A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao
Published by Zaffre 2023

‘A disgraced police sergeant, a missing woman and a plantation full of secrets’

Set in 1914, during British colonial rule, this debut novel brilliantly describes the class and race structure of the period and its impact on culture and every day life. 

The descriptions of the indenture programme and the subsequent abuse of it are both shocking and informative. All that is overlaid by a detective story that’s both complex in its solution and simple in its telling. 

In some ways it reminded me of The No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency but with a more serious foundation and a very real insight into a brutal period of history. 

In Sergeant Akal Singh of the Fijian Constabulary, Suva Division, Ms Rao has introduced a dignified and honest police officer, trying to overcome the fall out resulting from an unfortunate series of events in his previous post. 

I hope she’s planning a sequel. A new author with an interesting approach is always a treat, especially when the reader hopes there’s more to come.