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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Superb crime thriller to a fantastic backdrop of colonial Calcutta
I don't read a lot of crime or thriller novels. But reading the blurb, the setting of Calcutta in 1919, intrigued me. And I was not disappointed. A rich tapestry of characters populating the the Raj capital, an incredible portrayal of the geography and climate that pervades all daily life. A well paced crime novel that had me guessing until the end. But also an exposé of the racial mores and the superiority and arrogance of the British over their colonised subjects.
Excellently written and very enjoyable.
I don't read a lot of crime or thriller novels. But reading the blurb, the setting of Calcutta in 1919, intrigued me. And I was not disappointed. A rich tapestry of characters populating the the Raj capital, an incredible portrayal of the geography and climate that pervades all daily life. A well paced crime novel that had me guessing until the end. But also an exposé of the racial mores and the superiority and arrogance of the British over their colonised subjects.
Excellently written and very enjoyable.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Audible books
I enjoyed this so much. It's very gritty without being bleak, and the main character is likeable and flawed. The focus is on the murder mystery, as well as on the main character trying to understand the political situation, but the writing style is straightforward and everything's easy to follow. There's a lot of thoughtful exploration of colonialism and racism that fits very well as part of the main character's perspective.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Malk Williams, was new to me; I thought he was excellent, with distinct voices for all the characters. And in case anyone else was wondering, since a few well-known authors of lgbtq+ books reviewed this here: there's no queer content at all in this book. The violence is at a pretty standard level for a murder mystery (not extreme), but be aware that there is on-page drug abuse.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Malk Williams, was new to me; I thought he was excellent, with distinct voices for all the characters. And in case anyone else was wondering, since a few well-known authors of lgbtq+ books reviewed this here: there's no queer content at all in this book. The violence is at a pretty standard level for a murder mystery (not extreme), but be aware that there is on-page drug abuse.
The setting and racial issues/questions of that setting knocked this one out of the park for me. The mystery itself was complicated and kept me turning pages for half the damn night.
Does an interesting job with the setting, but the protagonist is awfully boring (although I did love Bannerjee) and the plot was iffy. Evens out to just okay.
I enjoyed the book. Will have to check out the rest of the series.
adventurous
dark
informative
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:
Yes
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was very interesting to read this book during my first trip to Britain. While it doesn’t take place there, but in India, it is infused with British colonial culture and tone. Sam Wyndham is a police detective and former military officer, taking refuge in India during the British rule there, just after WWI, escaping heartache and tragedy. Some of his demons follow him, but he manages to find his footing, throwing himself into a complex and perplexing case almost the moment he arrives. The murder mystery contains elements of occupation politics, post-war trauma, racial tensions and interesting details of time and place. It unfolds at a nice pace, with clues being revealed and added to the solution pile neatly. I figured out one piece (which is rare, for me), but didn’t spoiler myself entirely. I think this is the start of a series, so I’ll probably seek out further volumes, despite some niggly little editing errors that stood out for me, but didn’t wreck a strong and entertaining narrative.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes