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Wyndham & Banerjee #3
Smoke and Ashes
India, 1921. Haunted by his memories of the Great War, Captain Sam Wyndham is battling a serious addiction to opium that he must keep secret from his superiors in the Calcutta police force.
When Sam is summoned to investigate a grisly murder, he is stunned at the sight of the body: he’s seen this before. Last night, in a drug addled haze, he stumbled across a corpse with the same ritualistic injuries. It seems like there’s a deranged killer on the loose. Unfortunately for Sam, the corpse was in an opium den and revealing his presence there could cost him his career.
With the aid of his quick-witted Indian Sergeant, Surrender-not Banerjee, Sam must try to solve the two murders, all the while keeping his personal demons secret, before somebody else turns up dead.
When Sam is summoned to investigate a grisly murder, he is stunned at the sight of the body: he’s seen this before. Last night, in a drug addled haze, he stumbled across a corpse with the same ritualistic injuries. It seems like there’s a deranged killer on the loose. Unfortunately for Sam, the corpse was in an opium den and revealing his presence there could cost him his career.
With the aid of his quick-witted Indian Sergeant, Surrender-not Banerjee, Sam must try to solve the two murders, all the while keeping his personal demons secret, before somebody else turns up dead.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 7, 2018
468 people are currently reading
3756 people want to read
About the author
Abir Mukherjee
11 books1,321 followersAbir Mukherjee is the Times bestselling author of the Sam Wyndham series of crime novels set in Raj era India. His debut, A Rising Man, won the CWA Endeavour Dagger for best historical crime novel of 2017 and was shortlisted for the MWA Edgar for best novel. His second novel, A Necessary Evil, won the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing and was a Zoe Ball Book Club pick. His third novel, Smoke and Ashes, was chosen by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 Best Crime & Thriller Novels since 1945. Abir grew up in Scotland and now lives in London with his wife and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 636 reviews
January 27, 2020
What a fabulous, great series this is. I'm totally hooked, can't wait for the 4th book. Understand it's in preparation... More to follow... but already... Absolutely & Highly Recommended! Top quality crime & culture series.
This is a series about Captain Sam Wyndham, working at the Calcutta police force, fighting his personal battles and a serious opium addiction. His sidekick is Indian sergeant 'Surrender-not Banerjee, who got this name as his original name is hard to pronounce. The series is three books so far and is full of atmosphere and great storylines. Next to great storytelling the descriptions of Calcutta and the historic background are really interesting. 'Set against the backdrop of the fervent fight for Indian independence in 1920's Calcutta, Smoke and Ashes is the brilliant historical mystery in this award-winning series'. Can't wait for the next book in this great series!
This is a series about Captain Sam Wyndham, working at the Calcutta police force, fighting his personal battles and a serious opium addiction. His sidekick is Indian sergeant 'Surrender-not Banerjee, who got this name as his original name is hard to pronounce. The series is three books so far and is full of atmosphere and great storylines. Next to great storytelling the descriptions of Calcutta and the historic background are really interesting. 'Set against the backdrop of the fervent fight for Indian independence in 1920's Calcutta, Smoke and Ashes is the brilliant historical mystery in this award-winning series'. Can't wait for the next book in this great series!
October 1, 2018
This is the third in the Captain Sam Wyndham series set in December 1921 in the run up to Christmas where there is little cheer for the British and the Raj in India. The British strategies to contain the mass movement for independence are failing, Mahatma Gandhi has managed to bring on board the ordinary Indians to protest in non-violent protests across the country. To their further dismay, Gandhi has co-opted the Muslims in the struggle, destroying the usual British plans to divide and rule in India, the British are being outsmarted at every turn and they are not handling this well. Britain cannot rule without the natives in key positions in the police, railways and other important sectors, their power is being weakened with the mass resignations that have arisen after being called for by independence leaders, putting further pressure on the Raj. The moving of the seat of power from Calcutta to Delhi has not prevented the continuing uprisings in Bengal. Wyndham is disconcerted and unhappy with the rise of the new revolutionaries and pacifists who treat the Brits with courtesy and insist on engaging in a moral debate, he much prefers the old fashioned terrorist. However, he knows in his bones that 'The Raj was a sick man at death's door and all we were doing was delaying the inevitable. The only question was how long it would take us to realise that and call it a day.'
Wyndham's only close friend, the able Sergeant Surrender-Not is feeling the heat as a serving native officer in the Imperial Police Force. He is put in an impossible position with his family's support and involvement in the ongoing protests against the British. Wyndham has succumbed to his personal demons as he becomes a slave to his opium addiction. He is at an opium den at Tangra's Chinatown, in a drug addled fug when the place is raided at night. He stumbles over the murdered corpse of a Chinese man as he escapes onto the rooftops. He tells no-one of this, his addiction will end his career and he is left confused as to what he actually saw. However, he is called to investigate the murder of a nurse, Ruth Fernandes in Rishra and it has the same MO as the murdered man. However, H section, military intelligence headed by Major Dawson, the spymaster, insists on taking over the investigation. As further murders occur, Wyndham and Sergeant Surrender-Not look for connections between the victims amidst the nightmare of the heightened security fears of the upcoming Royal visit by Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales, which for diplomatic and political reasons has to go ahead irrespective of the desperately overwhelming real dangers smouldering in the incendiary powder keg that is Calcutta.
Mukherjee provides rich descriptions with his usual attention to details of the period and his research of the period is impeccable. However, he does take some liberties with events for the purposes of his storytelling. The deplorable Rawalpindi events for which the British Military were responsible for actually took place in the 1930s in the Punjab, not during WW1 as posited in this novel. Sam Wyndam is a compelling flawed character, unrelenting in his pursuit of the truth, dependent on his intelligent Sergeant Surrender-Not, still grieving for his dead wife, and at the mercy of the excruciating horrors and trauma of his addiction. There is some truth in Annie Grant's perception of him as approaching life as a penance to atone for the sins of a past life. This is a brilliant addition to this stunning historical series which deserves to be read widely. This is a must read for those who love well written and gripping historical fiction and those interested in the India of this time period with all its political turmoil. Highly recommended!
Wyndham's only close friend, the able Sergeant Surrender-Not is feeling the heat as a serving native officer in the Imperial Police Force. He is put in an impossible position with his family's support and involvement in the ongoing protests against the British. Wyndham has succumbed to his personal demons as he becomes a slave to his opium addiction. He is at an opium den at Tangra's Chinatown, in a drug addled fug when the place is raided at night. He stumbles over the murdered corpse of a Chinese man as he escapes onto the rooftops. He tells no-one of this, his addiction will end his career and he is left confused as to what he actually saw. However, he is called to investigate the murder of a nurse, Ruth Fernandes in Rishra and it has the same MO as the murdered man. However, H section, military intelligence headed by Major Dawson, the spymaster, insists on taking over the investigation. As further murders occur, Wyndham and Sergeant Surrender-Not look for connections between the victims amidst the nightmare of the heightened security fears of the upcoming Royal visit by Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales, which for diplomatic and political reasons has to go ahead irrespective of the desperately overwhelming real dangers smouldering in the incendiary powder keg that is Calcutta.
Mukherjee provides rich descriptions with his usual attention to details of the period and his research of the period is impeccable. However, he does take some liberties with events for the purposes of his storytelling. The deplorable Rawalpindi events for which the British Military were responsible for actually took place in the 1930s in the Punjab, not during WW1 as posited in this novel. Sam Wyndam is a compelling flawed character, unrelenting in his pursuit of the truth, dependent on his intelligent Sergeant Surrender-Not, still grieving for his dead wife, and at the mercy of the excruciating horrors and trauma of his addiction. There is some truth in Annie Grant's perception of him as approaching life as a penance to atone for the sins of a past life. This is a brilliant addition to this stunning historical series which deserves to be read widely. This is a must read for those who love well written and gripping historical fiction and those interested in the India of this time period with all its political turmoil. Highly recommended!
