The Strangler Vine

Listeners are transported back to a mysterious India of 1837, which is almost wholly governed by the East India Company. The recently arrived and indebted Company officer William Avery finds himself paired with the unconventional Jeremiah Blake on a mission to discover the fate of the acclaimed writer Xavier Mountstuart. Their uneasy partnership and small band of native soldiers are given authentic voice through the judicious narration of Alex Wyndham. His narration highlights the bright enthusiasm of Avery, which contrasts sharply with the world-weariness of Blake, a man who has seen too much and feels greater comfort in the company of locals. Wyndham immerses the listener in their quest and developing relationship, while convincingly delivering both native and British accents. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

Starred review from January 5, 2015
Colonial India in 1837 comes alive in Carter’s superior fiction debut. Col. Patrick Buchanan, the chief military secretary of the Honorable East India Company in Calcutta, directs a former company officer, the Sherlock Holmes–like Jeremiah Blake, to search for Xavier Mountstuart, the author of popular romance fiction rumored to be based on fact, who disappeared after visiting the headquarters of the company’s thuggee department. The officer who runs this department is determined to rid the country of the threat from the murderous thuggee gangs. William Avery, a callow young company officer, is to accompany Blake. Buchanan warns Avery that while success will gain him whatever posting he desires, failure will doom him to end his days in the “most remote malarial hole in Bengal.” The quest takes some surprising turns, and Carter (Anthony Blunt: His Lives) is masterly at keeping the reader guessing what’s really going on. The final revelation is both jaw-dropping and plausible. Agent: Bill Hamilton, A.M. Heath (U.K.).