So what are your thoughts on the US (LHS), and UK (RHS below) covers? Which would entice you to pick the book up if you were not familiar with the books of Barbara Cleverly?
If you have read it, how well do the covers match the story?
I read this book in October 2004. I didn't write a formal review but summarised it on one of my monthly read posts:
I never did finish The Winter Queen and have yet to read more Sandilands books but I recommend it nonetheless.[] for F2F reading group book where the theme is Eastern Crime (I've just started The Winter Queen by Akunin, also for this theme). Golden Age style mystery in a Golden Age setting at least for the British in India. It's 1922 and officers' wives have been dying - one a year in March. Sandilands is sent from Calcutta to confirm that the deaths were murder and to find the perpetrator. First half is excellent where we get the backstory on all the deaths. It loses its way in a romance/affair sub plot in the middle and then picks up for a dramatic showdown with the killer. Will read more! ps The UK covers are exquisite.
US---------------------------------------------------------------UK
Blurb: In a land of saffron sunsets and blazing summer heat, an Englishwoman has been found dead, her wrists slit, her body floating in a bathtub of blood and water. But is it suicide or murder? The case falls to Scotland Yard inspector Joe Sandilands, who survived the horror of the Western Front and has endured six sultry months in English-ruled Calcutta. Sandilands is ordered to investigate, and soon discovers that there have been other mysterious deaths, hearkening sinister ties to the present case.
Now, as the sovereignty of Britain is in decline and an insurgent India is on the rise, Sandilands must navigate the treacherous corridors of political decorum to bring a cunning killer to justice, knowing the next victim is already marked to die.
Read an excerpt here.
Karen - In general I prefer UK covers, but this time, the US cover at the top left appeals to me the most.
ReplyDeleteI like the top left-hand cover also, the U.S. one, although I usually prefer the British covers.
ReplyDeleteSecond choice: I'd pick the third one down on the left-hand column.
The top cover on the right is the one that rings my bell. I too generally prefer the UK covers.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, book covers are hugely influential to me as a reader and as writer. Of this lot I prefer the top US cover. It is suggestive without being blatant. The others hint too strongly at romance and sentimentality for me, other than the last US one which looks like a straight photo, which I hate. Titles are supposed to be intriguing without being baffling. No easy thing to pull off, but especially difficult to get right with a photo, unless the photographer is exceptionally clever. Not sure this is my kind of crime novel, but from your brief review it sounds as if the more 'romantic type covers' better suggest the contents.
ReplyDeleteGreat food for thought. Thanks.
The new cover is boring; I prefer the top and middle ones to the left.
ReplyDeleteThe orange one is not bad I suppose, but it looks like an Alexander McCall-SMith cover.