Published by Penguin, 2001, 483 pages.

The body of a young English woman is found in the Pettah—a disreputable part of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Not a place where you would wander around at night. So what was the young woman, Dorothy Bell, doing in the Pettah? Who killed her?

Dorothy’s father, Reginald Bell, a wealthy man, flies to Colombo for his daughter’s funeral. Unimpressed with the police’s lack of progress, he wants to hire his own investigator. On the suggestion of Bundy Balasingham, a casino owner, Reginald hires CV vander Marten, a computer whizz home on holiday from the US.

CV is not sure he wants to take on the job and cannot understand why his friend Bundy has recommended him. But his cousin—the supermodel Maggie—and their 80-year-old Aunt Maud persuade him to take it on.

With help from the two women and Dorothy’s friend Emma, CV tries to unravel the mystery, starting with Dorothy herself. Who was the real Dorothy? Was she the carefree woman who lived like a Bohemian with her artist lover Michael, or the one who had rooms in a five-star hotel, where she dressed in expensive clothes and hung out with rich men? Was she misunderstood or manipulative? And what role was played by the priceless ruby, Padmini’s Blood, that Reginald was trying to buy?

Reginald is clearly not telling CV everything, and the more CV uncovers, the murkier the mystery becomes. And Reginald is not really the benevolent businessman he appears to be, but is controlling and ruthless.

There is a second murder, and CV joins forces with Superintendent Teddy Senaratne, who is in charge of the case, to find the killer before more people die.

I guessed whodunnit, but enjoyed the twists and turns the plot took. And it was interesting that the family at the heart of the book—the vander Martens—were Sri Lankan Dutch Burghers, a people of mixed race, and as far as I know, a people not often written about in fiction.

The book is set during the civil war in the country and, although the war does not impact directly on the story, there are echoes of it throughout. Murder in the Pettah has a great sense of place—Colombo is vividly described, and you get a real sense of what life was like during that time.

This is a novel I thoroughly enjoyed.