March 29, 2022
This compelling, historical thriller has kept me enthralled. The covers of the two previous books in the series depict a man strolling through the quiet streets of Calcutta. My cover of Book 3 shows the same man running with flames in the background, promising another exciting read. Smoke and Ashes is an engaging murder mystery within a setting of political turmoil and strife. The British Raj is losing control of its 'Jewel in the Crown', India. The time is December 1923, and it has become apparent that the Indian masses are determined to achieve self-rule. British power is crumbling. In their arrogance, some have voiced the opinion that the natives lack the skills and capacity to govern themselves.
Mahatma Gandhi has proposed passive and peaceful resistance, resignations, and the end of importing British clothing material. Gandhi's most ardent and renowned supporters and political activists in the struggle for freedom were C.R. Das, Subhas Bose, and Basanti Devi, who actually appear as characters in this story.
Captain Wyndham is a troubled man, haunted by memories of his time serving in WW1 and the death of his wife during the flu pandemic. He is obsessed with his attraction for Annie, who rejects him for other men. He realizes that his opium addiction has reached a point where his position in the Imperial Police Force is in jeopardy once they find out.
His only friend and workmate, Sergeant Banerjee, is estranged from his family, who support and have become involved in India's struggle for freedom from British rule. They disapprove of him serving in the Imperial Police Force, feeling it is no place for a native officer. He has been highly educated in Britain and a loyal Indian citizen and dedicated police officer. Banerjee is refining skills that could be useful under an independent government. Wyndham knows that self-rule is inevitable, and so does the Viceroy, who wields power while serving the British Government.
Fueled by his opium addiction, Captain Wyndham visits a sleazy den in Chinatown. When his mind is addled by the drug, he is warned the place is being raided by police. He escapes to the roof and, during his flight, stumbles over a mutilated body of a dying man. The man has been disfigured by having his eyes removed and stabbed in his chest in a ritualistic manner. Wyndham is aware that a Chinese man has been sought by the police for smuggling opium and believes he is the victim. After making his escape without being caught, he knows he must keep this murder secret to protect his career.
He and Banerjee are assigned to investigate the murder of a native nurse. Wyndham is shocked to see her dead body has been mutilated in the same way as the man in the opium den. How can they be connected? Major Dawson, head of station H, the military intelligence unit, takes the investigation out of their jurisdiction. There is another murder. A high-ranking British scientist, whose body mutilated in the same manner as the previous two. Wyndham hasn't given up as he always seeks the truth. During a struggle with men from station H, Banerjee finds an important clue linking the three murders and pointing to a couple more future victims by a crazed serial killer.
Concern is growing about security. The Prince of Wales, Edward, will be visiting Calcutta. Wyndham and Banerjee are ordered to talk to Gandhi's followers and persuade these revolutionaries to cancel any upcoming demonstrations. If they refuse, they are to be threatened with jail. Wyndham finds talking to passive resistors a futile task. He would prefer to deal with terrorists. Authorities must prove to Britain and the Prince that everything is under control. Of course, it isn't. The conclusion is fraught with explosions, fear, violence, injury, and deaths.
This is a thrilling series with intriguing but flawed characters, a vibrant sense of place, clever mysteries, and well-researched history.
Mahatma Gandhi has proposed passive and peaceful resistance, resignations, and the end of importing British clothing material. Gandhi's most ardent and renowned supporters and political activists in the struggle for freedom were C.R. Das, Subhas Bose, and Basanti Devi, who actually appear as characters in this story.
Captain Wyndham is a troubled man, haunted by memories of his time serving in WW1 and the death of his wife during the flu pandemic. He is obsessed with his attraction for Annie, who rejects him for other men. He realizes that his opium addiction has reached a point where his position in the Imperial Police Force is in jeopardy once they find out.
His only friend and workmate, Sergeant Banerjee, is estranged from his family, who support and have become involved in India's struggle for freedom from British rule. They disapprove of him serving in the Imperial Police Force, feeling it is no place for a native officer. He has been highly educated in Britain and a loyal Indian citizen and dedicated police officer. Banerjee is refining skills that could be useful under an independent government. Wyndham knows that self-rule is inevitable, and so does the Viceroy, who wields power while serving the British Government.
Fueled by his opium addiction, Captain Wyndham visits a sleazy den in Chinatown. When his mind is addled by the drug, he is warned the place is being raided by police. He escapes to the roof and, during his flight, stumbles over a mutilated body of a dying man. The man has been disfigured by having his eyes removed and stabbed in his chest in a ritualistic manner. Wyndham is aware that a Chinese man has been sought by the police for smuggling opium and believes he is the victim. After making his escape without being caught, he knows he must keep this murder secret to protect his career.
He and Banerjee are assigned to investigate the murder of a native nurse. Wyndham is shocked to see her dead body has been mutilated in the same way as the man in the opium den. How can they be connected? Major Dawson, head of station H, the military intelligence unit, takes the investigation out of their jurisdiction. There is another murder. A high-ranking British scientist, whose body mutilated in the same manner as the previous two. Wyndham hasn't given up as he always seeks the truth. During a struggle with men from station H, Banerjee finds an important clue linking the three murders and pointing to a couple more future victims by a crazed serial killer.
Concern is growing about security. The Prince of Wales, Edward, will be visiting Calcutta. Wyndham and Banerjee are ordered to talk to Gandhi's followers and persuade these revolutionaries to cancel any upcoming demonstrations. If they refuse, they are to be threatened with jail. Wyndham finds talking to passive resistors a futile task. He would prefer to deal with terrorists. Authorities must prove to Britain and the Prince that everything is under control. Of course, it isn't. The conclusion is fraught with explosions, fear, violence, injury, and deaths.
This is a thrilling series with intriguing but flawed characters, a vibrant sense of place, clever mysteries, and well-researched history.
July 7, 2018
FIVE STARS! AGAIN!
Extraordinary, assured, delightful, fascinating, enlightening, and my favourite: the Detective as Philosopher. A masterpiece, Abir. Truly wonderful! Thank you for the advanced reader copy.
A truly fabulous evening with masters Robert Crais, Joseph Knox and Abir Mukherjee at Waterstones in Staines -
Full size image
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
Two and a half years since "A Rising Man", as this book opens, we find our hero struggling with his serious opium addiction, and then being roused from his drug-slumber to stumble upon a slaughtered corpse, and then trying to race away across the roofs of Calcutta, being chased and shot-at by the police!
Kukri Knife, the murder weapon:
And from there on, the pace never lets up, the mystery deepens, the clues come true-but-jumbled, and we struggle along with Sam to do his duty as his personal life sinks into a swamp.
Surrender-Not ("Surendranath") Bannerjee is ever more resourceful. He and Sam are truly bonded as a team, and as friends. Since only Sam knows about the corpse above the opium den, he cannot pursue this murder openly. "Luckily" there's another similar murder and he and Bannerjee, and Taggert and the brutal Military Intelligence Department "H" are hot on the trail, often at cross-purposes.
All of this wonderful action and mystery is set during the 1920s Independence uprisings and protests, beautifully woven into the fabric of the thriller.
The clues pile up, we solve the mystery slowly along with Sam and Bannerjee, the action is intense and real, the dialogue sharp and fascinating, the culture and history amazing, and just a touch of romance to make Sam's heart ache.
Notes and Quotes:
How I imagine young Annie:
The beautiful Annie has a break-in at her house and calls Sam. After investigating and seeing Sam's concern, Mukherjee again star-crosses the beautiful friends: Sad words, Annie to Sam (now struggling nightly with his growing opium addiction):
'I'll be fine, Sam,’ she said. It sounded like she meant it. ‘l was
just a bit shaken by everything. I shouldn’t have troubled you.'
