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Malabar House #4
Death of a Lesser God
In the fourth rip-roaring thriller in the award-winning Malabar House series, Persis and Archie travel to the old colonial capital of Calcutta, where they collide head-on with the prejudices and bloody politics of an era engulfed in flame.
Can a white man receive justice in post-colonial India?
Bombay, 1950
James Whitby, sentenced to death for the murder of prominent lawyer and former Quit India activist Fareed Mazumdar, is less than two weeks from a date with the gallows. In a last-ditch attempt to save his son, Whitby's father, arch-colonialist, Charles Whitby, forces a new investigation into the killing.
The investigation leads Inspector Persis Wadia of the Bombay Police to the old colonial capital of Calcutta, where, with the help of Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, she uncovers a possible link to a second case, the brutal murder of an African-American G.I. during the Calcutta Killings of 1946.
How are the cases connected? If Whitby didn't murder Mazumdar, then who did? And why?
Can a white man receive justice in post-colonial India?
Bombay, 1950
James Whitby, sentenced to death for the murder of prominent lawyer and former Quit India activist Fareed Mazumdar, is less than two weeks from a date with the gallows. In a last-ditch attempt to save his son, Whitby's father, arch-colonialist, Charles Whitby, forces a new investigation into the killing.
The investigation leads Inspector Persis Wadia of the Bombay Police to the old colonial capital of Calcutta, where, with the help of Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, she uncovers a possible link to a second case, the brutal murder of an African-American G.I. during the Calcutta Killings of 1946.
How are the cases connected? If Whitby didn't murder Mazumdar, then who did? And why?
368 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2023
233 people are currently reading
1010 people want to read
About the author
Vaseem Khan
27 books1,031 followersVaseem Khan is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India and the upcoming Quantum of Menace, the first in a series featuring Q from the James Bond franchise. His debut, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020. In 2021, Midnight at Malabar House, the first in the Malabar House novels set in 1950s Bombay, won the CWA Historical Dagger. Vaseem was born in England, but spent a decade working in India. Vaseem is the current Chair of the UK Crime Writers Association.
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June 3, 2024A good historical mystery. The style is a little obtrusive - choppy style, lots of broken sentences and an excess of comic metaphors - to the point where it began to get in my way a little bit. I love stroppy, sweaty, relentlessly aggressive Persis; I would like more on the romance with Archie (please not a love triangle with the cousin though, I hate love triangles.)
I will note that Persis gets knocked out by a blow to the head on at least four occasions within a fortnight or so, which is surely approaching permanent brain damage territory.
I will note that Persis gets knocked out by a blow to the head on at least four occasions within a fortnight or so, which is surely approaching permanent brain damage territory.
June 29, 2023
This is a wonderful series and this has to be the best yet. From Bombay to Calcutta, Persis is given the impossible task of saving a white man from execution for the murder of an Indian lawyer. This does not go down well given the hubris of Indian independence. Persis (as usual) overcomes the severest obstacles in her search for the truth, putting herself and others in severe danger. This was an an exciting and absorbing read, descriptions of the mangrove swamps south of Calcutta very evocative. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
July 13, 2023
I appear to have missed an episode of Persis's life (no idea why) so some of this book was less clear to me than it should have been had I read The Lost Man of Bombay but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of this book at all.
In this book Persis is tasked with proving that a young man condemned to death is actually innocent. Unfortunately the young man is a white, rich and the son of a man who is disliked intensely. The Indian authorities want to ensure that justice is done in their newly independent country. Persis unfortunately appears to be expendable in this equation as she can tell no one who has given her this job.
What follows is a pretty break-neck speed investigation that puts Persis and her mentee, Seema in danger from some very unsavoury elements. Not only is she mixing with dangerous men, she is far from home in Calcutta where the investigation takes many turns.
There are lots of twists, red herrings and heaps of action but has Persis bitten off more than she can chew. She not only has a man's life to save but she has to referee the animosity between potential suitors - Archie Blackfinch and her cousin, Darius. She really has got her work cut out this time.
I enjoyed this book much more than the first two. Vaseem Khan has developed Persis over the past few novels and she's a much more rounded and likeable character now. She's still no Baby Ganesh but that elephant was always going to be a hard act to follow. Still I shall be excited to read the next book starring Persis.
Definitely recommend for fans of Khan whether they've read the previous books or not.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance review copy.
In this book Persis is tasked with proving that a young man condemned to death is actually innocent. Unfortunately the young man is a white, rich and the son of a man who is disliked intensely. The Indian authorities want to ensure that justice is done in their newly independent country. Persis unfortunately appears to be expendable in this equation as she can tell no one who has given her this job.
What follows is a pretty break-neck speed investigation that puts Persis and her mentee, Seema in danger from some very unsavoury elements. Not only is she mixing with dangerous men, she is far from home in Calcutta where the investigation takes many turns.
There are lots of twists, red herrings and heaps of action but has Persis bitten off more than she can chew. She not only has a man's life to save but she has to referee the animosity between potential suitors - Archie Blackfinch and her cousin, Darius. She really has got her work cut out this time.
I enjoyed this book much more than the first two. Vaseem Khan has developed Persis over the past few novels and she's a much more rounded and likeable character now. She's still no Baby Ganesh but that elephant was always going to be a hard act to follow. Still I shall be excited to read the next book starring Persis.
Definitely recommend for fans of Khan whether they've read the previous books or not.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance review copy.
August 13, 2023
I have enjoyed this series to date, but the over-abundance of metaphors and similes in this fourth book grated and seriously interfered with my enjoyment of the story. And I’m not only speaking of the quantity. Many were second rate, no surprise when one overdoes it. Other egregious errors: one character is both lurking and lounging in full view. A few paragraphs later, it’s the stage that’s lurking. One feels that this book was rushed to fulfill a contextual obligation. And where was his editor?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2023
Liked this book, and this series. However, I found the density of similes just so annoying, and marked down one star for that. Similes/metaphors are nice and can add style and flair, but just so many of them seems to me to be indulgent and distracting. It is ok just to just sometimes describe something, simply without likening it to whatever random thing the author can think of. Like “it was raining heavily” (rather than with enough force to concuss cattle and drown dreams, and also (on the same page) mug you in broad daylight and leave your body sprawled in the gutter).
