Villain's Murder

In the sun-scorched cane fields of 1899 Fiji, some sins can only be washed away with blood.
When brutal sugar baron Sir Richard Westfield is found murdered inside his locked study, the crime appears impossible. The door was bolted from the inside. The windows are barred. And every resident of his colonial estate harbors secrets worth killing for.
Inspector Daniel Brook, a principled colonial police officer, is sent to investigate. But in a land where British law barely holds sway, he's forced into an uneasy alliance with Captain Thomas Blackwood-a crippled war veteran with a dark past and little regard for rules.
As the two men dig deeper, they enter a tangled web of deception, greed, and vengeance, where each suspect has a motive-and no one is innocent: - The widow, tied by more than business to her husband's ruthless partner.

• The adopted daughter, who seeks justice for a family legacy destroyed.
• The ambitious young heiress, hiding a scandal that could ruin her.
• The enigmatic Hindu priest, whose idea of justice is older than the Empire.
• The disinherited nephew, already a predator-and desperate for a fortune.

From desecrated temples in the jungle to the opium dens and scandal houses of Calcutta, Villain's Murder is a richly atmospheric locked-room mystery that blends colonial crime fiction, historical detective fiction, and psychological suspense.
Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Jacqueline Winspear, and historical murder mysteries, this gripping whodunit explores revenge, power, and the moral cost of empire-where the deadliest villain may be the one holding the magnifying glass.