‘I could come back later,’ I said, ‘and stay over . . . if you’re concerned? '
The words were out of my mouth before I even realised.
She gave a mirthless laugh. ‘Would that be all night, Sam, or
just till two in the morning?'
Opium smoking kit:
Sam aches for Sarah still, and considers his thwarted love for Annie:
My wife Sarah died four years ago, and like a man scared of his own shadow, I’d spent every Christmas since running away, first into a bottle, and then to Calcutta; because looking back at the past was like picking at the scab of an unhealed wound.
If there had been joy in my life since then, it had come from Annie Grant. The irony was that, while I ran from my memories, my inability to move forward -- to consign my time with Sarah to the past -- had probably crushed any prospect of a future with Annie.
There is one thing Sam and Annie know: - He loved her before she was rich.
The exceptional Sikh soldiers, so far from their homes
We alighted as a detachment of Sikhs in olive-green uniforms and turbans marched past in time to oaths shouted by their sergeant. It was hardly a surprise to find these men from the Punjab here, a thousand miles from their homeland. The regiments billeted here tended to be from far away: Jats, Pathans and the like. It was a well-known fact that native troops were more willing to do our bidding when they were far from home...
The bending of rules: Both independence protesters and Raj soldiers were weirdly
... bound by the rules of the curfew. The fact that the demonstration itself was illegal had been conveniently overlooked by all concerned. As usual, the whole thing felt like a game where both parties agreed which rules applied and which could be discounted. Rules, after all, were important. You couldn’t play the game without them, and fortunately the Indians seemed to love rules as much as we did.
How else could you explain both races’ love of cricket, a game so insipid and with rules so arcane that it took five full days to play it properly and which even then, more often than not, ended in a
draw? Indeed, at times it felt like the whole non-violent struggle was just some long--drawn-out Test match...
Hispano-Suiza 1924, Annie's handsome and rich new beau, Schmidt, owns one of these:
Sam struggles to maintain calm in the face of Annie's new suitor, the handsome and very rich tea-baron, Stephen Schmidt:
The door opened and in walked Annie. She wore a blue silk dress and an ornate diamond-studded silver necklace hunger from her neck. It looked like she was preparing to go out for the evening.
"That’s a good question", she said, "How long do you plan on staying, Stephen?"
"For the foreseeable," he smiled.
[Sam worries] That was rather longer than I’d been hoping.
Annie looked from him to me. I see you’re both getting along."
"Absolutely," said Schmidt.
"Like a church on fire," I said.
Sam remembers his dead wife Sarah and how he ended up in Calcutta after WW-1
... He didn’t know [Sarah] was dead until months later. Rather I was in hospital myself, pumped full of morphine and recuperating from war wounds which, if there truly was a God, would have
killed me. Instead I’d survived, continuing to live, when death, would have been preferable and more justified.
Maybe Annie was right. Maybe my penance was a life-sentence.
It was Sarah's death that had driven me to Calcutta, and it was Annie's presence that made me stay. And yet Sarah's memory still lived with me, and shamed me daily. I hated to think of me now: a whisky-souses opium fiend. Would she recognise any part of the man she'd married? The thought burned like a red-hot needle in my temples...
Howrah Bridge, Calcutta
Sam contemplates the absurdity of British rule in India:
It struck me that was the real problem. To see a man as your enemy, you needed to hate him, and while it was easy to hate a man who fought you with bullets and bombs, it was bloody difficult hate a man who opposed you by appealing to your own moral compass. And we British considered ourselves a moral people. What else was the vaunted British sense of fair play but a manifestation of our morality? ... the British and the Indians weren’t that different, and the way
to beat us was to appeal to our better natures --- to make us comprehend the moral incongruity of our position in India.
We could only control India through force of arms, but force was useless against a people who didn’t fight back; because you couldn’t kill people like that without killing a part of yourself too.
Actual History note from Abir:
Porton Down has, for over a hundred years, been the home of the UK Ministry of Defence’s science and technology laboratory. Their scientists, as they were later to do with British and Australian troops, DID carry out biological tests, including mustard gas experiments, on unsuspecting Indian troops, though these experiments took place mostly during the 1930s rather than during WW-I. The clandestine tests were carried out at a facility in the city of Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan. Anyone interested in reading more on the subject should track down a copy of:
(at Amazon UK)
Gassed: Behind the Scenes at Porton Down
by the journalist Rob Evans.
.
Extraordinary, assured, delightful, fascinating, enlightening, and my favourite: the Detective as Philosopher. A masterpiece, Abir. Truly wonderful! Thank you for the advanced reader copy.
A truly fabulous evening with masters Robert Crais, Joseph Knox and Abir Mukherjee at Waterstones in Staines -
Full size image
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
Two and a half years since "A Rising Man", as this book opens, we find our hero struggling with his serious opium addiction, and then being roused from his drug-slumber to stumble upon a slaughtered corpse, and then trying to race away across the roofs of Calcutta, being chased and shot-at by the police!
Kukri Knife, the murder weapon:
And from there on, the pace never lets up, the mystery deepens, the clues come true-but-jumbled, and we struggle along with Sam to do his duty as his personal life sinks into a swamp.
Surrender-Not ("Surendranath") Bannerjee is ever more resourceful. He and Sam are truly bonded as a team, and as friends. Since only Sam knows about the corpse above the opium den, he cannot pursue this murder openly. "Luckily" there's another similar murder and he and Bannerjee, and Taggert and the brutal Military Intelligence Department "H" are hot on the trail, often at cross-purposes.
All of this wonderful action and mystery is set during the 1920s Independence uprisings and protests, beautifully woven into the fabric of the thriller.
The clues pile up, we solve the mystery slowly along with Sam and Bannerjee, the action is intense and real, the dialogue sharp and fascinating, the culture and history amazing, and just a touch of romance to make Sam's heart ache.
Notes and Quotes:
How I imagine young Annie:
The beautiful Annie has a break-in at her house and calls Sam. After investigating and seeing Sam's concern, Mukherjee again star-crosses the beautiful friends: Sad words, Annie to Sam (now struggling nightly with his growing opium addiction):
'I'll be fine, Sam,’ she said. It sounded like she meant it. ‘l was
just a bit shaken by everything. I shouldn’t have troubled you.'
‘I could come back later,’ I said, ‘and stay over . . . if you’re concerned? '
The words were out of my mouth before I even realised.
She gave a mirthless laugh. ‘Would that be all night, Sam, or
just till two in the morning?'
Opium smoking kit:
Sam aches for Sarah still, and considers his thwarted love for Annie:
My wife Sarah died four years ago, and like a man scared of his own shadow, I’d spent every Christmas since running away, first into a bottle, and then to Calcutta; because looking back at the past was like picking at the scab of an unhealed wound.
If there had been joy in my life since then, it had come from Annie Grant. The irony was that, while I ran from my memories, my inability to move forward -- to consign my time with Sarah to the past -- had probably crushed any prospect of a future with Annie.
There is one thing Sam and Annie know: - He loved her before she was rich.
The exceptional Sikh soldiers, so far from their homes
We alighted as a detachment of Sikhs in olive-green uniforms and turbans marched past in time to oaths shouted by their sergeant. It was hardly a surprise to find these men from the Punjab here, a thousand miles from their homeland. The regiments billeted here tended to be from far away: Jats, Pathans and the like. It was a well-known fact that native troops were more willing to do our bidding when they were far from home...
The bending of rules: Both independence protesters and Raj soldiers were weirdly
... bound by the rules of the curfew. The fact that the demonstration itself was illegal had been conveniently overlooked by all concerned. As usual, the whole thing felt like a game where both parties agreed which rules applied and which could be discounted. Rules, after all, were important. You couldn’t play the game without them, and fortunately the Indians seemed to love rules as much as we did.
How else could you explain both races’ love of cricket, a game so insipid and with rules so arcane that it took five full days to play it properly and which even then, more often than not, ended in a
draw? Indeed, at times it felt like the whole non-violent struggle was just some long--drawn-out Test match...
