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India Black A Madam of Espionage Mystery Carol K Carr Books

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India Black A Madam of Espionage Mystery Carol K Carr Books

The Stephanie Plum of the 19th century, India Black is headstrong and clever but not always very graceful and it lands her in a number of dangerous yet amusing situations that she handles with dry wit and sarcasm. Hell, she even has her own black sidekick at one point. Then there's the handsome Mr. French, a spy who works for the Prime Minister's office, but he only resembles Ranger with his mysterious background. India has her own secrets though, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series to find out what they are.

I did think the way Vincent, the young street urchin, kept sneaking into the most unlikely places was a little unrealistic, but it didn't play too big of a role in the plot so I was able to overlook it.

I saw a few reviewers saying the "strange" vocabulary like "bint", "cove", and "rogering" used throughout the novel wasn't very historically accurate, but actually, they are. "Bint" is a derogatory British term that dates from the mid 19th century for a woman or girl, like "tart". "Cove" is an informal British term that dates from before the 19th century for a person, especially male. "Rogering" is British slang for having sex and dates from the early 18th century. The authentic language was precisely one of the things I loved about this novel, the author made a good effort to use real slang from the time period. Maybe some readers haven't seen these words used before because most historical novels they read aren't about prostitutes who would use language like that? Or perhaps most historical novelists don't make as great an effort to incorporate authentic language because they don't want to alienate readers so some people aren't used to it (though that's not to say most historical novelists use anachronistic language).

The whole time I was reading the book, I was thinking it would make a great movie. Lot's of adventure and humor, and even the hint of a potential romance in the future. There's not a huge amount of depth, but it is a lot of fun, and sometimes that's just what I'm looking for.


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India Black A Madam of Espionage Mystery Carol K Carr Books Reviews

“My name is India Black, and I am a whore.”

That opening line gives you a good idea what you’re getting into by delving into the first book in this series. Meet India Black, unrepentant and fairly successful madam of the Lotus House, which is just as bawdy as it sounds. It’s not easy for a woman to run her own business in 19th century London, but things always get more complicated when corpses are involved.

Alas, one of India’s regulars dies in the midst of a “game” with one of her girls. The man, a rather important figure in the War Office, cannot be found dead at Lotus House; such a thing would ruin India permanently. India sets up a plan to get the dead fellow (and his possessions) out of her house before his death is connected with her. Alas, as things so often do, events swerve sideways and sensitive documents belonging to the dead man are stolen. India now finds herself immersed in Victorian spy games in order to avert an international crisis. Aided by a British spy named French, India must help retrieve the stolen documents or risk losing Lotus House, and her freedom, forever.

I really enjoyed this book. It is set in the latter half of the 18oos, when Russia and England were rattling their collective sabers at each other. Carr couches this book in enough real historical events to add gravity to the plot. India herself is a strong female lead smart, calculating, and more than a bit ruthless. Her reluctant partner in crime, French, is appropriately mysterious, and generally able to keep up with the leading lady. The pace of the book is fast, launching us from seedy alleyways to grand ballrooms to wild chases across the country side. The supporting characters are as well drawn as the leads, and I have little doubt that quite a few will make appearances in future books. This is a great book for an evening or two, curled up in a comfortable chair with a glass of whiskey.

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[...]
INDIA BLACK was an entertaining historical mystery/espionage novel. India is the madam of Lotus House. Her problems begins when one of her clients dies in her house. The gentleman is a regular Sunday afternoon client. India's first plan is to move his body so that she and her house don't attract the attention of the law. She enlists a street urchin named Vincent and plans are going well until French interferes.

French is an agent for the Prime Minister and agrees to help move the body and arrange for it to be discovered if India will turn over to him the briefcase of government papers he had with him when he arrived at the house. This sound like a wonderful deal to India who just wants all of this to go away so that she can get back to her business.

Unfortunately, the briefcase and the girl who was with the client have both disappeared. The adventures of India and French as they try to recover the missing briefcase are all told by India in an irreverent and cheeky style and takes them to the Russian Embassy and on a break-neck trip across England in a blizzard.

The action is non-stop and laced with humor. A madam's take on the politics of the day make this an informative story as well especially when filtered through India's point of view. I liked the relationship between French and India. I liked that they both had secrets. I was especially curious about India's since she seems to have more education than the usual woman who grows up on the streets in a poor part of London.

I am eager to continue this series to find out more about India and French.
The Stephanie Plum of the 19th century, India Black is headstrong and clever but not always very graceful and it lands her in a number of dangerous yet amusing situations that she handles with dry wit and sarcasm. Hell, she even has her own black sidekick at one point. Then there's the handsome Mr. French, a spy who works for the Prime Minister's office, but he only resembles Ranger with his mysterious background. India has her own secrets though, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series to find out what they are.

I did think the way Vincent, the young street urchin, kept sneaking into the most unlikely places was a little unrealistic, but it didn't play too big of a role in the plot so I was able to overlook it.

I saw a few reviewers saying the "strange" vocabulary like "bint", "cove", and "rogering" used throughout the novel wasn't very historically accurate, but actually, they are. "Bint" is a derogatory British term that dates from the mid 19th century for a woman or girl, like "tart". "Cove" is an informal British term that dates from before the 19th century for a person, especially male. "Rogering" is British slang for having sex and dates from the early 18th century. The authentic language was precisely one of the things I loved about this novel, the author made a good effort to use real slang from the time period. Maybe some readers haven't seen these words used before because most historical novels they read aren't about prostitutes who would use language like that? Or perhaps most historical novelists don't make as great an effort to incorporate authentic language because they don't want to alienate readers so some people aren't used to it (though that's not to say most historical novelists use anachronistic language).

The whole time I was reading the book, I was thinking it would make a great movie. Lot's of adventure and humor, and even the hint of a potential romance in the future. There's not a huge amount of depth, but it is a lot of fun, and sometimes that's just what I'm looking for.