The story is set against the turbulent period of post partition India; the country is still coming to terms with the aftermath of 300 years of British rule. The partition causes friends to become enemies, fracturing society in unexpected ways which adds to the problems faced by Persis as she investigates the death of Sir James Herriot. Oh my gosh I love how this man writes. He could write brochures and I would read them because they'd be the best brochures out there. So when I saw that he has a new series out [after being wildly disappointed that it wasn't a new Inspector Chopra book, as I ADORE that series and have learned so much about India by reading them], I decided to request the ARC and was thrilled to receive it. And boy was I NOT disappointed. THIS is going to be a great series, I can just feel it. Sometimes simplicity is so underrated. This book makes you feel the publishing house could have told the author - keep it simple. The reader can feel the eagerness of the author in creating sub plots that impose the value system of today on the past. The story is brilliant. It is 31 December 1949: India is a free country and all set to adopt itsConstitution in less than a month. Wadia receives a phone call in her police station: British diplomat James Herriot has been murdered in his room and his trousers are missing! Her investigation takes her in different directions: Bombay’s socialite circle that includes the last of the British elite, different episodes of Indian freedom struggle, and the Partition riots, or — to be precise—specific crimes among them. After five novels and two novellas in the Baby Ganesh Agency series, I am excited to reveal that my new book is a historical crime novel set in 1950 in India. It’s called MIDNIGHT AT MALABAR HOUSE and introduces Inspector Persis Wadia of the Bombay Police, India’s first female police detective. The period is incredibly intriguing. It’s just after Indian Independence, the horrors of Partition and the assassination of Gandhi. Social and political turmoil is rife in the country. Yet Bombay remains cosmopolitan, with thousands of foreigners still in the city.

Midnight at Malabar House: Winner of the CWA Historical Midnight at Malabar House: Winner of the CWA Historical

There are a few anachronisms in the book. The first female police officer in the IPS was appointed in 1972. I can live with this time displacement since this book is a work of fiction. A more jarring note was the mention of Persis having a well thumbed copy of the novel Dr Zhivago, which was not published until 1957. This oversight is also a minor quibble but was personally jarring to me. I also wondered at the characterization of Persis.She is a well drawn character who is smart, perceptive, determined and exceedingly outspoken and blunt. At times, she seemed almost James Bond like in conception. I also wondered if she too easily navigated the glass ceiling and gender prejudice that would have been encountered in 1950. The decade that Khan spent in India led to him writing The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra. Khan was offered a four-book contract by Mullholland Books, an imprint of publishers Hodder & Stoughton, for the first books in this series, referred to as the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency series. A compelling mystery set in a fascinating period in India's tumultuous history. Inspector Persis Wadia, the India's first female detective, is gutsy, stubborn and ideally suited to navigate both the complexities of a murder in Bombay's high society and the politics of a police force that want to see her fail. A stunning start to brand new series from one of the UK's finest writers." - M W Craven

There is a lot to like in this book.Most notably, there is a wealth of information and history about the demise of the British Raj and the religious and secular conflicts that arose from the Partition of India. Much of the viewpoint is presented from an Indian point of view, which is a refreshing departure from a host of Anglo centric novels that have been written. This is historical crime fiction at its best – a compelling mix of social insight and complex plotting with a thoroughly engaging heroine. A highly promising new series’ MAIL ON SUNDAY I am looking forward to watching Persis Wadia mature as a human and as a police officer, and I look forward to Vaseem Khan's next book in the series with a great deal of anticipation. For those of you who are familiar with Sujatta Massey's excellent Perveen Mistry historical series, give Midnight at Malabar House a try. I think you're going to like it. Beginning on the last day of 1949, the novel follows India’s first woman police detective Persis Wadia, an Inspector in the Bombay Police, as she goes about solving a high-profile murder while grappling with the aftermath of the Raj, her worries about her ageing father, and the fact that she’s a woman in what is still very much a man’s world, a fact she isn’t allowed to forget for very long. One can only hope that the wounds of history are healed in the fullness of time. Only then might the ghosts of Partition, the millions of dead and missing, find peace."

