Post-World War I India [is] an apt setting for whodunits and thrillers, but not many have exploited this setting. Barbara Cleverly has — with her war hero-turned-policeman Joe Sandilands … A modern, fresh approach … Sandilands is far from the virtuous, restrained British hero of yore, not averse to liaisons with pretty women, single or married… wonderful portrayals of the dark side of the glittering 1920s.