Changing Times in Nuala

The Inspector de Silva Mysteries #15

by Harriet Steel

With the big day when Ceylon becomes independent of the British fast approaching, Inspector Shanti de Silva is busy with plans for policing excited crowds and elephant processions.
Everything is going smoothly until a new mystery raises the stakes. A wealthy and popular plantation owner is suddenly taken dangerously ill, and his glamorous young wife vanishes in suspicious circumstances. If they are to uncover the truth behind the family’s accusations and satisfy his boss Archie’s demand to wrap up the case before the big day, Shanti and his wife Jane will need to work fast.

The Inspector de Silva Mysteries are vintage-style mysteries set on the exotic and beautiful island of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the 1930s and 1940s. Perfect for fans of Death in Paradise, and The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency.

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2025

About the author

Harriet Steel wrote several historical novels before turning to crime with the Inspector de Silva mysteries, inspired by time spent in Sri Lanka (the former Ceylon)). Her work has also appeared in national newspapers and magazines. Visit her website, https://harrietsteel.com/ to sign up to her monthly newsletter for information on new releases and offers.
Harriet is married with two daughters and lives in Surrey. When she’s not writing, she likes reading, long walks and visiting art galleries and museums.

Reviews

[Les Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series. Good storyline, interesting characters and well written.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ceylon has weathered Colonial rule and a recent World War and now it is poised to inaugurate its independence. Right in the midst of preparations, Inspector de Silva has a potential attempted murder paired with a missing persons’ case to solve in time for the big celebration. Harriet Steel continues to bring to life the 1930-1940’s world of Sinhalese police detective, Shanti de Silva with clever mysteries and entertaining local color and events.

Changing Times in Nuala is the fifteenth installment in an engaging historical cozy mystery series. I appreciate the attention to historic and cultural detail brought out in each standalone mystery installment.

Changing Times in Nuala opens with Shanti and Jane attending the annual Nuala flower show and British village fete-style festival following. They meet a few more British society locals and Shanti takes a few prizes for his flower entries to his satisfaction.
Lately, everyone has been in an uproar making sure things are going to be perfect for the British handoff to the people of Ceylon. Shanti has the police end of things ready in Nuala even as he can’t help wondering who will replace Archie Clutterbuck as his boss and how the new independence will affect his job as local chief inspector and future retirement.

But, before he can really start stressing over the future, Dr. Hebden, his friend, brings him a dilemma. David can’t prove it, but he thinks someone has attempted to poison a local wealthy tea plantation owner- and the man’s young, beautiful wife has disappeared in the aftermath. The man’s sister is convinced the wife tried to poison and disappeared by choice.

Changing Times in Nuala was a delightful comfy coze with Shanti, Jane, Archie, Shanti’s police team, and the fictional town of Nuala for a clever mystery. I worked it out early on, but still appreciated tagging along as Shanti and the others got to the bottom of things. Another engaging installment in a solid series that I happily press on other historical cozy mystery fans who want a different locale and a native Sinhalese detective.


My full review will post at Books of My Heart on 7.2.25

[Georgia Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read Changing Times in Nuala as a member of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team and although I received a copy from the author is does not change my review in any way.

There is something incredibly comforting when you sink into a book from a series you’ve enjoyed before. You know you’re going to be in safe hands with familiar, well-written characters, a solid plot and a stunning setting.

I haven’t read every book in this series but I’ve read a few. That’s one of the things I like about the Inspector de Silva Mysteries, they are standalone. Although time passes in the lives of all the characters, including Ceylon itself. This is particularly noticeable in Changing Times in Nuala as Ceylon is about to become independent from the British.

De Silva should be preparing for the celebrations of this momentous occasion but when a plantation owner is taken seriously ill, and his young wife disappears, of course he has to investigate. The pressure is on de Silva because of accusations made by the family and also from his boss who wants to get the mystery solved before independence day.

