Death in Kashmir (1953)

Sarah Parrish just wants to enjoy her relaxing holiday at a ski hotel in Kashmir, but her vacation takes an unpleasant turn when one of the other hotel patrons is found dead. Everyone believes that Mrs. Matthews’ death was an accident, until Sarah discovers that another hotel guest, Janet Rushton, is actually a British Intelligence agent – and that she and Mrs. Matthews were working together. When Janet herself dies “accidentally” shortly thereafter, Sarah is plunged into a mysterious network of criminal intrigue and espionage. But the more she learns about the sinister plot that Janet had uncovered, the more dangerous her own search becomes.

This was my first book by M. M. Kaye, but it definitely won’t be my last. Death in Kashmir is an entertaining cozy mystery set a year before India gained its independence from Britain – so, in addition to the mystery plot, the book documents a significant cultural shift from the perspective of the British occupants. And since M. M. Kaye actually did live in Kashmir for a while, her descriptions of the country are (most likely) accurate! The mystery was well done also; there was a comfortable number of suspects, and I didn’t discover who the villain was until Sarah did. Overall, the novel reminded me strongly of Agatha Christie’s books, and I think anyone who likes Christie will like M. M. Kaye as well. I’ll have to go find Death in Berlin now!

M. M. Kaye's Death in Kashmir attempts to combine a murder mystery with international intrigue. Agatha Christie's foray into mystery + international intrigue was not successful (see Passenger to Frankfurt), and I was a little dubious about Kaye's ability to shine where Christie had faltered. Though the international intrigue element is probably the weakest part of the plot, it wasn't bad enough to make me put the book down.

Sarah Parrish is a young woman who served as a WRAF in World War II. Now that the war is over, she is at loose ends; her parents are dead and she is on her own. It's 1946 and India is shortly to be emancipated from British rule after a century and a half. While skiing with a party in Kashmir, Sarah is unexpectedly pulled into the confidence of Janet, a Secret Service person with something terribly important to protect. When Janet is killed — accidentally, as it looks, though Sarah knows it is murder — Sarah is left with the only clue to Janet's secret. But how can she do anything when she doesn't even know what the secret is about — and when the opposition is so skilled at arranging convenient deaths as needed?

We get a wonderful snapshot of life in India just before its emancipation, by a person who was really there. Kaye spent her childhood and early married life in India, where her grandfather, father, brother, and husband all served the British Raj (or "reign") there. Her attention to detail, down to the pronunciation of the various Indian terms and place names, is commendable and adds greatly to the verisimilitude of the setting. Kaye's deep love for India is apparent in the descriptions of its beauty and culture.

The dialogue in this mystery is wickedly witty and funny. Major Hugo Creed and his wife Fudge are such fun. His speeches are my favorite:

"I know of few more invigorating pastimes than watching one's fellow man earnestly endeavoring to remain upright while sliding down a snow slope of one-in-one with six feet of planking strapped to his boots." (p. 33)

"You will undoubtedly meet the lady at the binge tomorrow, and be able to judge for yourself. Speaking for myself, she fascinates me, and I cannot help regretting that upon her demise it will not be practicable to have her stuffed and placed in some public museum." (p. 101)

Sarah is also fun to listen to; her conversation is peppered with literary allusions and quotes, and she has a lively sense of humor. Lady Candera — perhaps so named because of her alarming candor — is also hilarious (though perhaps less fun if one were to meet her in real life). The narrative voice is fairly distinctive, subtly clever and occasionally reflective. Kaye writes in the introduction of "man's compulsive and indefatigable efforts to destroy what is beautiful." I'm not so sure she's wrong.

But despite all the good things, there were some flaws in the story. The international intrigue was a bit of a stretch, and even at the end it was vague. Still, it could have been worse. The romance was predictable, and Charles a rather one-dimensional character. A nice one-dimensional character (of admirable dimensions too, I understand!) but something about that fell flat for me. Maybe because it was so perfect? All the women for miles around try their wiles on him, Sarah included, because he is such a paragon of good looks and manners — and he conveniently turns out to be, well, what he is, and ends up with Sarah? I don't want to give too much away, but it's just too neat. The characters also spill things on themselves and others quite a bit, I noticed. It got rather funny as it kept happening.

Oh, I remembered one other thing I didn't like. Charles and Sarah are discussing a mutual acquaintance and Sarah says, "This is the Atom Age—more's the pity—and anyone as spineless as Meril Forbes should be dumped straight back into a Brontë novel where she belongs" (p. 186). Excuse me? The heroines of Brontë novels are anything but spineless, thank you very much! I'm not sure why Kaye made that dig, but it was annoying — enough to lop off that extra half-star I couldn't decide if I should give it. Off it comes.

There are red herrings aplenty, but I had my suspicions about the criminal right from the start. Though I suspected some other people too along the way, I was never quite fooled by the blind Kaye puts up. I'm not sure what I like better: figuring it out beforehand or having the wool pulled thoroughly over my eyes. Both are fun when it comes to murder mysteries!

Death in Kashmir is the first Kaye book I've read, and I will certainly be looking for more of her work. The characters are fun, the dialogue witty, the mystery passable, and the historical setting believable. Recommended! ( )

Wonderful, for what it is - a light-hearted whodunit with a clever, complex and suspenseful mystery, interesting and rich historical context (politically, culturally and scenically), a charming heroine and a romantic plot (and hero!) which never fails to amuse...

Sarah's holiday in late-1940s India, hijacked by suspense and intrigue makes for gripping entertainment. ( )

Light and fluffy mystery/romance that passes an afternoon. ( )

Sarah Parrish is holidaying in India the year before the British are due to leave. An avid skiier, she had accompanied some friends to Kashmir where her enjoyment was marred by the death of one of the other guests. She discovers that the dead woman was a spy for the British government, and it falls down to Sarah to discover the secret that she was killed for.