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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
4.5 stars
This is the first entry in what promises to be an engaging series! I liked Sam as a protagonist and look forward to reading more about him in the following books. The star of this story, however, was not so much the character or even the mystery - which I have to admit, I guessed early on. It is the author's rendering of 1918 Calcutta. He built the atmosphere and set the scene so vividly and I was absorbed by the story largely because of this. Recommended for fans of historical fiction or the armchair traveler:-)
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
This is the first entry in what promises to be an engaging series! I liked Sam as a protagonist and look forward to reading more about him in the following books. The star of this story, however, was not so much the character or even the mystery - which I have to admit, I guessed early on. It is the author's rendering of 1918 Calcutta. He built the atmosphere and set the scene so vividly and I was absorbed by the story largely because of this. Recommended for fans of historical fiction or the armchair traveler:-)
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Murder in the Raj...
The corpse of a white man is discovered in an alleyway in an unsavoury part of Calcutta, and Inspector Sam Wyndham is assigned to investigate. It is 1919, and Wyndham has just arrived in India after recovering from injuries he received during the war, so he will have to depend for local knowledge on his two colleagues – Sergeant Digby, an Englishman with all the worst attitudes of imperial superiority and a grudge against Wyndham for getting the job he felt should be his own; and an Oxford educated Indian from a well-to-do family, Sergeant “Surrender-Not” Banerjee, so called because Digby finds his real name too difficult to pronounce. Back in England, Wyndham had worked in the CID and Special Branch, and had been recruited into the intelligence service during the war. It is his wartime boss, now posted to Calcutta, who has persuaded Wyndham to come to work for him there.
It is soon discovered that the victim is Alexander MacAuley, one of the many Scots working in the Colonial government. His eminent position there means that it is likely the murder was a political act, carried out by the terrorists seeking to achieve independence for India. Wyndham agrees this is the most probable motive but, being a conscientious officer, he is also determined to keep other options open and to look into MacAuley's personal life. But this isn't the only case on Wyndham's plate – a train has been held up by a gang of men, again probably terrorists, who killed one of the guards. When it appears an infamous terrorist leader is back in Calcutta, Wyndham has to ask himself if the two events could be related.
According to the brief author's bio on Amazon, Abir Mukherjee, I assume of Indian heritage, was born in London and grew up in the West of Scotland. I was intrigued to see how these different influences would play out in a book about India under the Raj, especially given the huge Scottish involvement in colonial India. The answer is brilliantly! Mukherjee knows his stuff for sure, and the picture he paints of Calcutta and the Indian political situation of the time positively reeks of authenticity. His British characters are equally believable and there are many references to Scottish culture that again have the ring of total truthfulness, and are often very funny. The dialects of the Scottish characters are excellent – they give a real flavour of regional Scottish speech patterns without being in any way hard for non-Scots to understand.
In truth, I feared in advance that the book might turn out to be something of a fashionable anti-Empire rant, but actually he keeps it very well balanced, steering a careful course between showing the iniquities of the colonial system without being too condemnatory of the individuals operating within it. Through the terrorist aspect of the plot, we hear about the rise of Gandhi and the Congress Party, and the move towards non-violent resistance. Wyndham is an enlightened man, but not anachronistically so. He is aware of the relatively tiny number of Brits in India, meaning that the co-operation of Indians at all levels is essential to the maintenance of the colonial system. So to him, fair play and even-handed justice are more than just desirable for their own sake, they are necessary tools in the struggle to maintain Indian support for the colonial government. Surrender-Not gives the educated Indian perspective. He is ambivalent about the question of independence but believes it will inevitably come, and that it is therefore the duty of Indians to prepare themselves so that they are ready to run their own country when that day comes.
But, lest this make it all sound like a heavy political snorefest, let me hastily say that all the historical and political stuff is done subtly, never feeling that it's wandering into info-dump territory or veering towards the polemical. Mukherjee uses it to provide an authentic background, but the focus of the book is on the investigation and the development of the characters of Wyndham and Banerjee. The excellence of the writing means that the tone is light and the story entertaining, even though it touches on some dark aspects of life. And the personal outweighs the political – in the end, as with all the best detective novels, the motives lie in the murky depths of the human heart.
A great novel – hard to believe it's a début. And I'm delighted that it's apparently the first book in a series. I will be queuing up for the next instalment in Wyndham and Banerjee's adventures – Mukherjee has leapt straight onto my must-read list!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House Vintage.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
The corpse of a white man is discovered in an alleyway in an unsavoury part of Calcutta, and Inspector Sam Wyndham is assigned to investigate. It is 1919, and Wyndham has just arrived in India after recovering from injuries he received during the war, so he will have to depend for local knowledge on his two colleagues – Sergeant Digby, an Englishman with all the worst attitudes of imperial superiority and a grudge against Wyndham for getting the job he felt should be his own; and an Oxford educated Indian from a well-to-do family, Sergeant “Surrender-Not” Banerjee, so called because Digby finds his real name too difficult to pronounce. Back in England, Wyndham had worked in the CID and Special Branch, and had been recruited into the intelligence service during the war. It is his wartime boss, now posted to Calcutta, who has persuaded Wyndham to come to work for him there.