Set in the 1930s and 1940s this is a gentle series of murder mysteries with the excellent team of de Silva and his wife, Jane, to solve the crimes backed by a cast of, mostly, likeable characters. Highly recommended.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally, I give these books a 5 star rating but this only gets a 4 star because the title is a bit misleading. Indeed, the story takes place within days of Ceylon's independence from England but the preparations and activity of the people in the village or the British government reps are barely mentioned. Hopefully, the next book will give more details on the results of the break. At this point, India has been independent for two years and while that is mentioned the chaos and upheaval there is again sort of a side note. I suppose that the basic plots of the books are the cases with which Shanti and his officers become involved. In that regard, the tale does not disappoint. A prominent man is taken ill suddenly and there seems to be no clear cause though his sister is determined to convince everyone that his young wife has poisoned him. It certainly does not look good when that young woman disappears without a trace. The case becomes two-pronged then. What made the man ill and where is his wife? Lots of rumors, lots of red herrings, no clear suspects. In the end, however, the ending brings a bit of a surprise as well as several parades. One the usual pomp and tradition that only British soldiers in bright red uniforms can provide. The other a far more interesting parade of locals, excited at the prospect of getting their country back--dancers, musicians, acrobats and elephants. Archie and Florence are moving our the Residence but staying in Nuala. A new flag is flying and soon Ceylon will revert to Sri Lanka but with what adjustments? Longing to see what changes will come to Shanti and his police force as well.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s always a real pleasure to return to Ceylon especially as I’ve followed this charming series from the beginning and to have the lead up to the country’s independence from British Colonial rule highlighted is a real treat as the author brings this world to life in such an authentic way, from the history, to the people, everything feels beautifully recreated and to be back with Inspector Shanti de Silva and his wife Jane is a real delight.

In this fifteenth book of the series there is a sense of change as Ceylon gets ready to embrace independence but with any momentous change there is also a sense of uncertainty and this is expressed as Shanti is having to face the mysterious illness of a wealthy plantation owner, combined with the worrying disappearance of the plantation owner’s wife. With the possibility of foul play, the inspector soon discovers that there is more to this case than at first appears however, even with his usual flair for leaving no stone unturned, de Silva starts to feel the pressure of trying to solve this complicated case before Independence Day arrives.

There are the usual cast of characters who we have come to appreciate and the interaction between de Silva and his wife Jane is a real delight especially as Jane is usually the sounding board for Shanti’s dilemmas and continues to be a real support to him in all aspects of his life.

Beautifully written, with fine attention to detail, Changing Times in Nuala is a lovely continuation of the series. I hope there are still more stories to come as Inspector Shanti de Silva navigates the ever changing world around him.

[Elizabeth Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

llowing events in Ceylon during the 1930s via Harriet Steel’s Nuala books has been a fascinating experience, but in the latest story we move post war to the dawn of independence. Inspector Shanti de Silva should be devoting all his time to the ceremonies but instead he must solve the mystery of the possible poisoning of a popular plantation owner and the sudden disappearance of his young wife.
Inspector De Silva is a likeable, fair policeman who will go the extra mile to solve a case. Yet he also values time spent with his empathetic English wife, Jane, and their two cats who play in his beautiful garden. He is an excellent observer of human nature and in this investigation his hunch is essential in saving a life. The plot developments are enhanced by vivid descriptions of a prestigious flower show reminiscent of one you might see in an English village on Midsummer Murders, contrasting with the exotic colour when Shanti visits a local market seeing huge baskets of aubergines, jackfruit and peas in pods and stalls well – stocked with pineapples, rambutans and sweet-sour-tasting red starfruit.
Even though there are many books earlier in the series you could easily read “Changing Times in Nuala” as a stand-alone due to the helpful mini biographies of the main characters provided by the author. Once again an ingenious plot set in interesting times.

[Vanessa J. Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance of Ceylon under British Raj

Best one yet in series. Highly recommend as light , romanticized , but enjoyable read. I keep coming back to this lovely uncomplicated world. The main character Detective De Silva is food driven (spicy vegetarian curries)with a fondness for gardening and aperitifs on the veranda with his British wife and their two feline companions. This book’s plot is set weeks before Ceylon’s Independence and the local preparations for a grand celebration. Meanwhile, De Silva rushes to solve a missing person incident and possible case of poisoning before the government changes. The life of white British entitlement in Ceylon is coming to an end , so it will be interesting to see how the author handles her British characters’ social displacement from ruling class to whatever they become.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of this series, so I could not resist awarding five stars for this latest action-packed entry bringing big changes to Nuala as Ceylon prepares to transition out from under British rule. "Changing Times" indeed. There are many mysteries for Inspector de Silva to manage and solve, but there is also the usual domestic and refined scenes of a married couple enjoying their time together listening to classical music, attending garden shows and sharing the good life. The respect this married couple has for each other is a constant thread through the series, and a very appealing aspect not found in many police procedural/murder mystery books.
Murder, kidnapping and chases all figure into the action of this telling.

