Sgt Akal Singh is back again in Nilima Rao's second novel, A Shipwreck in Fiji. I thoroughly enjoyed A Disappearance in Fiji and her latest novel is just as enjoyable.
A Shipwreck in Fiji set in 1915 during WWI sees Nilima Rao draw on real life events surrounding German Naval officer Count Felix von Luckner and expand on this using fictional outcomes.
Akal is still finding it hard to fit-in in Fiji as Indians are perceived as second class citizens. However, he has good friends in Const Taviti Tukana and Dr Holmes.
His superior is still not on board and sends him away to babysit two Australian visitors and also follow a wild goose chase about sightings of Germans on Levuka.
I love how Nilima Rao takes a true event and expands on this to make a fictional story that is entertaining and compelling.
This installment has Akal unexpectedly investigating two murders. He is very guarded as he is still haunted by his mistake of letting vital information get into the wrong hands.
There is quite a bit of backstory which for me slowed the story down. However, if you haven't read A Disappearance in Fiji this backstory is quite beneficial as it explains why Akal is stationed in Fiji and his reticence.
I enjoyed the addition of indigenous Fijian culture and traditions and the way Rao portrayed the clash between traditional Fijian and British laws and also how Taviti struggled with being caught between these two cultures.
Beautifully described scenes of Suva and some of the villages made it easy to visualise how Fiji was in the early 20th century.
I've really warmed to Sgt Akal Singh over the last two books. He is calm, passive and a little naive but always believes in doing things the right way not the easy way.
A Shipwreck in Fiji is an astounding historical mystery read which reads well as a standalone.
My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publisher: Echo Publishing
Publication date: 29th April 2025
Series: Akal Singh #2
Genre: Historical Fiction / Mystery
Pages: 272
RRP: AU$32.99 (trade paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
My review of the first book:
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