A review by piyali
A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee

4.0

I do not read a lot of police procedurals, I like thrillers. So for a reader of thriller, the crime solving in this book was a bit slow, however, I did not mind in the least since I immersed myself in the description of the background where the crime takes place. It is 1919 and ex Scotland yard copper Sam Wyndham is a newcomer to Calcutta, the hub of British rule. When an influential British officer is killed in a narrow alleyway behind a renowned brothel, Wyndham is called to solve the crime and bring the criminal to justice with the help of an Indian sergeant Surendranath (Surrender-not) Banerjee. The author does a fascinating job of integrating the history of armed freedom fighters of Bengal (terrorists according to the colonizers) with the plot, bringing to life the sentiment of the colonized and the complicated relationship of the colonizers and the natives who worked for them. Surrender-not is a beautifully etched out character who manifests the dichotomy of an Indian man, working for the Imperial Police force despite the injustice he witnesses in the treatment by the British against his countrymen. Having grown up with the history of freedom fighters and also the images of Calcutta in the early 20th century, this book was simply riveting for me. The characters were well developed with virtues and flaws. They were real. The relationships were believable, the complexities between the natives and the British were very well drawn out. It was a pleasure to read this well researched and well written story. I will certainly be looking forward to more adventures of Sam Wyndham and his trusted sergeant Surrender-Not.