This book has sharply
etched characters and a delightfully funny voice! I love books set in Bombay,
and this one does so much more than offer a deeply authentic Ambiance.
This is the
first in a series, it had me eager to read the next. Bombayâs first Police
officer Persis Wadia and her friend Archie Blackfinch
solve a twisty mystery with a great ending.
*** WINNER OF THE CWA SAPERE BOOKS HISTORICAL DAGGER 2021, and an INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ***
'The leading character is the deftly drawn Persis Wadia, the country's first female detective. She's a wonderful creation and this is a hugely enjoyable book' ANN CLEEVES
'This is historical crime fiction at its best - a compelling mix of social insight and complex plotting with a thoroughly engaging heroine. A highly promising new series' MAIL ON SUNDAY
Bombay, New Year's Eve, 1949
As India celebrates the arrival of a momentous new decade, Inspector Persis Wadia stands vigil in the basement of Malabar House, homeâŚ
The duo comprises a war-weary
Englishman, Sam Wyndham, and Surendranath âSurrender-notâ Bannerji, a small,
brilliant Indian lawyer turned policeman from a very well-placed family.
Each
mystery details events from the times, cryptic clues, and a wily foe. I enjoy
the banter between the two, an Indian who sees the best in the Raj, and an
Englishman who unflinchingly acknowledges the truth of colonialism, while
fighting his own addiction.
** A THE SUNDAY TIMES BEST 100 BEST CRIME NOVELS SINCE 1945**
'Smoke and Ashes is Abir Mukherjee's best book yet; a brilliantly conceived murder mystery set amidst political and social turmoil - beautifully crafted' C.J. Sansom
India, 1921. Captain Sam Wyndham is battling a serious addiction to opium that he must keep secret from his superiors in the Calcutta police force.
But Wyndham finds himself in a tight spot when he stumbles across a corpse in an opium den. When he then comes across a second body bearing the same injuries, Wyndham is convinced that there's a deranged killerâŚ
The Authorâs deep empathy for Bombayâs lower
classes, the servants and vendors, and ayahs, the women who silently care for
their employerâs family is apparent in this emotional story. Pervin Mistry is a delightful lady lawyer encumbered by the restrictions of the time, and an
awkward relationship in her past.
Bombayâs only female solicitor, Perveen Mistry, grapples with class divisions, sexism, and complex family dynamics as she seeks justice for a mistreated young woman in this thrilling fourth installment in Sujata Masseyâs award-winning series.
India, 1922: Perveen Mistry is the only female lawyer in Bombay, a city where child mortality is high, birth control is unavailable and very few women have ever seen a doctor.
Perveen is attending a lavish fundraiser for a new womenâs hospital specializing in maternal health issues when she witnesses an accident. The grandson of an influential Gujarati businessman catches fireâbut a servant, his young ayah,âŚ
There's a killer on board and six days to find
him. But Captain Jim is doubled over, acutely seasick. Can Diana and he figure
out what's really going on aboard their steamship?
Anglo-Indian Captain Jim Agnihotri and his
Parsi bride Diana are onboard an ocean liner in 1892 when a Spanish diplomat is
viciously killed. The distraught ship's Captain seeks Jim's help. To avert dire
international consequences, Captain Jim must solve the mystery before they
dock. But there are a thousand suspects onboardâŚsome with secrets they will
kill to protect.