July 6, 2023
Inspector Persis Wadia is the first female officer in the Indian police service, a move seen as enlightened and forward thinking by politicians, but the reality is this bastion of masculinity has no idea what to do with her. So, she finds herself sidelined into the backwater of Malabar House where problems are parked and careers go to die, hopefully quietly. Except Persis is headstrong, driven and a very good detective, a combination that makes her difficult to control after the countrywide publicity of her appointment. She is developing a track record of solving difficult cases despite the obstacles put in her way, so the best they can do is try to manage her expectations. Here she is given the task of an off-the-books style investigation into the case of James Whitby who is due to be executed in eleven days for the murder of an Indian lawyer.
The regular cast of characters also appear too. Her father Sam is away on his honeymoon and so is busy making the lives of everyone he meets miserable, so we read about brief cantankerous outbursts of his. Criminalist Archie Blackfinch is touring India helping to set up crime labs in major cities, but of course he is on hand to provide case cracking insight. He is not the only man seeking Persis’ affections though, as she crosses paths with her much changed cousin Darius, who aunt Nussie has been trying to matchmake her with for years. Persis’ young ward Seema is looking after Sam’s bookstore, making changes, successful ones at that, which are going to shock him on his return. When Persis must work solo on the case, Seema pleads to join her and together, they get into much hot water.
The timing of the stories is critical in making it such a fascinating series. The immediate post WWII period was one of great upheaval across the globe, whilst the fighting didn’t encroach much into Indian territory, its men served in the commonwealth armies and there was a devastating famine in Bengal. This was the period of independence for India, which was followed by internal fighting and the partitioning of land on largely religious basis with the formation of Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). A huge mixing pot of faith, ethnicity, class and caste that is liable to boil over at any time is artfully used by the author to bring colour, depth and complexity to his stories. He deftly marshals multiple strands to produce a story that is fascinating, informative, nuanced and above all entertaining.
The central nub of the story appears at the beginning as a question before the blub; ‘Can a white man receive justice in post-colonial India?’ Persis is of course something of an idealist, a believer in truth and that justice will naturally follow. Something she pursues doggedly, although in this case there are unanticipated consequences and collateral damage of the human kind. In the end we see a chastened and reflective Persis, one who has learned a lesson the hard way. Others are much more sanguine; justice is now for Indians and past injustices at the hands of white colonials are neither forgotten nor forgiven.
The story is packed full of humour, be it situational, dialogue or his speciality the amusing description, such as describing a piece of cheese as being hairier than a Greek grandmother. There are so many of these it almost becomes too much to take in. All great knockabout stuff which helps to lighten a novel packed with serious messages.
India is of course a mini continent, and the reader is treated to much more than just life in Bombay. A good deal of the action happens around Calcutta and here Persis and Seema are very much innocents abroad. Then they become more like fish out of water as they find themselves away from the city. Here in the mangroves, they must battle extreme weather, nature itself and come across doughty and courageous natives.
Intelligent, witty and set in a remarkable country at a momentous time in its history, Death of a Lesser God is everything you want in historical crime fiction.
The regular cast of characters also appear too. Her father Sam is away on his honeymoon and so is busy making the lives of everyone he meets miserable, so we read about brief cantankerous outbursts of his. Criminalist Archie Blackfinch is touring India helping to set up crime labs in major cities, but of course he is on hand to provide case cracking insight. He is not the only man seeking Persis’ affections though, as she crosses paths with her much changed cousin Darius, who aunt Nussie has been trying to matchmake her with for years. Persis’ young ward Seema is looking after Sam’s bookstore, making changes, successful ones at that, which are going to shock him on his return. When Persis must work solo on the case, Seema pleads to join her and together, they get into much hot water.
The timing of the stories is critical in making it such a fascinating series. The immediate post WWII period was one of great upheaval across the globe, whilst the fighting didn’t encroach much into Indian territory, its men served in the commonwealth armies and there was a devastating famine in Bengal. This was the period of independence for India, which was followed by internal fighting and the partitioning of land on largely religious basis with the formation of Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). A huge mixing pot of faith, ethnicity, class and caste that is liable to boil over at any time is artfully used by the author to bring colour, depth and complexity to his stories. He deftly marshals multiple strands to produce a story that is fascinating, informative, nuanced and above all entertaining.
The central nub of the story appears at the beginning as a question before the blub; ‘Can a white man receive justice in post-colonial India?’ Persis is of course something of an idealist, a believer in truth and that justice will naturally follow. Something she pursues doggedly, although in this case there are unanticipated consequences and collateral damage of the human kind. In the end we see a chastened and reflective Persis, one who has learned a lesson the hard way. Others are much more sanguine; justice is now for Indians and past injustices at the hands of white colonials are neither forgotten nor forgiven.
The story is packed full of humour, be it situational, dialogue or his speciality the amusing description, such as describing a piece of cheese as being hairier than a Greek grandmother. There are so many of these it almost becomes too much to take in. All great knockabout stuff which helps to lighten a novel packed with serious messages.
India is of course a mini continent, and the reader is treated to much more than just life in Bombay. A good deal of the action happens around Calcutta and here Persis and Seema are very much innocents abroad. Then they become more like fish out of water as they find themselves away from the city. Here in the mangroves, they must battle extreme weather, nature itself and come across doughty and courageous natives.
Intelligent, witty and set in a remarkable country at a momentous time in its history, Death of a Lesser God is everything you want in historical crime fiction.
August 16, 2023
Persis, the much maligned 1st female police officer in India is secretly charged by her misogynist boss to investigate the conviction of a white man for murdering an Indian lawyer. She can't tell anyone what she's doing or why. She soon determines that the key lies in Calcutta and goes there - financed by the convicted man's father, a notoriously selfish, cruel and self-centered English colonial grandee. The crime and the investigation take place in the 50's after Independence and Partition. In short order, Persis insults most of the police hierarchy in Calcutta, a deputy commissioner (like the lieutenant governor, I think), 2 notorious gangsters and a panoply of other luminaries. Is it any wonder she's kidnapped, drugged and transported to the Sundarbans (a large mangrove archipelago near Calcutta) in the middle of a cyclone? Of course, she manages to escape, watches a pursuer consumed by a crocodile (she's in a rowboat in the middle of the cyclone) and is threatened by a tiger who consumes another bad guy in front of her. The deputy commissioner finds her (he's ordered the kidnapping) and tells her he might just keep her there. Her erstwhile English love interest and another childhood friend free her and take her back to Calcutta. She returns to Bombay, ready to admit defeat, the white man is all but at the gallows, when lo and behold she has an inspiration, returns to Calcutta, confronts the murderer and saves the day.