Hispano-Suiza 1924, Annie's handsome and rich new beau, Schmidt, owns one of these:
Sam struggles to maintain calm in the face of Annie's new suitor, the handsome and very rich tea-baron, Stephen Schmidt:
The door opened and in walked Annie. She wore a blue silk dress and an ornate diamond-studded silver necklace hunger from her neck. It looked like she was preparing to go out for the evening.
"That’s a good question", she said, "How long do you plan on staying, Stephen?"
"For the foreseeable," he smiled.
[Sam worries] That was rather longer than I’d been hoping.
Annie looked from him to me. I see you’re both getting along."
"Absolutely," said Schmidt.
"Like a church on fire," I said.
Sam remembers his dead wife Sarah and how he ended up in Calcutta after WW-1
... He didn’t know [Sarah] was dead until months later. Rather I was in hospital myself, pumped full of morphine and recuperating from war wounds which, if there truly was a God, would have
killed me. Instead I’d survived, continuing to live, when death, would have been preferable and more justified.
Maybe Annie was right. Maybe my penance was a life-sentence.
It was Sarah's death that had driven me to Calcutta, and it was Annie's presence that made me stay. And yet Sarah's memory still lived with me, and shamed me daily. I hated to think of me now: a whisky-souses opium fiend. Would she recognise any part of the man she'd married? The thought burned like a red-hot needle in my temples...
Howrah Bridge, Calcutta
Sam contemplates the absurdity of British rule in India:
It struck me that was the real problem. To see a man as your enemy, you needed to hate him, and while it was easy to hate a man who fought you with bullets and bombs, it was bloody difficult hate a man who opposed you by appealing to your own moral compass. And we British considered ourselves a moral people. What else was the vaunted British sense of fair play but a manifestation of our morality? ... the British and the Indians weren’t that different, and the way
to beat us was to appeal to our better natures --- to make us comprehend the moral incongruity of our position in India.
We could only control India through force of arms, but force was useless against a people who didn’t fight back; because you couldn’t kill people like that without killing a part of yourself too.
Actual History note from Abir:
Porton Down has, for over a hundred years, been the home of the UK Ministry of Defence’s science and technology laboratory. Their scientists, as they were later to do with British and Australian troops, DID carry out biological tests, including mustard gas experiments, on unsuspecting Indian troops, though these experiments took place mostly during the 1930s rather than during WW-I. The clandestine tests were carried out at a facility in the city of Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan. Anyone interested in reading more on the subject should track down a copy of:
(at Amazon UK)
Gassed: Behind the Scenes at Porton Down
by the journalist Rob Evans.
.
October 11, 2019
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
“It’s not unusual to find a corpse in a funeral parlour it’s just rare for them to walk in the door under their own steam. It was a riddle worth savouring , but I didn’t have the time, seeing as I was running for my life” ……….
These are the opening lines of Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee, who could not resist reading more! I certainly was captured and drawn in straight away.
This book is set in Calcutta in December 1921, written in the first person of Captain Sam Wyndham who is working for The Imperial Police Force. Abir Mukherjee’s description of the time and place is so detailed I was instantly transported into another world of sights and smells. Captain Sam Wyndham describes that he’s far from perfect but is determined to solve the murders going above and beyond to get justice. The other main character is Sam’s sergeant Surrender-not Banerjee an Indian working in the Imperial Police Force who had sacrificed his family to work in the force.
The book held my attention from the first line to the last sentence, the author describes the country and settings in great detail that it’s not hard to imagine Calcutta in 1921 a time in the history of changes when the Indians were peacefully protesting about British rule. A different and intriguing plot, excellent descriptive use of language and great knowledge of life and times in 1921 particularly of the military role as well as the Imperial Police force.
I certainly enjoyed all the twist and turns this book had to offer, the characters and ways of Captain Sam his use of opium, the opium dens and Surrender-not the sergeant a good man who was always trying to keep Sam on the straight and narrow did make me compare them to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson!
I will definitely be recommending reading Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee to my friends and family. It is an excellent murder mystery and I look forward to more from this author.
“It’s not unusual to find a corpse in a funeral parlour it’s just rare for them to walk in the door under their own steam. It was a riddle worth savouring , but I didn’t have the time, seeing as I was running for my life” ……….
These are the opening lines of Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee, who could not resist reading more! I certainly was captured and drawn in straight away.
This book is set in Calcutta in December 1921, written in the first person of Captain Sam Wyndham who is working for The Imperial Police Force. Abir Mukherjee’s description of the time and place is so detailed I was instantly transported into another world of sights and smells. Captain Sam Wyndham describes that he’s far from perfect but is determined to solve the murders going above and beyond to get justice. The other main character is Sam’s sergeant Surrender-not Banerjee an Indian working in the Imperial Police Force who had sacrificed his family to work in the force.
The book held my attention from the first line to the last sentence, the author describes the country and settings in great detail that it’s not hard to imagine Calcutta in 1921 a time in the history of changes when the Indians were peacefully protesting about British rule. A different and intriguing plot, excellent descriptive use of language and great knowledge of life and times in 1921 particularly of the military role as well as the Imperial Police force.
I certainly enjoyed all the twist and turns this book had to offer, the characters and ways of Captain Sam his use of opium, the opium dens and Surrender-not the sergeant a good man who was always trying to keep Sam on the straight and narrow did make me compare them to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson!
I will definitely be recommending reading Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee to my friends and family. It is an excellent murder mystery and I look forward to more from this author.
May 26, 2018
love this series.
I’m not a fan of historical crime for the most part – that is to say it is not my go to genre – but I made an exception once for “A Rising Man” and haven’t looked back since. When I read these novels it is always the characters that make me stay or go and Sam Wyndham is one of those that never fails to enthrall me. Also Surrender-not. Enough said.
Anyway, in “Smoke and Ashes” Sam discovers a body whilst, well, not exactly in a sensible state, the book opening with this discovery and a chase across the rooftops – at that point I pretty much didn’t put it down until I was done. This is how they get me every time. Sam is walking a very thin line in “Smoke and Ashes” and boy did I walk it with him all the way.
The way this author has of setting you down in a completely different place and time is incredible – the power of words on the page, in talented hands, to transport you away from your life, is a wonderful thing and Abir Mukherjee has that talent in spades. Historically authentic, beautifully written and characters you root for even when they are not anywhere near perfect, all of that makes for an escapist, thought provoking read.
As well as the current mystery, we have that brilliantly formed friendship between Sam and Surrender-not, the delicate balance of his ongoing off kilter relationship with Annie and his battle with addiction – it is pacy yet considered and absolutely riveting all the way through. The characters are layered, the setting vivid, the backdrop of the British Raj and the fight for independence at the heart of it , all of that comes to vivid, wonderful life.
Cracking dialogue, immersive scene setting, beautifully crafted I do think actually that Smoke and Ashes is the best yet. No pressure for the next then.
Highly Recommended.
I’m not a fan of historical crime for the most part – that is to say it is not my go to genre – but I made an exception once for “A Rising Man” and haven’t looked back since. When I read these novels it is always the characters that make me stay or go and Sam Wyndham is one of those that never fails to enthrall me. Also Surrender-not. Enough said.
Anyway, in “Smoke and Ashes” Sam discovers a body whilst, well, not exactly in a sensible state, the book opening with this discovery and a chase across the rooftops – at that point I pretty much didn’t put it down until I was done. This is how they get me every time. Sam is walking a very thin line in “Smoke and Ashes” and boy did I walk it with him all the way.
The way this author has of setting you down in a completely different place and time is incredible – the power of words on the page, in talented hands, to transport you away from your life, is a wonderful thing and Abir Mukherjee has that talent in spades. Historically authentic, beautifully written and characters you root for even when they are not anywhere near perfect, all of that makes for an escapist, thought provoking read.
