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A review by liberrydude
A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee
4.0
Wyndham and Bannerjee are accompanying a visiting Indian prince in Calcutta when he is assassinated. The assassin escapes but later they are on the verge of arresting him but the assassin commits suicide. Case closed. Hardly. It seems the prince was the heir to a native state and was looking to take it out of the British orbit. But the assassin was garbed in religious attire and markings. Politics or religious motive?
The two end up visiting the prince’s home state where they believe the threat originated from. What ensues are more murders and palace intrigues that leave the reader’s head spinning. Strangers they must proceed cautiously as they sort who exactly are their friends and who they can rely upon for support. Strangely the British colonial government seems more of a hindrance than the sovereign native state. There’s also a nice discussion about the pursuit of truth and justice sometimes not being synonymous. Some great lines too like this one that caused me to laugh— “There’s something inherently untrustworthy about a man who knows how to dance.” Lots of action with some grisly deaths too. Surprises abound until the final pages.
The two end up visiting the prince’s home state where they believe the threat originated from. What ensues are more murders and palace intrigues that leave the reader’s head spinning. Strangers they must proceed cautiously as they sort who exactly are their friends and who they can rely upon for support. Strangely the British colonial government seems more of a hindrance than the sovereign native state. There’s also a nice discussion about the pursuit of truth and justice sometimes not being synonymous. Some great lines too like this one that caused me to laugh— “There’s something inherently untrustworthy about a man who knows how to dance.” Lots of action with some grisly deaths too. Surprises abound until the final pages.