OMG. 1. There is a litany of explanations of recent Indian history as background to the events. While interesting, it reads mostly like a high school essay. 2. There are contradictions and anachronisms in the action. 3. The events themselves read like the plot of a very bad soap opera/police procedural.
This book needed an extensive rewrite and vigorous editing. Disappointing because Khan's other Malabar House books are so much better. Who wrote this and where is Vaseem Khan?
OMG. 1. There is a litany of explanations of recent Indian history as background to the events. While interesting, it reads mostly like a high school essay. 2. There are contradictions and anachronisms in the action. 3. The events themselves read like the plot of a very bad soap opera/police procedural.
This book needed an extensive rewrite and vigorous editing. Disappointing because Khan's other Malabar House books are so much better. Who wrote this and where is Vaseem Khan?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2024
I enjoyed this read. This resolution was unexpected and clever. The plotting was intricate; and how the mystery unfolds held my attention. I very much appreciated being swept to another place and time.
I'm not going to say too much about the story itself as I think a reader should experience the discovery process without too much advance information (and the synopses are already available but I think they give too much away).
A British man, born in India, is accused of killing a Muslim lawyer who advocated for an independent India, i.e., an India without British rulers/colonizers.
The setting is 1950's Calcutta and Bombay. Partition occurred just three years earlier in August 1947 so the book's characters live with fresh memories of the violence and social disruption. The tensions and anxieties, spurred and exacerbated by Partition among Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs of the British Raj, remains and festers. In addition, the investigation leads India's first female policewoman to events that occurred during Direct Action Day in 1946.
Historical elements and other bits of intriguing information are seamlessly sprinkled throughout. These include the continuous presence of American (US) diplomats in India as early as the 1700's, sent by George Washington. Mark Twain visited India and complained about its humidity during monsoon season. And Chinese and Jewish communities had been established in India for a long while, respectively, for several decades and at least two thousand years.
In his author's note, Khan points to his historical heritage and specifically notes his parents and grandparents as key sources. I'll flag here that the current Modi government takes a dangerous nativist approach that promotes Hindus and oppresses the nation's minorities.
I've read 1-3 in this series. And I can say that this is the first where, at a critical moment, Persis takes action and a man does not intervene, when Persis has done all the legwork.
I also think there are some cloying pieces of over-writing here in #4. These similes/metaphors had me gagging. Khan writes about a dozen or thirty of these that caused me to roll my eyes and wonder where the editor was. One example, "Above them, the ceiling fan creaked slowly around in ineffectual circles, like a geriatric peon." Or "...two of the station's three sub-inspectors, came rattling into the basement like a mariachi band." These should have been deleted as they're ridiculous.
Khan does a rigorous job of skewering British colonialism and their presence post-Partition. I was completely fine with this and wondered how the Indian British author's white British readers took this. Did they notice or did they compartmentalize it somehow?
Several quotes:
...No Englishman's castle would be complete without a hound. And a dozen native servants, all of whom ranked several places below the dog.
...He was the sort of man who'd happily stab you in the front. And then the back--and sides--for good measure.
Like many Englishmen before him, Archie Blackfinch believed that the world would simply orient itself to his desires.
...It seemed a unique irony that the British, now vastly in the minority among the Indian multitude, had become voiceless in the very country where they'd once suppressed the voices of the native inhabitants.
I think what angered them most was the fact that we'd spent three centuries breeding Indians to docility and now they had the cheek to turn the very docility against us.
(referring to the British fighting against the "plague of Nazism") I, out of simple curiosity, listened to Gandhi, imprisoned for inciting the Quit India movement; Gandhi--and his fellow revolutionaries--accused us of harboring double standards. After all, if we were morally entitled to fight against an evil that sought to oppress us, to take from us our freedoms and values we held dear, then how could we deny Indians the same right?
"We Americans love to self-mythologize. The defenders of democracy and the free world. But we have our own problems and we tend to take them with us wherever we go..."
...If there was one thing the British had learned, it was how to suck the fight out of a local populace by the simple expedient of forcing them to fill out forms. In triplicate.
I'm not going to say too much about the story itself as I think a reader should experience the discovery process without too much advance information (and the synopses are already available but I think they give too much away).
A British man, born in India, is accused of killing a Muslim lawyer who advocated for an independent India, i.e., an India without British rulers/colonizers.
The setting is 1950's Calcutta and Bombay. Partition occurred just three years earlier in August 1947 so the book's characters live with fresh memories of the violence and social disruption. The tensions and anxieties, spurred and exacerbated by Partition among Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs of the British Raj, remains and festers. In addition, the investigation leads India's first female policewoman to events that occurred during Direct Action Day in 1946.
Historical elements and other bits of intriguing information are seamlessly sprinkled throughout. These include the continuous presence of American (US) diplomats in India as early as the 1700's, sent by George Washington. Mark Twain visited India and complained about its humidity during monsoon season. And Chinese and Jewish communities had been established in India for a long while, respectively, for several decades and at least two thousand years.
In his author's note, Khan points to his historical heritage and specifically notes his parents and grandparents as key sources. I'll flag here that the current Modi government takes a dangerous nativist approach that promotes Hindus and oppresses the nation's minorities.
I've read 1-3 in this series. And I can say that this is the first where, at a critical moment, Persis takes action and a man does not intervene, when Persis has done all the legwork.
I also think there are some cloying pieces of over-writing here in #4. These similes/metaphors had me gagging. Khan writes about a dozen or thirty of these that caused me to roll my eyes and wonder where the editor was. One example, "Above them, the ceiling fan creaked slowly around in ineffectual circles, like a geriatric peon." Or "...two of the station's three sub-inspectors, came rattling into the basement like a mariachi band." These should have been deleted as they're ridiculous.
