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THE DAMASCENED BLADE

Barbara Cleverly

CONSTABLE £16.99 (Hbk) Rel: September

Reviewed by John Escott


The story opens in 1910 on the North West Frontier where Pathan tribesmen are torturing Harry - a British medical officer - to death. Harry got separated from the rest of his patrol after a botched attack, and fell down a ravine. One man in Harry`s company - a Scotsman, Jock - is not prepared to leave his friend to die the death of a thousand cuts. He risks his life to go back to help. But Harry is beyond help, having been mutilated by the tribesmen. Jock kills the two who are robbing Harry, then presses a crucifix into his friend`s hand and puts him out of his misery by shooting him in the head.
Cut to 1922 and a front line fort at Gor Khatri. Detective Joe Sandilands is staying with an old army friend, James Lindsay, fort commander. About to descend on them is a party of visitors, amongst whom is Zeman Khan, a Pathan prince, Lily Coblenz, a rich American girl who`s safety is Joe`s unwelcome responsibility, and Lord Rathmore, chairman of West India Trading. When Zeman Khan dies in the night - apparently from accidental poisoning - his aide is not satisfied with the explanation for his death which is given by Dr Grace Holbrook, another of the guests. So he kidnaps Lord Rathmore, threatening to kill him if the prince`s murderer is not arrested within seven days. Detective Joe Sandilands proceeds to uncover the truth, which has its beginnings in the 1910 incident.
Part traditional whodunit with an exotic setting, part old-fashioned `derring-do by gutsy young lady in foreign country`. The characters are nicely drawn but I have to say the book ceased to grip me after Lord Rathmore was whisked away as a hostage, along with the interfering Lily, and had to be rescued. This meant the investigation, the most interesting part of the story, temporarily ground to a halt. Also, some of the attempts at humour misfired (for me, anyway).
Barbara Cleverly has previously written three other Joe Sandilands novels, and has received some good reviews. I liked the idea of a mystery set in the North West Frontier, and the authenticity of the story`s historical backdrop is not in question. Ms Cleverly obviously knows her stuff. I was just disappointed that the book didn`t hold my interest for all of its 287 pages.