After losing his wife, family and friends in the Great War ex-Scotland Yard detective Sam Wyndham is recruited by a former military intelligence colleague to the police force in Calcutta. One of his first cases is the politically sensitive murder of a British civil service official with links to terrorism and prostitution. Inspector Digby, passed over for Wyndham's job, and Sergeant Banerjee help Sam investigate while also introducing him to the city and its ways.
It's a bit of a noir mystery, which is proper for the time, but also a good partnership between Wyndham and Banerjee in an exciting setting. Previously I read a later book in the series, but each mystery is independent and the character development slow across books.
by Abir Mukherjee
4 stars
After losing his wife, family and friends in the Great War ex-Scotland Yard detective Sam Wyndham is recruited by a former military intelligence colleague to the police force in Calcutta. One of his first cases is the politically sensitive murder of a British civil service official with links to terrorism and prostitution. Inspector Digby, passed over for Wyndham's job, and Sergeant Banerjee help Sam investigate while also introducing him to the city and its ways.
It's a bit of a noir mystery, which is proper for the time, but also a good partnership between Wyndham and Banerjee in an exciting setting. Previously I read a later book in the series, but each mystery is independent and the character development slow across books.