Khan does a rigorous job of skewering British colonialism and their presence post-Partition. I was completely fine with this and wondered how the Indian British author's white British readers took this. Did they notice or did they compartmentalize it somehow?
Several quotes:
...No Englishman's castle would be complete without a hound. And a dozen native servants, all of whom ranked several places below the dog.
...He was the sort of man who'd happily stab you in the front. And then the back--and sides--for good measure.
Like many Englishmen before him, Archie Blackfinch believed that the world would simply orient itself to his desires.
...It seemed a unique irony that the British, now vastly in the minority among the Indian multitude, had become voiceless in the very country where they'd once suppressed the voices of the native inhabitants.
I think what angered them most was the fact that we'd spent three centuries breeding Indians to docility and now they had the cheek to turn the very docility against us.
(referring to the British fighting against the "plague of Nazism") I, out of simple curiosity, listened to Gandhi, imprisoned for inciting the Quit India movement; Gandhi--and his fellow revolutionaries--accused us of harboring double standards. After all, if we were morally entitled to fight against an evil that sought to oppress us, to take from us our freedoms and values we held dear, then how could we deny Indians the same right?
"We Americans love to self-mythologize. The defenders of democracy and the free world. But we have our own problems and we tend to take them with us wherever we go..."
...If there was one thing the British had learned, it was how to suck the fight out of a local populace by the simple expedient of forcing them to fill out forms. In triplicate.
August 15, 2023
4.5
How have I only just discovered this amazing detective crime series?! I was keen to pick up this book after hearing @vaseemkhanwriter speak on a cosy crime panel at the Slaughterfest earlier this year.
Fourth book in the Malabar House series, Persis Wadia, known for being India’s first female inspector based in Bombay, is tasked with investigating the case of James Whitby, who has been sentenced to death for killing a prominent lawyer and activist Fareed Mazumdar. Whitby declares his innocence but in a post-colonial India in 1950, is there such a thing as justice for a white man?
This case leads Persis on an exciting but also dangerous adventure, journeying to Calcutta where she finds herself involved in solving another mysterious case that seems interconnected with the first.
I turned the first page and I couldn’t stop reading. This is an utterly absorbing mystery thriller that is written beautifully and with lots of charm and wit. The descriptions and imagery are so original and vivid.
As well as being a captivating whodunit narrative, it is an illuminating and eye opening historical fiction narrative too where Khan weaves in informative and interesting facts based on life in India after it gains independence post 200 years of British colonialism yet struggles with the consequences of the Partition and the ongoing tension between Hindus and Muslims. I don’t know much about India’s history and colonial past so I found the aspects of this narrative fascinating. It also plays into the deep rooted prejudices and hostility that are held against British people who remain in India and I love the politics, the cultural and social influences that impact this detective story.
The mystery twists and turns and held many surprises, which I never guessed! Lots of aaah moments when I found out alongside Persis the real events that unfolded.
Persis is also a brilliant detective. Smart, brave, a bit reckless, determined, ahead of her times. There is also an interesting love story between her and Archie Blackfinch, a Scotland Yard criminalist…I want to know more!
Highly recommend if you love crime / whodunnit books!
How have I only just discovered this amazing detective crime series?! I was keen to pick up this book after hearing @vaseemkhanwriter speak on a cosy crime panel at the Slaughterfest earlier this year.
Fourth book in the Malabar House series, Persis Wadia, known for being India’s first female inspector based in Bombay, is tasked with investigating the case of James Whitby, who has been sentenced to death for killing a prominent lawyer and activist Fareed Mazumdar. Whitby declares his innocence but in a post-colonial India in 1950, is there such a thing as justice for a white man?
This case leads Persis on an exciting but also dangerous adventure, journeying to Calcutta where she finds herself involved in solving another mysterious case that seems interconnected with the first.
I turned the first page and I couldn’t stop reading. This is an utterly absorbing mystery thriller that is written beautifully and with lots of charm and wit. The descriptions and imagery are so original and vivid.
As well as being a captivating whodunit narrative, it is an illuminating and eye opening historical fiction narrative too where Khan weaves in informative and interesting facts based on life in India after it gains independence post 200 years of British colonialism yet struggles with the consequences of the Partition and the ongoing tension between Hindus and Muslims. I don’t know much about India’s history and colonial past so I found the aspects of this narrative fascinating. It also plays into the deep rooted prejudices and hostility that are held against British people who remain in India and I love the politics, the cultural and social influences that impact this detective story.
The mystery twists and turns and held many surprises, which I never guessed! Lots of aaah moments when I found out alongside Persis the real events that unfolded.
Persis is also a brilliant detective. Smart, brave, a bit reckless, determined, ahead of her times. There is also an interesting love story between her and Archie Blackfinch, a Scotland Yard criminalist…I want to know more!
Highly recommend if you love crime / whodunnit books!
July 17, 2025
Sure, Khan overdoes it with the corny similes and rambling metaphors…but it’s a fast-paced, entertaining mystery, which pretty much kept me guessing until the end. As is true for the series in general, the most compelling features are the historical and cultural setting and the main character, Persis. As expected, she does get clomped on the head too many times and held captive…every book in the series suffers from that excess…but her irascible nature triumphs once again (no surprise). I’ll keep reading the series…they’re quick and fun.
December 22, 2025
Having read all of the other books by Vaseem Khan I was looking forward to this continuation of the series about Persis, the first woman police officer in Bombay in 1950. Although Khan presents an interesting plot with much historical background and a fine description of the Sundarbans (which I have read about previously), I found the first 3/4 of this book very difficult to read because of all the cliches, strange similes, and bizarre (or in some cases inaccurate) imagery.
Here are some examples: on the first page he says "...notions of right and wrong are a moveable feast." Morality may be relative but it is usually rare, hardly a "feast."
On page two he says of the lawyer "...no man is an island." Really?!
A few lines later Khan references "...the sort of hollow laugh men in the trenches share before the whistle blows." What whistle blows in the trenches? The whistle to start fighting? the factory whistle to end work? The whistle of bullets flying past??
On page 76 he references a riot in which "...gangs roamed the streets unhindered, killing with gay abandon." Gay used to mean lighthearted or carefree, now references homosexuality, but neither can I imagine as characteristic of a murderous riot.
