A Curse in Nuala

by Harriet Steel

Ceylon has gained its independence from Britain and Inspector Shanti de Silva is adjusting to his new boss, Police Commissioner Fernando, who much to Shanti’s annoyance hints that he doesn’t have enough to do. Fernando is soon proved wrong when a deposed Indian maharajah who has come to live at the former Residence is murdered, and the Star of Ceylon, a priceless sapphire from his royal collection, is stolen. The jewel is reputed to be cursed and when more suspicious deaths occur, fears that supernatural forces are at work mount. With his wife Jane’s help, can Shanti break the spell and prove his worth to Fernando?

212 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 14, 2026

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

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visit to Ceylon is always looked forward to as I have enjoyed all 16 of the books in this series.
This one features the theft of a valuable sapphire. Inspector de Silva is still adjusting to the change in boss but still maintains relations with the old one. The solid relationship between the inspector, his wife and their cats remains foundational. Once started, I cannot put down one of Harriet Steel's books.

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[Erik Tolvstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the 15th(and most recent) in the series.

A very well written murder and jewel theft tale. Plenty of red herrings/full blown deceptions, unreliable alibis, and a short list of wealthy and arrogant suspects.

Inspector de Silva is a carefully thorough and persistent detective, rather than the brilliant "aha" intuitive crime solver, neither is he a rock-em-sock-em tough guy. He treats his subordinate officers and colleagues with respect and keeps them all abreast of what he knows, or thinks, and they respond in kind. He works at keeping an open mind about cases and sifts through evidence and inferred knowledge bit-by-bit. De Silva also calls on his intelligent wife Jane to serve as a sounding board to help him organize his thoughts and make suggestions - Jane de Silva plays a similar role to the keenly intelligent Madame Maigret, from the Simenon books.

As always, with the de Silva mysteries, the world of hill-country Sri Lanka is an important part of the tale. de Silva greatly enjoys his native cuisine and he's an avid gardener and lover of the lush countryside.

Heartily recommended. Read the whole series too!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable mystery

I enjoy the Inspector de Silva mysteries so much! The books are always good mysteries with lots of other information to keep my interest. I’m an armchair traveler and find all the descriptions quite fascinating. The development of the characters has added great depth to the books as they have been published. Harriet Steel has a knack with storytelling that keeps me looking forward to another book.
This latest book is just as entertaining as the previous Nuala mysteries, and I recommend them to anybody looking for a good book with which to spend time.

[Fran Tarshish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable mystery in this series. If I could give a 3 1/2 I would. The book runs along the same line as the previous books except Ceylon is now independent and De Silva has a new boss. My two quibbles are: the author seems to have found a formula and so it seems very much like all the previous books and the end of the book when the mystery is solved is very rushed and a bit confusing. I would still recommend the book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1949. With independent Inspector de Silva has a new boss. Now an ex-maharajah living in Nuala has been murdered and the rare and expensive Star of Ceylon stolen.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery

[Sharron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable ending in no way diminished the story or its characters. 3.5 stars