Books in Order (Captain Jim and Lady Diana Series)
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Murder in Old Bombay
Captain Jim Agnihotri channels his idol, Sherlock Holmes, in Nev March’s Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut. Based on real events In 19th century Bombay.
Captain Jim is recovering from wounds received in a skirmish on the northern frontier. His long, dull months in hospital are relieved only by newspapers, and rereading tales of that new pulp sensation, Sherlock Holmes. The Bombay papers are following the deaths of two young ladies who plunged from its tallest clock tower. Young widower Adi insists that his wife and sister did not commit suicide; Captain Jim is hired to investigate. In a land of divided loyalties, asking questions is dangerous; And when lively Lady Diana Framji joins the hunt for her sisters’ attackers, Captain Jim’s heart isn’t safe, either.
Peril at the Exposition
1893: Newlyweds Captain Jim Agnihotri and Diana Framji are settling into their new home in Boston, Massachusetts, having fled the strict social rules of British-ruled Bombay.
But theirs is no ordinary marriage: Jim, now a detective at the Dupree Agency, is teaching Diana the art of deduction he’s learned from his idol, Sherlock Holmes. Everyone is talking about the incredible World’s Fair in Chicago. Jim’s being sent there to investigate the murder of a security guard. As he probes the underbelly of Chicago’s docks, warehouses, and taverns, he discovers deep social unrest and deadly ambitions. When Jim goes missing, young Diana ventures to Chicago’s treacherous streets to learn what happened, and prevent disaster. Yes, another exciting adventure is at hand for Lady Diana and Captain Jim.
The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret
Captain Jim and Lady Diana encounter a locked room puzzle aboard their ocean liner … and time is running out
Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife Lady Diana Framji are embarking to England in the summer of 1894. Jim is hopeful the cruise will help Diana open up to him because she’s been unusually silent. On their first evening, Jim meets an intriguing Spaniard, a fellow soldier with whom he finds an instant kinship. Soon, Don Juan Nepomuceno is murdered, his body discovered shortly after he asks urgently to see Jim. The captain asks Jim to find the killer before they dock in Liverpool in six days, or there could be international consequences. Alas, Jim is doubled over, seasick, and must rely on young Diana to learn why one man’s life came to a murderous end.
The Silversmith’s Puzzle (May 13 2025)
“Oh, what splendid novels Nev March writes! Rich, rowdy, and romantic, old-fashioned yet fresh, peacock-bright with color but brainy, too: these are books for the adventurer and the historian alike…. Thrilling mystery, fascinating history.” –A. J. Finn
In Nev March’s latest sweeping, atmospheric mystery, Captain Jim Agnihotri and Lady Diana Framji return to India to investigate a murder amidst colonial Bombay’s complex hierarchy, and the result is her most enchanting novel to date.
In 1894 colonial India, Lady Diana’s family has lost their fortune in a global financial slump, and worse, her brother Adi is accused of murder! Desperate to save him from the gallows, Captain Jim and Lady Diana rush back to Bombay. However, the traditional Parsi community finds Jim and Diana’s marriage taboo and shuns them.
The dying words of Adi’s business partner, a silversmith, are perplexing. As Captain Jim follows a trail of unpaid bills, broken promises, lies and secrets. Why was the silversmith so frantic for gold? What awful truth does it represent? Captain Jim and Diana struggle with the complexities of caste, tradition, and loyalty. Their success and their own lives may depend on Diana. Can she find a way to reconnect with the tight community that threw them aside?