On page 79 he says Persis is subjected to "A heavy shower..." of rain. A shower is a light sprinkling. So a heavy shower would be an oxymoron. Why not just say a downpour?
Next paragraph he says "The dog looked about as wet and miserable as a goldfish in a toilet bowl." First, a goldfish in a toilet bowl is probably dead and being flushed, but a live goldfish would not be unhappy in water -- so what is the point of that sentence?
A few sentences later Persis' "...stomach began to complain like a short-changed brothel madam." Isn't this a peculiar way to describe hunger? and one wonders if Khan has actually heard the complaints of a short-changed brothel madam or where this strange simile comes from?
There are many of these strange descriptions. On page 107 one person is described as "A barrel shaped man with a head like a moldy apple..." So far as I have seen apples turn brown but I have never seen one mold. Maybe I just take my garbage out too soon?? I can not even imagine what a moldy apple head would look like - dried up and wrinkly maybe, but moldy??
Then there are a whole series of inaccurate animal images. For example on p. 90 Khan states that "The heat clung to her like a lovesick octopus." If you know anything about how octopuses mate you will know that they do not cling with all eight legs in a mad embrace.
On p. 136 when two characters arrive at a hotel, "A pair of porters sprang at them like gorillas in heat, vying for their suitcases." First, only female mammals go into heat so was he saying the porters were female??
On p. 214 a man is "... wearing a groove on the lawn like a bull with a bad case of dysentary." Do bulls with dysentary pace or stand shitting in one place?? Who knows? and who wants to think about it??
On p. 216 "...Blackfinch winched out a hand as if it were being pulled from his body by a team of wild horses." i.e. dismembered??
A few pages later p. 220 he tells Persis (who is hung over) "Good morning...You look as if you've been run over by a herd of wild horses." If she HAD been run over she would probably be dead and bloodied beyond recognition, which she is not.
And then there are the descriptions which are simply bizarre or highly unlikely:
On p. 122 "They barged in like drunken fathers-in-law..." as opposed to drunken fathers? or drunken husbands? What is that supposed to mean??
On p. 201 Persis appears in a "white satin dress with gold piping and a shawl collar." A policewoman going on a research trip is not likely to pack an evening gown, nor does it seem likely that Persis, knowing what we do of her nature and inclinations would likely throw one into her suitcase "just in case" she happened to be invited to a formal occasion… Again, as she has been presented to us in the previous novels I would say it is highly improbable that Persis even HAS a white satin evening dress.
On p. 215 a character appears "...hair Brylcreamed back, he looked as if he'd just stepped out of a Jane Austen novel." Did Brylcream even exist then? and who would imagine a man in a Jane Austen novel with greased back hair like the stereotype of a cool character from the 1950’s???
For whatever reason, the last 1/4 of the book is unencumbered by this nonsense, and while some of the details are somewhat improbable, the plot proceeds nicely to the end.
I only hope the next installment of Persis’ story is not overwritten in such a distracting and inaccurate way as this book.
Here are some examples: on the first page he says "...notions of right and wrong are a moveable feast." Morality may be relative but it is usually rare, hardly a "feast."
On page two he says of the lawyer "...no man is an island." Really?!
A few lines later Khan references "...the sort of hollow laugh men in the trenches share before the whistle blows." What whistle blows in the trenches? The whistle to start fighting? the factory whistle to end work? The whistle of bullets flying past??
On page 76 he references a riot in which "...gangs roamed the streets unhindered, killing with gay abandon." Gay used to mean lighthearted or carefree, now references homosexuality, but neither can I imagine as characteristic of a murderous riot.
On page 79 he says Persis is subjected to "A heavy shower..." of rain. A shower is a light sprinkling. So a heavy shower would be an oxymoron. Why not just say a downpour?
Next paragraph he says "The dog looked about as wet and miserable as a goldfish in a toilet bowl." First, a goldfish in a toilet bowl is probably dead and being flushed, but a live goldfish would not be unhappy in water -- so what is the point of that sentence?
A few sentences later Persis' "...stomach began to complain like a short-changed brothel madam." Isn't this a peculiar way to describe hunger? and one wonders if Khan has actually heard the complaints of a short-changed brothel madam or where this strange simile comes from?
There are many of these strange descriptions. On page 107 one person is described as "A barrel shaped man with a head like a moldy apple..." So far as I have seen apples turn brown but I have never seen one mold. Maybe I just take my garbage out too soon?? I can not even imagine what a moldy apple head would look like - dried up and wrinkly maybe, but moldy??
Then there are a whole series of inaccurate animal images. For example on p. 90 Khan states that "The heat clung to her like a lovesick octopus." If you know anything about how octopuses mate you will know that they do not cling with all eight legs in a mad embrace.
On p. 136 when two characters arrive at a hotel, "A pair of porters sprang at them like gorillas in heat, vying for their suitcases." First, only female mammals go into heat so was he saying the porters were female??
On p. 214 a man is "... wearing a groove on the lawn like a bull with a bad case of dysentary." Do bulls with dysentary pace or stand shitting in one place?? Who knows? and who wants to think about it??
On p. 216 "...Blackfinch winched out a hand as if it were being pulled from his body by a team of wild horses." i.e. dismembered??
A few pages later p. 220 he tells Persis (who is hung over) "Good morning...You look as if you've been run over by a herd of wild horses." If she HAD been run over she would probably be dead and bloodied beyond recognition, which she is not.
And then there are the descriptions which are simply bizarre or highly unlikely:
On p. 122 "They barged in like drunken fathers-in-law..." as opposed to drunken fathers? or drunken husbands? What is that supposed to mean??
On p. 201 Persis appears in a "white satin dress with gold piping and a shawl collar." A policewoman going on a research trip is not likely to pack an evening gown, nor does it seem likely that Persis, knowing what we do of her nature and inclinations would likely throw one into her suitcase "just in case" she happened to be invited to a formal occasion… Again, as she has been presented to us in the previous novels I would say it is highly improbable that Persis even HAS a white satin evening dress.
On p. 215 a character appears "...hair Brylcreamed back, he looked as if he'd just stepped out of a Jane Austen novel." Did Brylcream even exist then? and who would imagine a man in a Jane Austen novel with greased back hair like the stereotype of a cool character from the 1950’s???