Kindle Unlimited

[Patricia Vroman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The inhabitants of a small hill town in Ceylon are busy arranging ceremonies for its Independence Day. Even so, there's another mystery for Inspector Shanti DeSilva to solve, which in his gentle way he proceeds to do along with advice from his wife, Jane, authority from Archie, help from his two officers and Dr. Hebden, amongst others. Descriptions of the countryside, the flowers, the market, and wonderful food continue to flow along with endearing conversations between Shanti and Jane while particularly nasty attempted murders take place. This book, number 15 of the series, was as enjoyable as ever. If it's the last, I shall miss the people and the setting, although post-independence it would be quite different.

[Leslie Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

an historical, captivating and delightful series

I have truly enjoyed reading all 15 books of The Inspector de Silva Mysteries. There is so much history in each story and they are seamlessly woven together. From the food, dress and customs of the time, to locations and historical events, the author has shared a world I knew little about when I began this series. Harriet Steel brings everything to life, so much so that the reader can see and hear and taste each page of the book. She brings to life events linked with historical timelines I only vaguely remember learning about so very long ago. I hope that this book “Changing Times in Nuala” is not the last of the series. If it is, I’ll just start over again at book one!

[Erik Tolvstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the best entry of the series.

Lots of moving parts in the plot, but very well laid out. As the story progresses, we find that there is more than one indirectly related crime going on. Inspector de Silva has his hands full, juggling crime solving and the pending public security issues with Ceylon's Independence Day celebrations.

The Inspector's dogged digging and observation lead to the key break in the primary case. There are several well setup red herrings, and also some fair-play subtle foreshadowing clues introduced early on. Also, a nifty surprise twist at the end, that was foreshadowed earlier.

I hope there are more de Silva mysteries to come.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the latest of the engaging Inspector de Silva mystery series set in British colonial era Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The series has shown the interaction between a Sri Lankan police inspector and his colonial administrat0r boss with whom he has developed a good working relationship. However, in late 1940s Ceylon heading for independence there are many changes afoot. The Inspector feels both excitement for an independent nation, after hundreds of years of colonial rule, and trepidation at what changes he and his country will face.

[Victoria Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changing Times in Nuala


Great addition to a delightful series. This book can be read as a stand-alone story, but would be more enjoyable if previous books in the series are read first.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am giving this ** because Steel tiptoed past WWII in Ceylon and is now using its day of independence and transformation into Sri Lanka as mere background for a mystery that could take place in any small British village.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this series

I have read every one of these books in the series and I like them all very much. Excellent plot and very wonderful descriptions of the period and the country in the countryside.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Th e best one to date.

Another great story. I really enjoy this series, it's one of my favorite.
The life and colorful description of the people and the town makes it easy to visualize it in your imagination.
Looking forward to the next book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am sorry this is the last book in the series. I may have to fill in with others. I always like desilva and his wife Jane. The other characters are done well too. The plot was sad and full of evil motivations.

[Terry Deans · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful stories.

I have just completed book 15 in this series. A trip back to what seemed like a far different and gentler time. I await the next book release in January 2026. Fabulous reading from a superb writer. I’m a huge fan.

[S L Nixon]

Delightful

Another mystery solved in Ceylon and a peak into the transformation to Sri Lanka. The characters have a soothing air about them that makes these stories so delightful.

[Sharron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good period detail (Ceylon pre-Independence) and an above average plot.

[Katina Ibarra · Rating 5 out of 5]

never disappoints!

Such wonderful characters and descriptions. I feel like I have been to Ceylon in those occupation times. Can’t wait for the next book. Thank you Harriet Steel

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent as always at the time of independence. Can't wait for the next one in the series!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

January 1948. Independence day for Ceylon is approaching but events become complicated when a local tea plant owner is taken ill and his much younger wife has disappeared. Inspector de Silva and his assistants investigate.
An entertaining historical mystery

[Karren Hodgkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book and this series. I just love them; the characters, the storylines and the dynamic environment. Gentle style, engaging stories. Inspector de Silva gets there in the end, Thoughtful and considerate, for the most part he wins people over.

You get to understand a little about Ceylon in colonial times, and in this particular story, its transition to independence.

Its 5 out of 5 for me