Midnight at Malabar House - Fantastic Fiction Midnight at Malabar House - Fantastic Fiction

But those of you who want 1/2 history lecture, 1/2 dry closed room top down who-dun-it with other possible procedural placements? You may like this tons more than I did. Especially if you tend to the long winded, over word copy length style of saying the same things 12 different ways. Wadia is a very relatable, real character. The only woman among male colleagues and bosses who tell her that she does not deserve to be among them, she is plagued with doubt. Khan describes her style of investigation with an intimacy that makes the novel charming: This was a very enjoyable historical mystery/police procedural. Set in the first days of 1950 with the consequences of Partition still churning, Persis, the first woman police officer in her country is tasked with a complicated and politically sensitive murder investigation. Her being the first woman is a major theme here and she's inundated with obstacles along the way but of course, she persists. Her colleagues, all male, were an interesting bunch and had surprises to the very end. I liked Persis and also the insight into her personal relationships with her family. She was determined and cared to find the truth, not just any answer served up to her for expedience. I adored the family bookstore her father maintained and her deep love for him. Even her Aunt Nussie was a good character with her overbearing ways. Archaeological Treasures of Uzbekistan: From Alexander the Great to the Kushan Empire” at James Simon Gallery, Berlin Essential to the plot is the recent Partition of colonial India into Pakistan (where Muslim Indians are supposed to live happily ever after) and independent India (mostly Hindu).The stabbing of an English gentleman at a New Year's Eve party in the early hours of 1950 sounds like a Golden Age murder mystery, and Murder at Malabar House has all the suspects, twists and red herrings that we'd expect. But this is India, just after partition, and the leading character is the deftly drawn Persis Wadia, the country's first female detective. She's a wonderful creation and this is a hugely enjoyable book * Ann Cleeves * In 2021, Khan was awarded the Sapere Books Historical Dagger Award by the Crime Writers' Association. [9] In May 2023, Khan was elected the chair of the Crime Writers' Association. [10] Works [ edit ]

Malabar House Series by Vaseem Khan - Goodreads

The mystery itself has many similarities to typical classic English stories and even includes the Christie gathering of suspects at the end reveal. Much more is going on however. Vaseem Khan uses the framework to tell a lot about the history of the time and the partition disaster. India in 1950 was still very much at odds with itself, trying to reconcile religious and political differences. An easy writing style which made this a compelling read, drawing on a historical time in the fledgling independent India. A most enjoyable, complex mid century crime thriller set in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Having lived there myself I found the telling of the history fascinating. Vaseem grew up in England but spent many years working in India.She is on duty for New Year’s Eve at Malabar House, home to one of the city’s less-favoured crime units, when a report is received of the murder of a diplomat, Sir James Herriot. The death occurred in Herriot’s study while a ball he was hosting for the wealthy and well-connected was in progress downstairs. Persis is determined to be a success in this new India, not so much for her own ambition or to honor the activist mother she lost when she was seven, but to make justice happen. She is ornery and speaks her mind too much, so it's a question whether she will be able to keep her job in the know-a-guy culture left over from colonialism. I am concerned about coincidences between this book and Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry series of novels which were published a couple of years before Vaseem Khan's. I'd read another by Khan and given that I realized when I reached the end of this that it's the beginning of a series, I suppose I will do. Midnight at Malabar House’ is set in India in 1950. For another excellent historical crime series, I can highly recommend the Captain Wyndham and Surrender-not Banerjee series by Abir Mukherjee set in the India of the 1920s. It’s definitely worth starting with ‘The Rising Man’ as the first book in this 4 book series – ‘Death in the East’ (Book 4) was published this year and my review (no spoilers) is here.

The Lost Man of Bombay: The thrilling new mystery from the

The author's knowledge of Indian history is impressive, and he seamlessly weaves that history into an entertaining story. I enjoyed his protagonist (IMO, male writers have trouble nailing some of the angst felt by professional women, particularly those in break-out roles) and supporting characters. The pacing kept me interested, although I skimmed a bit during long prose sections. These passages were "telling, not showing," but I know enough Indian history that they might be revelatory to someone else. I loved reading this book. Not just for the mystery, which i was able to solve before the climax, but also the overall impression that the book created. As an Indian, i loved the historical details that fitted the story so well, the descriptions that were realistic and the socio-political conditions of the time of the partition and a young nation's rise in the 1950, the year in which the novel is set. Outstanding. I've always been a fan of Vaseem Khan but this latest offering is something special and something new. Vaseem is totally at the height of his powers with this novel which combines a flair for history, time and place with a genius for mystery. A novel for our times." - Imran MahmoodThe character of Persis was inspiring and one to which i could relate with. I liked that her personal.life was also well weaved within the narrative, yet it never threatened to overtake it. I couldn't help but compare her to Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry. They both are firebrand characters in their own right, hailing from the same community and yet totally different. In a fictional universe, i hope they get to meet and work on a case together someday! I noticed one geographical anomaly in the book though. There is reference to river Brahmputra in the context of a place near Delhi. But Brahmputra flows in a completely different part of India. Perhaps the river being referred to is the Yamuna? Bollywood is his constant source of inspiration. What would he do without this vast and free source at his fingertips? Shouldn't he show some originality? If you like your crime novels without forensic detail, then the following books and series may be of interest. Cosy crime isn’t a genre I read often, but I can personally recommend these!