As well as the current mystery, we have that brilliantly formed friendship between Sam and Surrender-not, the delicate balance of his ongoing off kilter relationship with Annie and his battle with addiction – it is pacy yet considered and absolutely riveting all the way through. The characters are layered, the setting vivid, the backdrop of the British Raj and the fight for independence at the heart of it , all of that comes to vivid, wonderful life.
Cracking dialogue, immersive scene setting, beautifully crafted I do think actually that Smoke and Ashes is the best yet. No pressure for the next then.
Highly Recommended.
April 5, 2025
I put off writing a review of SMOKE AND ASHES for a few days primarily because I didn’t know what I could add to reviews already written by my GR friends, particularly Parmojit and Carolyn. It is a well-written historical novel aimed towards the intelligent reader. It is set in a time and place that I know a bit about but not a lot. For example, the location is Calcutta, and though I do have some knowledge of India and Indian culture, I had to check a map to see exactly where Calcutta was located within the vastness of the Indian subcontinent. The time is 1921, just after WWI, and I am far more familiar with what was taking place in North America during that time period than I am with what was taking place in Asia. So this is not a quick read aimed at an audience that is uninterested in learning about geography and history.
The story is narrated by Captain Sam Wyndham, a member of the British Imperial Police Force. He is an opium addict and, I initially thought, also a racist. However, as the tale progresses, I realized that he was not a racist but simply expressing his views in terms of words and impressions that were commonplace among the British occupiers of colonial India. In fact, Sam’s best friend is an Indian, Sergeant Banerjee. Sam calls him Surrender-Not, although his real name is Surrendranath. Sam is also very attracted to Annie, an Anglo-Indian.
This is a mystery, with a serial killer stalking people who initially seemed unconnected, and it is Wyndham and Banerjee’s task to (1) uncover the connections among the victims; (2) discover why someone is killing them; and (3) capture the killer before he kills more people. It is also a political thriller, as Gandhi’s passive and peaceful resistance movement is just gaining traction, and two of his most ardent supporters are leading the movement in Calcutta, trying to keep it nonviolent. To top it off, the action coincides with a visit by Edward, Prince of Wales.
This is fiction based on some historical facts. As such, the author has taken the liberty of placing real characters into a fictional story, and moving timelines to make things coalesce. Please take the advice of another reviewer and don’t read the author’s notes before you finish the story, as these notes give away important plot details.
I highly recommend this book for discerning readers.
The story is narrated by Captain Sam Wyndham, a member of the British Imperial Police Force. He is an opium addict and, I initially thought, also a racist. However, as the tale progresses, I realized that he was not a racist but simply expressing his views in terms of words and impressions that were commonplace among the British occupiers of colonial India. In fact, Sam’s best friend is an Indian, Sergeant Banerjee. Sam calls him Surrender-Not, although his real name is Surrendranath. Sam is also very attracted to Annie, an Anglo-Indian.
This is a mystery, with a serial killer stalking people who initially seemed unconnected, and it is Wyndham and Banerjee’s task to (1) uncover the connections among the victims; (2) discover why someone is killing them; and (3) capture the killer before he kills more people. It is also a political thriller, as Gandhi’s passive and peaceful resistance movement is just gaining traction, and two of his most ardent supporters are leading the movement in Calcutta, trying to keep it nonviolent. To top it off, the action coincides with a visit by Edward, Prince of Wales.
This is fiction based on some historical facts. As such, the author has taken the liberty of placing real characters into a fictional story, and moving timelines to make things coalesce. Please take the advice of another reviewer and don’t read the author’s notes before you finish the story, as these notes give away important plot details.
I highly recommend this book for discerning readers.
October 19, 2019
A big step up with this instalment. Much tighter in characterisation, plot, humour... a good time all round.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
June 27, 2021
Visai smagiai susiskaitė, ypač apie taikų indų pasipriešinimą imperijai.
https://knyguziurkes.com/2021/06/27/d...
https://knyguziurkes.com/2021/06/27/d...
May 9, 2023
Nors dauguma skaitytojų mini, kad šioje dalyje veiksmo daugiau ir yra įdomesnė, bet pačiai taip nebuvo. Atrodė, kai kada ištęstas kūrinys, tik pabaiga pasibaigė per greitai. Autoriui, kaip visada, pavyko perteikti to laikmečio Indiją, jos kultūrą, norėjimą atsiskirti nuo Britanijos, kultūrų skirtumus. Labai patiko rašymo stilius, o ir jame panaudota ironija buvo laiku ir vietoje.
Pačiai iš šios serijos liko perskaityti tik dvi dalis "Mirtį Rytuose " ir "Žmonių šešėlius" (neužilgo pasirodys prekyboje), tikrai ir tas dalis būtinai perskaitysiu.
Vertinu: 3,5⭐️/ iš 5⭐️
Pačiai iš šios serijos liko perskaityti tik dvi dalis "Mirtį Rytuose " ir "Žmonių šešėlius" (neužilgo pasirodys prekyboje), tikrai ir tas dalis būtinai perskaitysiu.
Vertinu: 3,5⭐️/ iš 5⭐️
March 5, 2020
What I loved about the series at the start is the rich setting - early 1920s British ruled Calcutta. So I was disappointed when it ditched the best part of its narrative for its sophomore entry. Smoke and Ashes fixes its predecessor's issues - brings the action back to Kolkata and stops marginalizing Surrender-Not Banerjee, the native Sergeant of Wyndham. However new problems have cropped up. The mystery is weaker and the overall narrative feels more cliched.
Wyndham and Banerjee have to investigate a murder with ritualistic overtones including eye gouging. Wyndham knows he is dealing with a serial killer because he found a victim with the exact same injuries while getting high at a opium den. Obviously a fact he can not advertise. His long running opium addiction plotline gets some nice closure here. But the serial killer plot makes a couple of rookie mistakes. It makes the murderer appear almost omniscient to keep him getting out of situations from which he can't really escape. The ending stretches credulity like it is a elastic rubber band, except Mukherjee keeps stretching long after the band is torn and begging for mercy.
Prominent real life Indian freedom fighters turn up in subplots. Gandhi's non-cooperation movement (forsaking British goods to cripple their commerce) gets some play. I don't have any particular affinity towards history yet the subplots about political power plays between morally compromised players on both sides is infinitely more interesting than a generic crime narrative. Mukherjee writes himself into a hole by involving his protagonists into the lives of real world characters. Either he should use history as background or be ambitious enough to write a more sprawling narrative. His middle of the road approach puts the more interesting stuff on the back burner diminishing interest for the story he actually wants to tell. Think what will happen if James Ellroy's LA Quartet was only about the serial killer plotlines instead of dealing with themes of pervasive police corruption. Well it would be a forgotten beach read instead of a must read crime classic. That is the trouble here. Mukherjee's lack of ambition is a major impediment.
Wyndham remains a collection of every noir cliche known to man - tortured, sardonic rebel. Mukherjee makes the same mistake as a lot of modern hard boiled writers (like Robert Crais), who are fond of the genre for its superficial characteristics. They capture the surface level posturing but not the dark, cynical heart of the genre. The result is an inconsistent mishmash. Here Wyndham goes from whining about having no reason to live to behaving like a lovesick puppy every time he sees Annie Grant. Frankly this will they won't they is better left to romcoms rather than violent crime novels.
