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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was a very entertaining, atmospheric mystery. Kept me guessing to the very end. Will read more of his novels.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this audiobook, the first in an historical crime fiction series set in 1919 Calcutta.
As the above synopsis says, Sam Wyndham is very new to India and has only just arrived when he has a murder case. It looks like a political murder, as the body is of a British civil servant with a note stuffed in his mouth demanding the British quit India.
Talk about being thrown in at the deep end! Fortunately Sam has the brilliant local policeman, Sargeant Banerjee, at his side to help him manoeuvre around the situation, although Sam doesn’t give him much credit for his help. There’s also Digby another English policeman who’s been in India for a few years and so looks down on anyone who isn’t white like him. He’s a snob and a racist with a massive chip on his shoulder. I was horrified with the way the British treated the Indians, the superiority and entitlement was disgusting!
This was a really good mystery with lots of twists, red herrings, and suspicious characters. I loved every minute of it. I thought I knew where the plot was going, but then there was a change of direction and I was flummoxed. I had my suspicions about the murder from the beginning, but kept changing my mind about whodunnit!
The descriptions of Calcutta were so clear that I felt like I was there walking along with Sam and Banerjee. I liked both of them and think they made a great team. There were some very amusing lines throughout the story, that me smile and laugh out loud on more than one occasion.
Simon Bubb’s narration was fantastic! I loved all the different characters he portrayed, but particularly enjoyed his Scottish and Irish accents and the way he portrayed Sam and Banerjee. He’s definitely a new favourite narrator!
I loved this audiobook so much that I bought some extra audible credits and got the next 3 in the series. I’ve already listened to the next book, A Necessary Evil. I definitely recommend this story on audiobook, especially if you enjoy historical crime fiction.
As the above synopsis says, Sam Wyndham is very new to India and has only just arrived when he has a murder case. It looks like a political murder, as the body is of a British civil servant with a note stuffed in his mouth demanding the British quit India.
Talk about being thrown in at the deep end! Fortunately Sam has the brilliant local policeman, Sargeant Banerjee, at his side to help him manoeuvre around the situation, although Sam doesn’t give him much credit for his help. There’s also Digby another English policeman who’s been in India for a few years and so looks down on anyone who isn’t white like him. He’s a snob and a racist with a massive chip on his shoulder. I was horrified with the way the British treated the Indians, the superiority and entitlement was disgusting!
This was a really good mystery with lots of twists, red herrings, and suspicious characters. I loved every minute of it. I thought I knew where the plot was going, but then there was a change of direction and I was flummoxed. I had my suspicions about the murder from the beginning, but kept changing my mind about whodunnit!
The descriptions of Calcutta were so clear that I felt like I was there walking along with Sam and Banerjee. I liked both of them and think they made a great team. There were some very amusing lines throughout the story, that me smile and laugh out loud on more than one occasion.
Simon Bubb’s narration was fantastic! I loved all the different characters he portrayed, but particularly enjoyed his Scottish and Irish accents and the way he portrayed Sam and Banerjee. He’s definitely a new favourite narrator!
I loved this audiobook so much that I bought some extra audible credits and got the next 3 in the series. I’ve already listened to the next book, A Necessary Evil. I definitely recommend this story on audiobook, especially if you enjoy historical crime fiction.
I very much liked the setting of this book and the glimpse on early 20th century Calcutta.
Sam Wyndham is an interesting character, flawed and broken, with little idea of what to do with his life, he basically ends up in India by default. Already disillusioned with the British Empire after losing basically everything to WWI Sam is a good point of view for the racial differences, the revolution and the right of governance in India.
Sam is not the sharpest detective in the land, but he is a good sensible man, and he might not have had much time to think about race before, but when faced with the issue, it's his sense of justice that comes forth.
All in all an excellent start for what seems like a great comfortable saga.
Sam Wyndham is an interesting character, flawed and broken, with little idea of what to do with his life, he basically ends up in India by default. Already disillusioned with the British Empire after losing basically everything to WWI Sam is a good point of view for the racial differences, the revolution and the right of governance in India.
Sam is not the sharpest detective in the land, but he is a good sensible man, and he might not have had much time to think about race before, but when faced with the issue, it's his sense of justice that comes forth.
All in all an excellent start for what seems like a great comfortable saga.
Some wonky formatting and dropped words in my ebook from the library.
Otherwise, loved this. Detective thriller but oh so wonderfully very rooted in Indian culture and history. Might have spent more time on Wikipedia than actually reading this, and that's a good thing.
Otherwise, loved this. Detective thriller but oh so wonderfully very rooted in Indian culture and history. Might have spent more time on Wikipedia than actually reading this, and that's a good thing.
This was a fascinating read--murder mystery set in Calcutta, 1919. The detail and atmosphere are outstanding, particularly the sequence after the Amritsar massacre, as the news spreads across India. Author doesn't hold back on the racism, both casual and vituperative, the cultural sneers, or the sexism of the time, so it's a powerful read. The moral corruption caused by the Raj is a major theme: showing how initially decent people slide into bigotry and how the system promotes it in them.
It's pretty clearly a first novel--lot of info dumping (which you can get away with to an extent when it's real and fascinating), writing clunks a bit at points, and the murderer was pretty obvious in an inevitable trope role way. But the voice is great, the world compelling, there are some laugh/gasp out loud bits, and some passages that really show what the author has in him. Definitely recommended as an exciting new voice and a vivid picture of a shameful bit of history for Britain.
It's pretty clearly a first novel--lot of info dumping (which you can get away with to an extent when it's real and fascinating), writing clunks a bit at points, and the murderer was pretty obvious in an inevitable trope role way. But the voice is great, the world compelling, there are some laugh/gasp out loud bits, and some passages that really show what the author has in him. Definitely recommended as an exciting new voice and a vivid picture of a shameful bit of history for Britain.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes