Bombay, 1951. A political rally ends in tragedy when India's first female police detective, Persis Wadia, kills a lone gunman as he attempts to assassinate the divisive new defence minister, a man calling for war with India's new post-Independence neighbours.
With the Malabar House team tasked to hunt down the assassin's co-conspirators - aided by agents from Britain's MI6 security service - Persis is quickly relegated to the sidelines. But then she is given a second case, the burned body of an unidentified white man found on a Bombay beach. As she pursues both investigations - with and without official sanction - she soon finds herself headed to the country's capital, New Delhi, a city where ancient and modern India openly clash.
Meanwhile, Persis's colleague, Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, lies in a hospital fighting for his life as all around him the country tears itself apart in the prelude to war...
City of Destruction by Vaseem Khan is published in hardback on 28 November 2024 by Hodder. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
It's hard to find a better historical crime fiction series than the Malabar House series from Vaseem Khan. These books are a heady mix of historical fact, mystery stories and the progression of our lead characters; Persis Wadia and Archie Blackfinch. You will be hard pressed to find a more diverse and unlikely crime fighting duo than these two. Persis; the first female detective in India, with a rich cultural background, having seen the rise of India and neighbouring Pakistan, and also the terror and destruction caused by recent events. Archie Blackfinch, the staid British detective, based in the heat of India, but still dresses like the formal Englishman that he is.
In City of Destruction Persis is without her trusty sidekick for most of the story. The novel begins with an attempted assassination. A gunman attempts to shoot the country's defence minister, a man who is dividing the nation with his calls for war. Persis blocks the assassination, but the young gunman is killed. Whilst it is clear that she was only doing her job, she struggles with his death, especially as he spoke to her with his dying breath and thrust something into her hand that is very mysterious.
And so, Persis, in her usual headstrong way takes on this case, even though she's informed by her superiors that she shouldn't. Members of the British MI6 service have been drafted in and it's clear that Persis is not wanted on the scene. This does not stop her and she finds herself becoming more and more involved; determined to find out more about the lone gunman and who was controlling him.
Meanwhile, a white man's body is found on the rocks by the sea. Burnt beyond recognition, but killed from a blow to the head. Persis is given this case, and whilst she'd rather be involved in the political drama, it's not long before this case also consumes her.
This is a complex and multi woven story, with some incredibly well created characters. It is filled with Khan's humour, some of his descriptions, especially of people made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. Despite Persis' many flaws, one cannot help but really like her, her determination to get to the bottom of things, to find justice, to face danger and to keep going is so admirable.
I do like to see the other side of her though. The times when she is at home with her father Sam, in their bookshop. Her memories of her late mother, and of course, her constant musings about Archie, and especially when she discovers that he may not have been entirely truthful with her in the past.
The writing is charming, fascinating, educating. The plot line is skilful and gripping and the characters are a joy. The sense of place is so colourful, you can almost smell the streets of Bombay. Highly recommended.
Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai, and the Malabar House historical crime novels set in 1950s Bombay. His first book, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020, and is translated into 16 languages. The second in the series won the Shamus Award in the US. In 2018, he was awarded the Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Award for Literature. Vaseem was born in England, but spent a decade working in India. In 2021, Midnight at Malabar House won the Crime Writers Association Historical Dagger, the world’s premier award for historical crime fiction. His latest book is The Lost Man of Bombay.
For more information about the world of his books please visit vaseemkhan.com where you can also keep abreast of Vaseem’s latest goings-on, competitions, events, and extracts from upcoming books via his newsletter.
Website: http://vaseemkhan.com
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