The series got effusive praise from me when it started because of its ambiance and it still has that going for it. Mukherjee is excellent at transporting the reader to the exotic locale. He describes Indians as gluttons for mysticism. Eerily accurate even hundred years down the line. It has something to do with religion being weaponized to herd the illiterate masses but I digress. This is the kind of book that I would gladly read if I had enough time to read 300 books a year. But I can only read about 30 so I think I will be dropping the series for now. Entertaining but shallow. Rating - 3/5
Wyndham and Banerjee have to investigate a murder with ritualistic overtones including eye gouging. Wyndham knows he is dealing with a serial killer because he found a victim with the exact same injuries while getting high at a opium den. Obviously a fact he can not advertise. His long running opium addiction plotline gets some nice closure here. But the serial killer plot makes a couple of rookie mistakes. It makes the murderer appear almost omniscient to keep him getting out of situations from which he can't really escape. The ending stretches credulity like it is a elastic rubber band, except Mukherjee keeps stretching long after the band is torn and begging for mercy.
Prominent real life Indian freedom fighters turn up in subplots. Gandhi's non-cooperation movement (forsaking British goods to cripple their commerce) gets some play. I don't have any particular affinity towards history yet the subplots about political power plays between morally compromised players on both sides is infinitely more interesting than a generic crime narrative. Mukherjee writes himself into a hole by involving his protagonists into the lives of real world characters. Either he should use history as background or be ambitious enough to write a more sprawling narrative. His middle of the road approach puts the more interesting stuff on the back burner diminishing interest for the story he actually wants to tell. Think what will happen if James Ellroy's LA Quartet was only about the serial killer plotlines instead of dealing with themes of pervasive police corruption. Well it would be a forgotten beach read instead of a must read crime classic. That is the trouble here. Mukherjee's lack of ambition is a major impediment.
Wyndham remains a collection of every noir cliche known to man - tortured, sardonic rebel. Mukherjee makes the same mistake as a lot of modern hard boiled writers (like Robert Crais), who are fond of the genre for its superficial characteristics. They capture the surface level posturing but not the dark, cynical heart of the genre. The result is an inconsistent mishmash. Here Wyndham goes from whining about having no reason to live to behaving like a lovesick puppy every time he sees Annie Grant. Frankly this will they won't they is better left to romcoms rather than violent crime novels.
The series got effusive praise from me when it started because of its ambiance and it still has that going for it. Mukherjee is excellent at transporting the reader to the exotic locale. He describes Indians as gluttons for mysticism. Eerily accurate even hundred years down the line. It has something to do with religion being weaponized to herd the illiterate masses but I digress. This is the kind of book that I would gladly read if I had enough time to read 300 books a year. But I can only read about 30 so I think I will be dropping the series for now. Entertaining but shallow. Rating - 3/5
Want to read
May 7, 2018So looking forward to this one.... can't wait!
March 1, 2019
4.5*
Wow! Mukherjee keeps upping his game and this third title is excellent!
We rejoin Captain Wyndham at a moment when his opium addiction has become something he can’t just push to the side anymore. Barely keeping the threads of his life together, he is furthermore thrusted into a murder investigation that has a special connection to him, having seen a body with the same mutilations in an opium den. This is of course a fact he can’t share since it might cost him his job. Questions naturally abound. Are these ritualistic killings, or something much darker? And if that wasn’t enough, Major Dawson and Section H are putting their oars in!
As with the previous instalments, Sam’s voice is fascinating and compelling, but also known. We’ve followed our flawed hero now for two books and are involved in what happens to him and to Sergeant 'Surrender-not’ Banerjee. This case feels a lot more personal too, perhaps due to the situation Sam finds himself in. Similarly, this aspect is mirrored by the events rocking Calcutta politically and socially, ground to a standstill by the many non-violent protests, rendering the city a veritable powder keg waiting to explode...
The author succeeds in combining flawlessly the murder mystery with the historical events, evoking the India of 1921 in all its splendour and horror. Somehow you can feel and taste it all! I for one am totally invested in these characters and the world they inhabit, and cannot wait for the next book!
Wow! Mukherjee keeps upping his game and this third title is excellent!
We rejoin Captain Wyndham at a moment when his opium addiction has become something he can’t just push to the side anymore. Barely keeping the threads of his life together, he is furthermore thrusted into a murder investigation that has a special connection to him, having seen a body with the same mutilations in an opium den. This is of course a fact he can’t share since it might cost him his job. Questions naturally abound. Are these ritualistic killings, or something much darker? And if that wasn’t enough, Major Dawson and Section H are putting their oars in!
As with the previous instalments, Sam’s voice is fascinating and compelling, but also known. We’ve followed our flawed hero now for two books and are involved in what happens to him and to Sergeant 'Surrender-not’ Banerjee. This case feels a lot more personal too, perhaps due to the situation Sam finds himself in. Similarly, this aspect is mirrored by the events rocking Calcutta politically and socially, ground to a standstill by the many non-violent protests, rendering the city a veritable powder keg waiting to explode...
The author succeeds in combining flawlessly the murder mystery with the historical events, evoking the India of 1921 in all its splendour and horror. Somehow you can feel and taste it all! I for one am totally invested in these characters and the world they inhabit, and cannot wait for the next book!
August 26, 2018
Probably the best historical fiction detective series atm. The dialogue is sharp, the setting so informative but with just enough detail. The characters are amazing even after this 3rd novel. Highly recommend this series!!
September 1, 2022
Smagiai susikaitė kaip ir ankstesnės dalys. Šį kartą gal trupučiuką daugiau veiksmo.
December 30, 2021
This was excellent. This series is such an eye-opening look at the politics of Colonial India as it inevitably marched (non violently)onto towards independence. Added to this is an essentially military centred case which has its roots in the First World War. Meanwhile both our lead detectives struggle: one with addiction, the other with the scorn and derision of native Indians for remaining in the British police force. This was pretty much a perfect mystery!
November 24, 2018
4.44 ... Still don't like "Surrender Not" - prefer Suren. Much appreciate the setting, and also hope for next one soon ... won't wait so long to buy a copy from Britain ahead of US release.
June 27, 2018
Murder in the Raj...
Roused from a drug-addled stupor in an opium den in the backstreets of Calcutta, Sam Wyndham, Captain in the Calcutta police, discovers the place is being raided. Discovery of his addiction will finish his career so he flees, only to stumble across the body of a horribly mutilated Chinaman. Or did he? Next day, when no report of the murder comes in, Sam is left wondering if he hallucinated the whole thing. That is, until he is called out to another murder, where the body has been mutilated in exactly the same way...
This series goes from strength to strength with each new instalment. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two, but really think this one is the best yet.
Set in the early 1920s, the dying days of the Raj when the Indian Independence movement was well under way, Mukherjee always manages to work the political situation into his stories without allowing it to overwhelm them or feeling like a history lesson. In this one, after months of Gandhi’s non-violent resistance movement, the city authorities are struggling to maintain order. Many Indians have resigned from Government positions, leaving the police short-staffed and with the extra problem that those Indians who have remained have divided loyalties. Britain has decided to send the Prince of Wales, Prince Edward (later briefly Edward VIII) over to steady the nerves and rally the loyalty of the populace to the Empire, but Gandhi’s local representative is planning a major demonstration to coincide with the Prince’s visit.
The murders look as if they may have something to do with the heightened political tensions, especially since Section H – the secret service – are involved. But Sam is determined he won’t be sidelined from the investigation, and along with his loyal Sergeant, Surrender-not Banerjee, sets out to discover what links the victims...
I love Mukherjee’s depiction of Calcutta – it always feels entirely authentic to me. Mukherjee treats both sides with empathy – although he shows the evils of some aspects of the Raj as a form of government, he depicts his British characters largely as good people trying to do their best in difficult circumstances, and he manages to do this without making them feel anachronistic in their attitudes. Equally, while his sympathies might lie with the idea of independence, he doesn’t portray the Indians as uniformly saintly either. The Indian sergeant, Surrender-not (the nickname given to him by the Brits who can’t pronounce his real name, Surendranath), provides a kind of bridge that allows the reader to move between the two cultures, as we see him negotiate his often clashing duties to his family and his job.
