Faraway Drums. Jon Cleary. 1981.

The time is 1911, the place India. The coronation of King George V as Emperor of India is to take place at the Great Durbar in Delhi. 

High in the Himalayas Major Clive Farnol, solider turned political agent, hears rumours of a plot to assassinate the King. Hurrying south, trying to piece together hints of the plot, he finds himself a target of assassination. 

Joining a caravan of an exotic mix of characters on their way to the Durbar, he meets Birdie O’Briday, American newspaper-woman and anti-imperialist, they fall in love, but different backgrounds and the constant threat of death offer little hope that anything will come of their romance. But Jon Cleary’s story is full of surprising twists and turns…

Under the waning sun of Empire, this is high adventure tinged with sadness for the era that is lost, as imperfect as it was glorious.