For whatever reason, the last 1/4 of the book is unencumbered by this nonsense, and while some of the details are somewhat improbable, the plot proceeds nicely to the end.
I only hope the next installment of Persis’ story is not overwritten in such a distracting and inaccurate way as this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2025
read this for book club and LOVED it! thrilling mystery that integrates so much Indian culture and history
February 29, 2024
I have just started chapter 15, and I have to stop and comment/complain about this author's overuse of metaphors and similies. There are two metaphors and three similies on just this first page of the chapter. I can't enjoy this book because these are distracting me. Why can't an editor work with Khan to help him streamline his prose. I had forgotten about this tendency and now that I'm slogging through his verbiage, I kind of wish I hadn't started this one. And I'm only on page 79 of 354 pages.
Example:"The heat clung to her like a lovesick octopus." p.90. This is a good sample of his ridiculous similies. I'm trying to ignore these, but how can such inane phrases be ignored!
It did not get any better, but I managed to finish the book. The draw for me with this series is the historical information about India during the last years of colonialism and early years of Indian rule.
The story is set in Bombay and Calcutta in 1950. The plot is very complex and the characters are too numerous to keep straight. I skimmed some passages that were too bloody for me. There is a lot of death in this--some at the hands of humans, some caused by animals.
I don't like the protagonist Persis very much. She is too arrogant. The author sends her on an assignment that seems unauthorized. I think the results are highly unrealistic and the crimes that she solves seem to be solved with very little foundation. This is not a well woven mystery.
The author has a chance to mount his soapbox again, attempting to drive home the point that the British were beastly to the natives of the subcontinent during their rule. I read a lot of historical fiction set in India, and I think other authors educate us without browbeating us.
I'm done with this series.
Example:"The heat clung to her like a lovesick octopus." p.90. This is a good sample of his ridiculous similies. I'm trying to ignore these, but how can such inane phrases be ignored!
It did not get any better, but I managed to finish the book. The draw for me with this series is the historical information about India during the last years of colonialism and early years of Indian rule.
The story is set in Bombay and Calcutta in 1950. The plot is very complex and the characters are too numerous to keep straight. I skimmed some passages that were too bloody for me. There is a lot of death in this--some at the hands of humans, some caused by animals.
I don't like the protagonist Persis very much. She is too arrogant. The author sends her on an assignment that seems unauthorized. I think the results are highly unrealistic and the crimes that she solves seem to be solved with very little foundation. This is not a well woven mystery.
The author has a chance to mount his soapbox again, attempting to drive home the point that the British were beastly to the natives of the subcontinent during their rule. I read a lot of historical fiction set in India, and I think other authors educate us without browbeating us.
I'm done with this series.
January 22, 2024
Persis is given 11 days to reinvestigate a crime.
It was so good to be back in the company of the feisty, intelligent and scrupulous Persis. She really is one of my favourite female characters in fiction. What is so wonderful in Death of a Lesser God is that it doesn’t matter if this is the first or fourth book in the Malabar House series you’ve read, because Persis’ personality is portrayed clearly by her actions and the responses others in the story have to her. However, that doesn’t mean that Persis loses the capacity to surprise or act with fallibility. It is her realistic, occasionally flawed and reckless persona, that makes her so captivating. I will confess that I read the ending with considerable anxiety regarding Persis, but you’ll need to read it for yourself to see why.
I have no idea whether I’m interpreting too much from it, and of course there are tiger references in the story, but I loved the animal on the cover because to me its stripes symbolised the wavering indistinct truths explored in the story. There might be a collective prejudice in people’s minds in the India of the setting, but equally Vaseem Khan explores the mercurial bending of truth, of perception and of race and culture with consummate skill so that he inverts many racial perceptions and prejudices and makes the reader truly contemplate the role of ethnicity, identity and race in society. I found that this theme added both exciting and emotional depth to the narrative and whilst Death of a Lesser God is historical crime fiction, the effect is to make it equally fresh and relevant to a modern reader.
And it’s a cracking story. What is so effective is that Vaseem Khan places the reader alongside Persis so that it is as if you’re investigating the case with her. His descriptions are so vivid that every sense feels catered for with the crowded, heated and oppressive setting of India adding to the atmosphere. The short chapters give pace and make it impossible not to read just one more until Death of a Lesser God has been consumed in greedy gulps. It’s filled with historical accuracy, but in a manner that never detracts from the pace and action as if the author is some kind of magician, weaving a spell around the reader and educating even as he entertains.
What really appealed to me is the fact that amongst the sweeping and major historical themes, at the heart of this mystery is humanity, and the everyday experiences of those living their lives, falling in love and simply trying to get by in a world that leaves them behind far too often, or makes them act in ways they themselves find surprising. It feels as if Death of a Lesser God has been created with compassion and understanding.
Steeped in history, peppered with dry humour and with a riveting, compelling plot, Death of a Lesser God is a story written by an author at the pinnacle of his craft. It’s a brilliant story.
It was so good to be back in the company of the feisty, intelligent and scrupulous Persis. She really is one of my favourite female characters in fiction. What is so wonderful in Death of a Lesser God is that it doesn’t matter if this is the first or fourth book in the Malabar House series you’ve read, because Persis’ personality is portrayed clearly by her actions and the responses others in the story have to her. However, that doesn’t mean that Persis loses the capacity to surprise or act with fallibility. It is her realistic, occasionally flawed and reckless persona, that makes her so captivating. I will confess that I read the ending with considerable anxiety regarding Persis, but you’ll need to read it for yourself to see why.
I have no idea whether I’m interpreting too much from it, and of course there are tiger references in the story, but I loved the animal on the cover because to me its stripes symbolised the wavering indistinct truths explored in the story. There might be a collective prejudice in people’s minds in the India of the setting, but equally Vaseem Khan explores the mercurial bending of truth, of perception and of race and culture with consummate skill so that he inverts many racial perceptions and prejudices and makes the reader truly contemplate the role of ethnicity, identity and race in society. I found that this theme added both exciting and emotional depth to the narrative and whilst Death of a Lesser God is historical crime fiction, the effect is to make it equally fresh and relevant to a modern reader.