The historical background too is always sound and Mukherjee brings real people into his stories in ways that feel accurate to their real lives. In this one, as well as Prince Edward, we meet Deshbandhu, a leader of the Independence movement in Bengal, and his young follower Subhas Bose, who would go on to be a major, if controversial, player in the events that finally led to the achievement of Independence.
As always, though, the plot is founded much more on human nature than on politics. I feel this is his strongest plot so far, which unfortunately I can say very little about for fear of spoilers. But it takes us into some dark episodes in the dealings between the Raj and their subjects – Mukherjee’s notes at the end show that, while he has fictionalised dates and people, the fundamental basis of the story comes from real events. There’s a good deal of moral ambiguity in there, and some excellently complex characterisation to carry it off. And it all builds to a first-rate, entirely credible thriller finale that I found fully satisfying.
I love the characters of Sam and Surrender-not, and the historical setting Mukherjee has chosen for the series. Top-quality historical crime fiction – highly recommended. But if you’re new to the series, do read them in order, starting with the excellent A Rising Man.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Harvill Secker.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Roused from a drug-addled stupor in an opium den in the backstreets of Calcutta, Sam Wyndham, Captain in the Calcutta police, discovers the place is being raided. Discovery of his addiction will finish his career so he flees, only to stumble across the body of a horribly mutilated Chinaman. Or did he? Next day, when no report of the murder comes in, Sam is left wondering if he hallucinated the whole thing. That is, until he is called out to another murder, where the body has been mutilated in exactly the same way...
This series goes from strength to strength with each new instalment. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two, but really think this one is the best yet.
Set in the early 1920s, the dying days of the Raj when the Indian Independence movement was well under way, Mukherjee always manages to work the political situation into his stories without allowing it to overwhelm them or feeling like a history lesson. In this one, after months of Gandhi’s non-violent resistance movement, the city authorities are struggling to maintain order. Many Indians have resigned from Government positions, leaving the police short-staffed and with the extra problem that those Indians who have remained have divided loyalties. Britain has decided to send the Prince of Wales, Prince Edward (later briefly Edward VIII) over to steady the nerves and rally the loyalty of the populace to the Empire, but Gandhi’s local representative is planning a major demonstration to coincide with the Prince’s visit.
The murders look as if they may have something to do with the heightened political tensions, especially since Section H – the secret service – are involved. But Sam is determined he won’t be sidelined from the investigation, and along with his loyal Sergeant, Surrender-not Banerjee, sets out to discover what links the victims...
I love Mukherjee’s depiction of Calcutta – it always feels entirely authentic to me. Mukherjee treats both sides with empathy – although he shows the evils of some aspects of the Raj as a form of government, he depicts his British characters largely as good people trying to do their best in difficult circumstances, and he manages to do this without making them feel anachronistic in their attitudes. Equally, while his sympathies might lie with the idea of independence, he doesn’t portray the Indians as uniformly saintly either. The Indian sergeant, Surrender-not (the nickname given to him by the Brits who can’t pronounce his real name, Surendranath), provides a kind of bridge that allows the reader to move between the two cultures, as we see him negotiate his often clashing duties to his family and his job.
The historical background too is always sound and Mukherjee brings real people into his stories in ways that feel accurate to their real lives. In this one, as well as Prince Edward, we meet Deshbandhu, a leader of the Independence movement in Bengal, and his young follower Subhas Bose, who would go on to be a major, if controversial, player in the events that finally led to the achievement of Independence.
As always, though, the plot is founded much more on human nature than on politics. I feel this is his strongest plot so far, which unfortunately I can say very little about for fear of spoilers. But it takes us into some dark episodes in the dealings between the Raj and their subjects – Mukherjee’s notes at the end show that, while he has fictionalised dates and people, the fundamental basis of the story comes from real events. There’s a good deal of moral ambiguity in there, and some excellently complex characterisation to carry it off. And it all builds to a first-rate, entirely credible thriller finale that I found fully satisfying.
I love the characters of Sam and Surrender-not, and the historical setting Mukherjee has chosen for the series. Top-quality historical crime fiction – highly recommended. But if you’re new to the series, do read them in order, starting with the excellent A Rising Man.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Harvill Secker.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
July 5, 2022
Now we’re off to India, 1921 with Captain Sam Wyndham as our main character, a former Scotland yard detective who arrived in Calcutta C1919 to make a fresh start after enduring the horrors of the Great War.
Sam although the lead detective is well supported (surpassed even) by his Sergeant, Banerjee who it would seem is the real brains behind the pair as the captain has slowly surrendered himself to the opium dens & spends part of his time in a trance. There is also a love interest in the shape of Annie although it’s mostly a one-sided interest as she keeps herself at arm’s length from Sam before leading him on, rinse & repeat…..
So that’s the background in what has been a highly enjoyable series so far, how will it develop with “Smoke and Ashes”?
We have two story lines to follow early on, that of Chinese Drug lords/gangs who are looking to control the opium trade & that of non-violent civil disobedience which Mahatma Gandhi encouraged from his followers. Both are of interest to Sam, the first potentially affecting his drug habit whilst the second sees his involvement through Banerjee’s extended family connections. Following on after a while we have a murder, is this all related you ask? Well, you’ll have to read the book as for sure I won’t be spilling. There are some red herrings I will only say.
The writing & storytelling gets better with every book in this series, the characters believable & engaging. The relationships between the cast are starting to grow & add depth to the storytelling.
This chapter maybe takes a little time to get going as the pair seem to blunder around a little in the first half but once the dots start to connect it certainly picks up pace & becomes more focused on the murder mystery element.
It’s a must-read series for anyone who loves a good mystery or follows 20th century historical fiction.
Solid 4 stars
Sam although the lead detective is well supported (surpassed even) by his Sergeant, Banerjee who it would seem is the real brains behind the pair as the captain has slowly surrendered himself to the opium dens & spends part of his time in a trance. There is also a love interest in the shape of Annie although it’s mostly a one-sided interest as she keeps herself at arm’s length from Sam before leading him on, rinse & repeat…..
So that’s the background in what has been a highly enjoyable series so far, how will it develop with “Smoke and Ashes”?
We have two story lines to follow early on, that of Chinese Drug lords/gangs who are looking to control the opium trade & that of non-violent civil disobedience which Mahatma Gandhi encouraged from his followers. Both are of interest to Sam, the first potentially affecting his drug habit whilst the second sees his involvement through Banerjee’s extended family connections. Following on after a while we have a murder, is this all related you ask? Well, you’ll have to read the book as for sure I won’t be spilling. There are some red herrings I will only say.
The writing & storytelling gets better with every book in this series, the characters believable & engaging. The relationships between the cast are starting to grow & add depth to the storytelling.
This chapter maybe takes a little time to get going as the pair seem to blunder around a little in the first half but once the dots start to connect it certainly picks up pace & becomes more focused on the murder mystery element.
It’s a must-read series for anyone who loves a good mystery or follows 20th century historical fiction.
Solid 4 stars
March 5, 2019
Move over Nordic Noir, Indian Noir surprises!
My second reading of Abir Mukherjee's murder mystery novel set against related socioeconomic and political conditions in 1920's India, continues to enthrall. I am totally smitten with the goings on of former Scotland Yard detective Captain Sam Wyndham and his co policeman, Surendranath (Surrender-Not) Bannerjee
As always Mukherjee's knowledge of political events in 1920's Calcutta is well grounded.
Sam's struggle with opium addiction (a result of his psychological traumas of the Great War) continues. Not that it slows down his thinking processes but it does mean that sometimes he's in the wrong place at the wrong or right time depending on your point of view. This time Sam realizes that a ritualistic seeming murder is something he's witnessed already, in fact the night before at an opium den. And that's not a story your going to relate to your colleagues! A further murder of a nurse that has puzzling similarities and the take over of the investigation of the latter by military intelligence, has Sam and Bannerjee at a loss. All this against the background of a Calcutta preparing for a visit by the Prince of Wales--a security nightmare.
