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A review by saareman
Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee
5.0
The Sam & Surrender-Not Saga meets Indian History in 1921
Review of the Vintage paperback edition (2019) of the original hardcover edition (2018)
This reading was part of my investigation of the novels nominated for the 2020 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. Smoke and Ashes is a nominee for Best Novel. The winners are expected to be announced April 30, 2020.
I've been following the Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath (Surrender-Not) Banerjee adventures since the first one [b:A Rising Man|25686321|A Rising Man (Sam Wyndham, #1)|Abir Mukherjee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460625686l/25686321._SX50_.jpg|45514378] (2016) and have enjoyed them immensely. Author Mukherjee has done his best work yet here in Smoke and Ashes which pits Sam and Surrender-Not into a serial-murder investigation set against the backdrop of a 1921 visit to India by the Prince of Wales (the later abdicating Edward VIII) in the midst of Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement.
They work to solve the case facing their usual conflicts with the diabolical Section H secret military police unit of the British Raj. Sam continues to battle his opium addiction which he uses to counter his PTSD from the First World War and is still drawn to his unrequited love of Annie Grant. Surrender-Not is put in conflict between his loyalties to family (who support the Non-Cooperation movement) and his duty to his career and his friend.
This was an excellent continuation of the series and shows how it will begin to incorporate the true-life stories of the end of the British Raj and the Indian Independence Movement into the crime mysteries of the duo. I very much look forward to the books yet to come.
Trivia and Link
If you want to get the atmosphere of the Prince of Wales visit to India in 1921 you can view some archival photographs here.
Review of the Vintage paperback edition (2019) of the original hardcover edition (2018)
This reading was part of my investigation of the novels nominated for the 2020 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. Smoke and Ashes is a nominee for Best Novel. The winners are expected to be announced April 30, 2020.
I've been following the Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath (Surrender-Not) Banerjee adventures since the first one [b:A Rising Man|25686321|A Rising Man (Sam Wyndham, #1)|Abir Mukherjee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460625686l/25686321._SX50_.jpg|45514378] (2016) and have enjoyed them immensely. Author Mukherjee has done his best work yet here in Smoke and Ashes which pits Sam and Surrender-Not into a serial-murder investigation set against the backdrop of a 1921 visit to India by the Prince of Wales (the later abdicating Edward VIII) in the midst of Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement.
They work to solve the case facing their usual conflicts with the diabolical Section H secret military police unit of the British Raj. Sam continues to battle his opium addiction which he uses to counter his PTSD from the First World War and is still drawn to his unrequited love of Annie Grant. Surrender-Not is put in conflict between his loyalties to family (who support the Non-Cooperation movement) and his duty to his career and his friend.
This was an excellent continuation of the series and shows how it will begin to incorporate the true-life stories of the end of the British Raj and the Indian Independence Movement into the crime mysteries of the duo. I very much look forward to the books yet to come.
Trivia and Link
If you want to get the atmosphere of the Prince of Wales visit to India in 1921 you can view some archival photographs here.