And it’s a cracking story. What is so effective is that Vaseem Khan places the reader alongside Persis so that it is as if you’re investigating the case with her. His descriptions are so vivid that every sense feels catered for with the crowded, heated and oppressive setting of India adding to the atmosphere. The short chapters give pace and make it impossible not to read just one more until Death of a Lesser God has been consumed in greedy gulps. It’s filled with historical accuracy, but in a manner that never detracts from the pace and action as if the author is some kind of magician, weaving a spell around the reader and educating even as he entertains.
What really appealed to me is the fact that amongst the sweeping and major historical themes, at the heart of this mystery is humanity, and the everyday experiences of those living their lives, falling in love and simply trying to get by in a world that leaves them behind far too often, or makes them act in ways they themselves find surprising. It feels as if Death of a Lesser God has been created with compassion and understanding.
Steeped in history, peppered with dry humour and with a riveting, compelling plot, Death of a Lesser God is a story written by an author at the pinnacle of his craft. It’s a brilliant story.
January 29, 2024
Son of a wealthy industrialist, James Whitby has been convicted of killing an attorney and is waiting to be hanged. Even in a newly-independent India, his father has a lot of clout, and persuades the powers that be to "review" the case. Bombay's Persis Wadia, the only woman in India's police force, draws the short straw. While at first she agrees with the police conclusion, she's impressed by James, seeing that he's a different kind of man than his father. Teasing out connections between the Whitbys and the attorney's family, she finds herself in Calcutta, at the intersection of politics, money and crime, looking into a cold case double murder that may be connected with the attorney. Soon, she and the young woman she's mentoring are in danger on several fronts. Since I don't usually care for the "ten days until the execution" plot-line, this didn't appeal to me as much as the earlier novels about Persis, but it is a good read all the same.
December 24, 2024
Used to getting satisfaction at completing full chapters on each reading session, it was quite difficult to stop a session with this book. Each chapter ended with a suspense, keeping me thrilled…thinking of what would happen next. I just had to start the next chapter and then boom..i had to finish it or i couldnt rest.
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Cant count the number of times i got goosebumps while reading this book!
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Cant count the number of times i got goosebumps while reading this book!
October 21, 2023
India's female Columbo, back and angrier.
Not the strongest of the four books. In part this, I think, is due to sheet scope of the story. An awful lot happens in what seems to be not enough pages.
The story itself is good but at times not quite convincing, especially the way the end is developed.
Not the best but still a class read
Not the strongest of the four books. In part this, I think, is due to sheet scope of the story. An awful lot happens in what seems to be not enough pages.
The story itself is good but at times not quite convincing, especially the way the end is developed.
Not the best but still a class read
August 9, 2025
Another intriguing and exciting mystery in Vaseem Khan’s Malabar House series set in 1950s India. Inspector Persis Wadia is given a covert assignment (or perhaps it’s more accurate to say Persis is stitched up by ADC Shukla) to re-investigate the killing of a Muslim lawyer. The man who is due to hang is a wealthy white man, James Whitby, and the new investigation is bound to cause political waves in post-Partition India. Nevertheless, Persis is determined to see justice done, whatever the consequences, and embarks on an investigation that takes her from Bombay to Calcutta and back to the secrets of the past.
These books are always fun to read - Khan packs his stories with memorable characters and so many witty and unusual similes that will have the reader laughing and groaning at the same time. The plot veers from mystery to thriller as Persis manages to put herself and everyone around her in danger, but we also see her reflecting on her actions and becoming a more rounded character. The author is really skilled at balancing the action with his character development and it makes for an enjoyable read.
The setting is always brilliantly done with plenty of information about Indian history and politics woven into the story, with a balance that avoids simplistic judgments and understands human weakness. The thriller element was slightly unconvincing with some fortuitous happenings, but was still well written and exciting. There is also a neat backstory as Persis now has two suitors with competing attractions in Darius and Archie. I will definitely be reading on in this series.
These books are always fun to read - Khan packs his stories with memorable characters and so many witty and unusual similes that will have the reader laughing and groaning at the same time. The plot veers from mystery to thriller as Persis manages to put herself and everyone around her in danger, but we also see her reflecting on her actions and becoming a more rounded character. The author is really skilled at balancing the action with his character development and it makes for an enjoyable read.
The setting is always brilliantly done with plenty of information about Indian history and politics woven into the story, with a balance that avoids simplistic judgments and understands human weakness. The thriller element was slightly unconvincing with some fortuitous happenings, but was still well written and exciting. There is also a neat backstory as Persis now has two suitors with competing attractions in Darius and Archie. I will definitely be reading on in this series.
December 30, 2025
This was a compelling and multilayered historical crime novel, possibly the best in the series (so far).
We see Persis stretched beyond her jurisdiction when she is tasked with reopening a case in Calcutta in order to save a white man accused of murdering an Indian lawyer. She travels from Bombay to Calcutta and begins to untangle a huge web of stories, deceit, pain and suffering.
I’d say this one is the most complicated and multifaceted plots from Khan in the series, and I did have to do a post-it to remember all the characters. Loved the vivid descriptions of Calcutta and how Persis feels out of place there, despite having Seema on the journey with her.
Once again, lots of historical research has been undertaken for this book, with helpful context given in the author’s note at the end of the story. 5 stars ⭐️
We see Persis stretched beyond her jurisdiction when she is tasked with reopening a case in Calcutta in order to save a white man accused of murdering an Indian lawyer. She travels from Bombay to Calcutta and begins to untangle a huge web of stories, deceit, pain and suffering.
I’d say this one is the most complicated and multifaceted plots from Khan in the series, and I did have to do a post-it to remember all the characters. Loved the vivid descriptions of Calcutta and how Persis feels out of place there, despite having Seema on the journey with her.
Once again, lots of historical research has been undertaken for this book, with helpful context given in the author’s note at the end of the story. 5 stars ⭐️
August 8, 2023
Death of a Lesser God is the fourth book featuring the first female police inspector in India, Persis Wadia. Bombay in 1950 is dealing with the effects of independence and partition, coming to terms with the new relationship with the British and coping with inter-religion conflict.
A celebrated Indian lawyer from Calcutta has been killed in Bombay and a white man with British heritage has been convicted of his murder. An open and shut matter seemingly, but Persis has been asked to discreetly "review" the case thanks to some political pressure applied by the convicted man's elderly (and rich) father. She has to investigate the matter in both Bombay and Calcutta, which leads her into some sticky situations which have serious consequences for herself and others.
