Cromartie v. The God Shiva Acting through the Government of India by
Rumer Godden
pbk out May 98
(Pan)
at £5.99
Crime fiction throws its net widely in the great ocean of literature and catches some unexpected fishes. One such is Rumer Godden, now in her nineties, and still producing fascinating fiction. CROMARTIE is based on a real-life court case. A small, sacred and extremely valuable statue of the God Shiva turns up in London. A Canadian dealer claims he bought it in good faith. The God Shiva, acting through the Government of India, believes the statue was stolen and wants it returned - to its eccentric Anglo-Indian home in the Patna Hall Hotel on the Coromandel coast so familiar to Rumer Godden’s readers. Michael Dean, a youthful barrister, is retained for the defence and sent to India to investigate the circumstances of the alleged theft. Once in India, the story moves on to another level. Dean is soon embroiled with a varied cast of characters ranging from Inspector Dutta through the memorable Mrs Moaner (whose name is an accurate indicator of her character) and the awesomely competent Auntie Sanni to Artemis, the enigmatic archaeologist with whom Dean fall in love.
This is, by Rumer Godden’s standards, a slight book, but it is deft, neatly-written and filled with exhilarating emotions not usually found in crime fiction.
(
Andrew Taylor
- author of the highly acclaimed Roth & Lydmouth Series)
Cromartie v. The God Shiva Acting through the Government of India by
Rumer Godden