Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: Pukka concept, disappointing execution

Barbara Cleverly has done her research, all right; this mystery is chockfull of brand names, fashion details, and exotic flavors straight out of 1920s India. Her plot is solid, her setting is a winner, and her characters are only sometimes ripped off from Kipling. It's just too bad that Cleverly didn't bother to research the actual speech and behavior of the English in 1920s India, while she was at it. If you like to think of the past as being just like today, only in fancy dress, you'll love this book (and the clunky writing probably won't faze you, either). If anachronism grates on you, but you're still in the mood for plotty mysteries with a British-Empire setting, read Michael Pearce's Mamur Zapt series instead. *Please.*