An action-packed edition of this series - highly recommended!
A celebrated Indian lawyer from Calcutta has been killed in Bombay and a white man with British heritage has been convicted of his murder. An open and shut matter seemingly, but Persis has been asked to discreetly "review" the case thanks to some political pressure applied by the convicted man's elderly (and rich) father. She has to investigate the matter in both Bombay and Calcutta, which leads her into some sticky situations which have serious consequences for herself and others.
An action-packed edition of this series - highly recommended!
May 16, 2025
3.5
Really enjoyed that a lot of this one was based in Calcutta taking you away from the usual scenery of Bombay, giving you a glimpse of a different history. The scenes in the jungle were especially effective, using the folklore and history of Indian animals made it all the more tense.
The plot of this one was again very fast paced and interesting, I love how Khan weaves real events into his stories. The perspectives of varied races in India before and after Partition was also extremely interesting and served the plot well. This version was slightly less personal though, so hoping the next book returns to the characters more.
Really enjoyed that a lot of this one was based in Calcutta taking you away from the usual scenery of Bombay, giving you a glimpse of a different history. The scenes in the jungle were especially effective, using the folklore and history of Indian animals made it all the more tense.
The plot of this one was again very fast paced and interesting, I love how Khan weaves real events into his stories. The perspectives of varied races in India before and after Partition was also extremely interesting and served the plot well. This version was slightly less personal though, so hoping the next book returns to the characters more.
March 7, 2024
Book 4 in the series - set in 1950 and about Bombay’s first female police detective.
This was another interesting book - with a change in setting to Calcutta and the Sundarbans. Brought to life issues of how newly independent India sought to discourage British staying, Hindu- Muslim tensions and how human nature quickly reverted to type.
Mostly enjoyable except for one section which dragged on longer than needed. However the character of Persis, the protagonist continued to build nicely through the series.
I listened to it as an audiobook and liked the narrator too.
This was another interesting book - with a change in setting to Calcutta and the Sundarbans. Brought to life issues of how newly independent India sought to discourage British staying, Hindu- Muslim tensions and how human nature quickly reverted to type.
Mostly enjoyable except for one section which dragged on longer than needed. However the character of Persis, the protagonist continued to build nicely through the series.
I listened to it as an audiobook and liked the narrator too.
June 5, 2024
This is the third and last novel in this series by Vaseem Kahn, and I loved the books so much I immediately tore off to Amazon and bought book one of his Inspector Chopra series.
Kahn writes like a man with a Mont Blanc pen that sweeps through the English language like a storytelling vacuum. He is the Krishna, or at least the Maharaja, of simile and metaphor. I highlighted most of them and laughed out loud at a good many. Did I say I love this man's writing? Well, I LOVE THIS MAN'S WRITING! Enough said.
Kahn writes like a man with a Mont Blanc pen that sweeps through the English language like a storytelling vacuum. He is the Krishna, or at least the Maharaja, of simile and metaphor. I highlighted most of them and laughed out loud at a good many. Did I say I love this man's writing? Well, I LOVE THIS MAN'S WRITING! Enough said.
August 30, 2023
Der Wahnsinn, was für ein Showdown!
Mal wieder toll konstruierter Krimi mit einer Heldin, mit der man einfach mitfiebern muss.
Persis hingegen muss in diesem Band einige bittere Pillen schlucken. Das löst aber eine interessante Entwicklung bei ihr aus. Bin sehr gespannt, wo es sie im nächsten Band hin verschlägt.
Einziges Manko: es gab zu wenig von Persis' Sidekick Archie. (Dafür hatte er ein paar kurze PoV-Kapitel! Natürlich roote ich vor allem für Persis, aber kann sie bitte erkennen, was für ein dream boat Archie ist? Bitte? Just for my sake?)
Mal wieder toll konstruierter Krimi mit einer Heldin, mit der man einfach mitfiebern muss.
Persis hingegen muss in diesem Band einige bittere Pillen schlucken. Das löst aber eine interessante Entwicklung bei ihr aus. Bin sehr gespannt, wo es sie im nächsten Band hin verschlägt.
Einziges Manko: es gab zu wenig von Persis' Sidekick Archie. (Dafür hatte er ein paar kurze PoV-Kapitel! Natürlich roote ich vor allem für Persis, aber kann sie bitte erkennen, was für ein dream boat Archie ist? Bitte? Just for my sake?)
September 18, 2023
Another frantic fast paced complex mystery that has more than one crime at its heart . There are many pantomime villains here muddying the waters and Persis is quickly running out of time but not suspects , of which there are many . Ably assisted by a few old stalwarts this is an impeccably plotted Golden age Christie-esque caper.
August 3, 2024
i like these series, because of the setting and because of the mysteries. i don't necessarily like all the quirky, humourous similies and side notes. for me there are too much and it detracts from the story. but i like the series more than i what i don't like about the tone of the author and i will hope for more of the malabar house series and would definitely read the fifth in the series.
December 1, 2024
This one could be my favourite Malabar House story so far. Persis is still her talented but rigid unsmiling self. The inofficial case she is working on - saving an Englishman on death row - takes her to Calcutta together with her new protegée Seema. Quite the rollercoaster. They face countless dangers from thugs, watery jungles and wild animals. We have Archie and Darius, contenders for her affection. Not to spoil anything, but the solution is really totally last minute.
There is a bit of a cliffhanger ending. The last volume so far has been out for 3 days - what am I waiting for?
There is a bit of a cliffhanger ending. The last volume so far has been out for 3 days - what am I waiting for?
September 21, 2025
This series of detective stories uses Persis a female policeman as the crime solver. Each of these books teaches us about what happened in India after partition focussing on different sectors of the population. I had never considered that there was. Jewish population who needed to navigate the violence! Since partition caused so much confusion in its aftermath there was much scope for corruption and criminality to develop. Which makes for great thrillers
September 24, 2023
3.5/5 Better the previous one (#3 Malabar House)
September 7, 2024
Whew! This was a tricky one. Persis is pushed to her limit and this story felt darker than previous ones and morally challenging. A really good read but one that has left me unexpectedly unsettled.
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