It is soon discovered that the victim is Alexander MacAuley, one of the many Scots working in the Colonial government. His eminent position there means that it is likely the murder was a political act, carried out by the terrorists seeking to achieve independence for India. Wyndham agrees this is the most probable motive but, being a conscientious officer, he is also determined to keep other options open and to look into MacAuley's personal life. But this isn't the only case on Wyndham's plate – a train has been held up by a gang of men, again probably terrorists, who killed one of the guards. When it appears an infamous terrorist leader is back in Calcutta, Wyndham has to ask himself if the two events could be related.
According to the brief author's bio on Amazon, Abir Mukherjee, I assume of Indian heritage, was born in London and grew up in the West of Scotland. I was intrigued to see how these different influences would play out in a book about India under the Raj, especially given the huge Scottish involvement in colonial India. The answer is brilliantly! Mukherjee knows his stuff for sure, and the picture he paints of Calcutta and the Indian political situation of the time positively reeks of authenticity. His British characters are equally believable and there are many references to Scottish culture that again have the ring of total truthfulness, and are often very funny. The dialects of the Scottish characters are excellent – they give a real flavour of regional Scottish speech patterns without being in any way hard for non-Scots to understand.
In truth, I feared in advance that the book might turn out to be something of a fashionable anti-Empire rant, but actually he keeps it very well balanced, steering a careful course between showing the iniquities of the colonial system without being too condemnatory of the individuals operating within it. Through the terrorist aspect of the plot, we hear about the rise of Gandhi and the Congress Party, and the move towards non-violent resistance. Wyndham is an enlightened man, but not anachronistically so. He is aware of the relatively tiny number of Brits in India, meaning that the co-operation of Indians at all levels is essential to the maintenance of the colonial system. So to him, fair play and even-handed justice are more than just desirable for their own sake, they are necessary tools in the struggle to maintain Indian support for the colonial government. Surrender-Not gives the educated Indian perspective. He is ambivalent about the question of independence but believes it will inevitably come, and that it is therefore the duty of Indians to prepare themselves so that they are ready to run their own country when that day comes.
But, lest this make it all sound like a heavy political snorefest, let me hastily say that all the historical and political stuff is done subtly, never feeling that it's wandering into info-dump territory or veering towards the polemical. Mukherjee uses it to provide an authentic background, but the focus of the book is on the investigation and the development of the characters of Wyndham and Banerjee. The excellence of the writing means that the tone is light and the story entertaining, even though it touches on some dark aspects of life. And the personal outweighs the political – in the end, as with all the best detective novels, the motives lie in the murky depths of the human heart.
A great novel – hard to believe it's a début. And I'm delighted that it's apparently the first book in a series. I will be queuing up for the next instalment in Wyndham and Banerjee's adventures – Mukherjee has leapt straight onto my must-read list!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House Vintage.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
I did enjoy this and hope that the next in the series is equally entertaining. i liked learning more about the Raj, and the writing is quite good. The protagonist is wounded (aren't they all) and has a huge vice that I am sure will be his undoing. Not sure why he needs to be so afflicted as it doesn't add anything to the story except as a character flaw, but he could just be troubled, as so many of the genre protagonists are. I am hoping that the author figures out a way to rehabilitate the character. I am really enjoying the 2nd protagonist more than the 1st, it seems. Looking forward to learning more about him.
Set amidst pre-independent Kolkata, rife with palpable racial, colonial and existential tensions this is a splendidly told murder mystery. Cleverly interwoven historical incidents with fictional characters gives this story a more atmospheric and realistic feel (something that I haven't come across in many Indian historical fictions and have been desperately missing, other than Amitav Ghosh's works tbh).
Most impressive was the extensive visual imagery of the places and locations that the author is able to pull off with his writing. Having visited the city recently, I was able to clearly imagine how it must have looked in those times. Definitely recommended!
Most impressive was the extensive visual imagery of the places and locations that the author is able to pull off with his writing. Having visited the city recently, I was able to clearly imagine how it must have looked in those times. Definitely recommended!
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I would have preferred to read more about the sidekick character, Banerjee than Wyndham, the new detective fighting opium addiction. Where this book shines is the light it casts on the historical period. The discomfort of the exposure of your hypocrisy, the class who are latched onto English rule but desire independence.
I didn’t love this one and yet it has stuck with me for months.
I didn’t love this one and yet it has stuck with me for months.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I felt the heat and sounds of Calcutta, India. Great sense of place and time. Historically accurate. Great detective story.
Having trouble getting into this one, despite the rave reviews. Not sure why exactly. Might give it another go sometime, but for now I'm returning it to the library.
Read book 3 first. I bought the book 1 afterwards. Happy to have 3 more books to read.