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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I really like this book. I enjoy a good mystery now and then and this felt like a classic. Good twists and turns.
Fantastic read. Well written and draws you in.
If you’re a fan of historical fiction, crime or both, I suggest you get this one a read!
If you’re a fan of historical fiction, crime or both, I suggest you get this one a read!
First in a new series (to me and fairly new anyway - 2017) set in post WWI Calcutta. Lots of incidental history. As usual with novels set in an era when customs and mores were very different some things are difficult to read and historical context has to be remembered (such as the use of the term wogs to describe Indians and turning 'unpronounceable' names into something 'easier', let alone getting ino the whole way the Indians were treated by their British 'masters'). The protagonist and his sergeant were both likable with the sergeant probably doing more of the heavy lifting.I know India, but not Calcutta, well and enjoyed this mystery set in a time and place of which I know less and yet much is still recognisable. I look forward to reading the next two in this series.
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.
It took me a minute to get in to this book, but once I was hooked, I enjoyed it a lot. Decent murder mystery, although I figured out a fair amount of it before it was revealed in the story. But the characters and setting were delightful. I really appreciated how the author could accurately portray colonial India, with a British officer as the central character, and comment so successfully on the horrendous racism of the situation, without making it feel like it was being looked at completely through a 21st century lens. I mean, it was looked at through that lens, but somehow, the main characters all felt very true to their time and place and yet the racism isn’t ignored or downplayed. Looking forward to the next mystery featuring these characters.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Fair writing but interesting location
I was hoping I had found another Michael Pearce and his Mamur Zapt mysteries, but Mukherjee doesn't have Pearce's talent or sense of humor. Too bad because Sam and Bannerjee are just the right vehicle. Still, this is his first endeavor and he may grow into it. I await his next.
I was hoping I had found another Michael Pearce and his Mamur Zapt mysteries, but Mukherjee doesn't have Pearce's talent or sense of humor. Too bad because Sam and Bannerjee are just the right vehicle. Still, this is his first endeavor and he may grow into it. I await his next.
From the very beginning with its wonderfully Chandler-esque opening line, “At least he was well dressed. Black tie, tux, the works. If you’re going to get yourself killed, you may as well look your best,” I was totally in the thrall of this book from start to finish. Not only is the writing whip smart and intuitive with a clever and engaging plot, but the depth of the historical research to so vividly portray the teeming life of this beautiful, yet socially and racially torn, outpost of the former British Empire sings from every page. I always think that historically drawn fiction treads a difficult line between force feeding the reader too much factual detail, or being too sketchy on how well it integrates the historical aspect which then doesn’t draw the reader into the reality of the period. Not only does Mukherjee present Calcutta and its social and political tensions with such clarity of detail, and the heinous crimes perpetrated by the British at Amritsar, but he also weaves into the story the echoing resonance of the trauma of WWI in the characterisation of his main protagonist Captain Sam Wyndham.
I liked the way that these momentous moments in history were brought centre stage at times, but then also cleverly just playing out in the background against the murder investigation adding a sense of the ebb and flow to the story and keeping the reader’s interest throughout. I also enjoyed the way that the interactions between the main characters and their responses to one another added another dimension to the difference in their societal position or racial status again reflecting the tensions of the time. This is very much in evidence by not only Wyndham’s experience as an ‘incomer’ to India, and the barriers to his investigation that he experiences, but also in his own interactions with his fellow Englishman, the prickly Inspector Digby, and the delightful Sergeant Banerjee. The interplay between these three incredibly disparate men was a source of pleasure throughout the book, and the development of their differing relationships, both personally and professionally, gave a further emotional pull on the reader’s empathy to these characters. Wyndham is a particularly complex man with previous trauma, and the loss of the love of his life, placing its own unique strain on his psyche. However, despite his insomnia and wavering dependence on chemical pick-me-ups, what Mukherjee so assuredly shows is Wyndham’s singular integrity as a man, his open mindedness, and his ability to place himself apart from his compatriots in order to fully investigate this case, finding his way in an alien and corrupt society.
So, A Rising Man, bulging with beautifully controlled historical detail, the atmospheric backdrop of Calcutta, a twisting and dangerous murder investigation, and a wonderfully drawn cast of characters, did not disappoint in the slightest. A strong contender for my top 5 of the year, and a completely absorbing, and thoroughly enjoyable debut. Highly recommended.
I liked the way that these momentous moments in history were brought centre stage at times, but then also cleverly just playing out in the background against the murder investigation adding a sense of the ebb and flow to the story and keeping the reader’s interest throughout. I also enjoyed the way that the interactions between the main characters and their responses to one another added another dimension to the difference in their societal position or racial status again reflecting the tensions of the time. This is very much in evidence by not only Wyndham’s experience as an ‘incomer’ to India, and the barriers to his investigation that he experiences, but also in his own interactions with his fellow Englishman, the prickly Inspector Digby, and the delightful Sergeant Banerjee. The interplay between these three incredibly disparate men was a source of pleasure throughout the book, and the development of their differing relationships, both personally and professionally, gave a further emotional pull on the reader’s empathy to these characters. Wyndham is a particularly complex man with previous trauma, and the loss of the love of his life, placing its own unique strain on his psyche. However, despite his insomnia and wavering dependence on chemical pick-me-ups, what Mukherjee so assuredly shows is Wyndham’s singular integrity as a man, his open mindedness, and his ability to place himself apart from his compatriots in order to fully investigate this case, finding his way in an alien and corrupt society.
So, A Rising Man, bulging with beautifully controlled historical detail, the atmospheric backdrop of Calcutta, a twisting and dangerous murder investigation, and a wonderfully drawn cast of characters, did not disappoint in the slightest. A strong contender for my top 5 of the year, and a completely absorbing, and thoroughly enjoyable debut. Highly recommended.
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Racism, Murder