takes place in the United States. Are there any challenges or notable differences when writing about India versus Boston or Chicago?
I grew up in India, so its landscapes are etched in my mind. 1892 Bombay would be similar to cities and towns I visited in the 70s and 80s, which made for vivid scenes in Murder in Old Bombay. Writing Peril at the Exposition was a different process: Though I lived near Chicago in the 1990s, the city is vastly different than in 1893. Ethnic neighborhoods and streets were razed to build modern highways. While the magnificent White City of the World’s Fair is well documented, I had to imagine the fetid, sooty, dung-ridden (!) industrial city that Chicago was then.
The historical setting of the series—specifically, the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893—makes for a glittering backdrop to a deadly mystery. Can you share how you researched this time period? And/or, what about the World’s Fair makes it an interesting setting for this story?
It’s a period rife with conflict! The 1893 World’s Fair was a turning point in American and world history, a vision of what innovation could bring the world, a magnificent vision of hope. But for those excluded (minorities, blacks, indigenous people, and labor) it must have seemed like a dream out of their reach. Their despair is a terrible counterpoint to the glamorous gilded age lifestyle. It’s also interesting because it mirrors our present-day growing inequality of income, almost a cautionary tale.
Identity is a major subject in this story: themes of race, gender, social class, and more are woven throughout the book. Why do you think it’s important to include these significant themes in a mystery?
Quoting the brilliant Walter Mosely (Author of Devil in a Blue Dress and more): People read for two reasons: to be entertained, and to learn something about human nature. This resonates for me. I want my stories to entertain, to lift and transport readers to a different time and place. I also want to open a window outside their bubble, to share something about how their actions might seem to people of other cultures, to recognize the unfairness of our social norms and expectations, to feel empathy. If I succeed, it elevates a genre novel to entertaining literature.
Lastly, I see that you’re working on Captain Jim and Lady Diana’s third book. Can you share any details or sneak peaks at the plot for this one? And/or, do you have any other exciting projects you could share?
Book 3 is a locked room mystery set on a steamship during the golden age of ocean travel. Captain Jim and Lady Diana must solve the murder of a foreign diplomat before they make land or risk an international incident. Is the killer one of the wealthy society folk onboard or a member of the crew? Our sleuths have plenty of suspects with multiple motives. . . . but are running out of time. (I’m having such fun with this!)
Thanks so much to Nev for the interview. Sleuths, I hope you enjoyed it! If you aren’t already subscribed, please be sure to sign up for the Cluesletter and get author features like this alongside other mystery goodies, delivered to your inbox every other Tuesday.