Blood Moon Over Bengal

The Heiress
Flamboyant Elizabeth Mainwarring has come to Bengal for a last chance reconciliation with her estranged father. She doesn't expect to fall in love. She feels the pull when she sees Major Covington-Singh striding toward her. Striking features, eyes squinted against the unmerciful sun. War torn Bengal has very firm racial lines drawn between the British and Indians. It is considered beyond the pale for an interracial relationship to thrive. Elizabeth doesn't care a fig about the snobby Brits bias; she wants Nigel with a fierce passion.

The Prince
Nigel Covington-Singh is proud of his heritage. As the third son of the Maharaja of Kashmir he could have any position in the army that he desires. However, he earns his place as Major with no help from his family ties. He knows how most of the British view half-bloods, and knows that he is even more reviled because of his royal blood. Knowing that no one will like the thought of them together does not temper his desire for the forbidden Elizabeth. Her father, the Colonel, would never let her date an Anglo-Indian such as himself. Still, he is determined to have her.

The Danger
When a string of brutal murders rock the close-knit British community, what was overlooked when it happened to Indian women has now shaken the British army to its core, as now their own women begin to fall prey. The plot thickens when it becomes probable that the perpetrator is a British officer. There is no peaceful solution to this crime. The name of the game becomes staying alive long enough to catch a killer.

Ms. Pippin has brought 1930's Calcutta to life through her realistic, colorful descriptions. There are no half measures found in Blood Moon Over Bengal. The dialect, the politics and the human element are delivered with excellent precision. Ms. Pippin's gift of prose and thrilling descriptive powers pull you into the torrid boiling pot that is Bengal. An excellent book, we hope to see more of Ms. Pippin in the near future. She has cemented herself firmly in the literary world with Blood Moon Over Bengal.

Reviewed by: Joletta