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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
It took me a while to get into. It was a fairly okay read but nothing spectacular. I'm also not so keen on the tone of the book as far as racism goes. It was a bit heavy handed on the voice of a racist, white man. Or maybe not. Sometimes it felt almost theatrically so. It was also riddled with typos, particularly missing subjects during dialogue. All in all, okay to read but not enough for me to want to read the next book. And the mystery also sort of fell flat towards the end.
A Rising Man's setting in 1919 Calcutta is fascinating, and Mukherjee's portrayal of the evils of British colonial rule transcends the book's occasionally predictable detective tropes. The story is told with an engaging dry humour and I ate it up.
I found myself wishing that Sergeant Banerjee - effectively Wyndham's sidekick - had got his own POV chapters. Wyndham is an engaging enough narrator, but Banerjee's perspective on him, as a fresh off the boat English guy blundering around and not understanding how anything works, would have been very entertaining. I hope Banerjee will get more time devoted to him in subsequent books.
There's also an irritating use of the dead wife trope. We're informed early on that Wyndham's wife died in the Spanish flu and he spends a lot of time dreaming about her, when he isn't trying to date the murder victim's secretary. Mystery writers: try writing more women who are alive, you may find you take to it.
I found myself wishing that Sergeant Banerjee - effectively Wyndham's sidekick - had got his own POV chapters. Wyndham is an engaging enough narrator, but Banerjee's perspective on him, as a fresh off the boat English guy blundering around and not understanding how anything works, would have been very entertaining. I hope Banerjee will get more time devoted to him in subsequent books.
There's also an irritating use of the dead wife trope. We're informed early on that Wyndham's wife died in the Spanish flu and he spends a lot of time dreaming about her, when he isn't trying to date the murder victim's secretary. Mystery writers: try writing more women who are alive, you may find you take to it.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First in series
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: I've enjoyed other mysteries set in India. Then Audible had this on sale for $3.49, so I bought it. (It's not available in audio anywhere else.)
Will I read more of the series?Probably Not Maybe Likely Most Likely Definitely I listened to last several hours at 1.7 speed, which is a sign of waning interest. Maybe the next time Audible has a good sale, I'll invest in the second installment.
The narrator was Malk Williams. He did a great job, even at 1.7 speed.
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: I've enjoyed other mysteries set in India. Then Audible had this on sale for $3.49, so I bought it. (It's not available in audio anywhere else.)
Will I read more of the series?
The narrator was Malk Williams. He did a great job, even at 1.7 speed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use
Minor: Death, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Classism
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
Very enjoyable new to me mystery series set in 1920’s Calcutta. Glad there are two more installments ready for me to read.
3.8 stars
This is a well-researched book with the right amount of suspense and action. Be it the protag or any other character, we see them as real people rather than silly caricatures to fit into the time frame. Everyone has flaws. The system is shown for what it is; no sugarcoating or giving the readers a perfect conclusion (which isn't possible).
The story has undertones of cynicism, sarcasm, dark humor, a conflict between right and wrong, self-doubt, and restlessness coupled with the predictions of the result of the independence movement.
The flow is steady and doesn't waver. I did guess the killer and a few other things, but it didn't decrease my interest in the book.
I'll probably pick the next book in the series to see how the characters progress from hereon.
This is a well-researched book with the right amount of suspense and action. Be it the protag or any other character, we see them as real people rather than silly caricatures to fit into the time frame. Everyone has flaws. The system is shown for what it is; no sugarcoating or giving the readers a perfect conclusion (which isn't possible).
The story has undertones of cynicism, sarcasm, dark humor, a conflict between right and wrong, self-doubt, and restlessness coupled with the predictions of the result of the independence movement.
The flow is steady and doesn't waver. I did guess the killer and a few other things, but it didn't decrease my interest in the book.
I'll probably pick the next book in the series to see how the characters progress from hereon.
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-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
In spite of the main character's bland and rather dislikable air, this is a very well done detective period piece that deals with its historical context perfectly. I intend to read the whole series :)
I really enjoyed this mystery about a British police detective in Calcutta during the Raj. One star off for the occasional speech anachronism - I don't think Brits in 1919 said "okay" or referred to "casual racism." But overall, a strong debut and I'm looking forward to the next one.