Once again a tautly charged crime thriller that drew me in and has left me wanting more! Bring on the fourth novel soon, please!
A NetGalley ARC
My second reading of Abir Mukherjee's murder mystery novel set against related socioeconomic and political conditions in 1920's India, continues to enthrall. I am totally smitten with the goings on of former Scotland Yard detective Captain Sam Wyndham and his co policeman, Surendranath (Surrender-Not) Bannerjee
As always Mukherjee's knowledge of political events in 1920's Calcutta is well grounded.
Sam's struggle with opium addiction (a result of his psychological traumas of the Great War) continues. Not that it slows down his thinking processes but it does mean that sometimes he's in the wrong place at the wrong or right time depending on your point of view. This time Sam realizes that a ritualistic seeming murder is something he's witnessed already, in fact the night before at an opium den. And that's not a story your going to relate to your colleagues! A further murder of a nurse that has puzzling similarities and the take over of the investigation of the latter by military intelligence, has Sam and Bannerjee at a loss. All this against the background of a Calcutta preparing for a visit by the Prince of Wales--a security nightmare.
Once again a tautly charged crime thriller that drew me in and has left me wanting more! Bring on the fourth novel soon, please!
A NetGalley ARC
March 24, 2023
A fabulous read.
The first chapter is a masterclass in how to open a mystery-thriller.
“It’s not unusual to find a corpse in a funeral parlor. It’s just rare for them to walk door under their own steam. It was a riddle worth savoring, but I didn’t have the time, seeing as I was running for my life. “
Mukherjee’s protagonist is in a opium den at the wrong time. Beautifully bookended, opium forms the personal struggles of this worthy protagonist. With quirky lines “take me to your organ grinder” and “we’re here to see Torquemada” this book delivers a delightful action packed story, set against the backdrop of the Indian independence movement.
Sam Wyndham is an Englishman policeman who’s apolitical, and therefore we enjoy his comic-accurate cynical portrayal of both Indian proclivities and the British pretensions. But Indians are far more than backdrop, and form vibrant and compelling portraits in this book. The pace is fabulous from start to finish. Descriptions of Calcutta could only come from one who’s been there. Come prepared for the grungy seedy Calcutta, and the grandeur of faded glory.
Best of all is the rapport between Wyndham and Surrender-not Bannerjee who is one of the most delightful characters in the book.
If you want to learn Indian history in the most enjoyable way, read Mukherjee’s series!
The first chapter is a masterclass in how to open a mystery-thriller.
“It’s not unusual to find a corpse in a funeral parlor. It’s just rare for them to walk door under their own steam. It was a riddle worth savoring, but I didn’t have the time, seeing as I was running for my life. “
Mukherjee’s protagonist is in a opium den at the wrong time. Beautifully bookended, opium forms the personal struggles of this worthy protagonist. With quirky lines “take me to your organ grinder” and “we’re here to see Torquemada” this book delivers a delightful action packed story, set against the backdrop of the Indian independence movement.
Sam Wyndham is an Englishman policeman who’s apolitical, and therefore we enjoy his comic-accurate cynical portrayal of both Indian proclivities and the British pretensions. But Indians are far more than backdrop, and form vibrant and compelling portraits in this book. The pace is fabulous from start to finish. Descriptions of Calcutta could only come from one who’s been there. Come prepared for the grungy seedy Calcutta, and the grandeur of faded glory.
Best of all is the rapport between Wyndham and Surrender-not Bannerjee who is one of the most delightful characters in the book.
If you want to learn Indian history in the most enjoyable way, read Mukherjee’s series!
January 28, 2021
Kaip jau paprastai su tais ciklais būna – statymai su kiekviena dalim auga. Jei pirmojoje turėjome vieną žmogžudystę, tai antrojoje – jau visą jų grandinėlę. Na, o trečiai liko vyšnia ant torto – serijinis žudikas, o kad nebūtų per mažai dar beveik ir teroristinį aktą pridėjo.
Laikas aiškintis, kas žudikas ir kodėl bei už kokias nuodėmes žudo iš pirmo žvilgsnio niekaip nesusijusius žmones, ne pats palankiausias. Negana to, kad Gandis su savo „taikiais protestais“ britams tapo tikru danties skausmu, tai čia dar Kalkuton vizito atvyksta princas.
Šįsyk Mukherjee meta mus į įvykių sūkurį nieko nelaukdamas – jau pirmuose puslapiuose Semui tenka sprukti stogais, pakeliui dar vos nesuklupus ant lavono. Ar beveik lavono – kaip pažiūrėsi. Keisčiausia, kad po to tas paslaptingas lavonas tarsi išgaruoja. Bet kaip mat atsiranda kitas, nužudytas tokiu pat būdu, o paskui ir trečias. Ir kaip visada, prakeiktas H skyrius – kariškių žvalgyba – neabejotinai kažką apie visa tai žino, bet slepia.
Istorinio fono netrūksta. Ir autorius nuoširdžiai pasistengė mums jį pademonstruoti iš įvairiausių pusių. Tačiau knygos dinamika nuo to nė kiek nenukentėjo. Na, o vertė – tik paaugo.
Norit akcijos? Du už vieno kainą? Na, tai imkit – ir detektyvinį, ir, sakykim taip, beveik istorinį romaną.
Laikas aiškintis, kas žudikas ir kodėl bei už kokias nuodėmes žudo iš pirmo žvilgsnio niekaip nesusijusius žmones, ne pats palankiausias. Negana to, kad Gandis su savo „taikiais protestais“ britams tapo tikru danties skausmu, tai čia dar Kalkuton vizito atvyksta princas.
Šįsyk Mukherjee meta mus į įvykių sūkurį nieko nelaukdamas – jau pirmuose puslapiuose Semui tenka sprukti stogais, pakeliui dar vos nesuklupus ant lavono. Ar beveik lavono – kaip pažiūrėsi. Keisčiausia, kad po to tas paslaptingas lavonas tarsi išgaruoja. Bet kaip mat atsiranda kitas, nužudytas tokiu pat būdu, o paskui ir trečias. Ir kaip visada, prakeiktas H skyrius – kariškių žvalgyba – neabejotinai kažką apie visa tai žino, bet slepia.
Istorinio fono netrūksta. Ir autorius nuoširdžiai pasistengė mums jį pademonstruoti iš įvairiausių pusių. Tačiau knygos dinamika nuo to nė kiek nenukentėjo. Na, o vertė – tik paaugo.
Norit akcijos? Du už vieno kainą? Na, tai imkit – ir detektyvinį, ir, sakykim taip, beveik istorinį romaną.
Read
August 27, 2018This series gets markedly better with every book. The author has always been brilliant at evoking the feel of the last years of the Raj and the 1920s Indian atmosphere, but the mystery plots are improving dramatically (and really deeply rooted in the history, which makes them work terrifically). Sam Wyndham is a great character, a decent and progressive Englishman of his time, yet so much unconscious racism and assumed cultural superiority revealed in his narrative. The characters, the plots and the settings could all sustain a book on their own, there's so much here, so the combination makes for a really superior read. Excellent stuff.
August 2, 2018
First there was A Rising Man and then A Necessary Evil and akin to the sound of an angelic host the very words, “There’s a new Abir Mukherjee book out now” made my heart soar with an excitement rarely achieved, since I won a handwriting competition at the age of 10 on holiday on the Isle of Wight i.e very excited indeed. And so we are catapulted back to the inglorious days of the Raj, and to be honest, it would unwise to even countenance the thought that our dynamic duo would be experiencing anything like a straightforward investigation. There is some serious trouble afoot…
It is so gratifying to reach the third book in a series and for it to feel as fresh and vibrant as the first two. Partly, I would put this down to the developing working relationship, and growing friendship of our chalk and cheese partnership of Sam and Surrender-not, and the sheer level of engagement Mukherjee creates with the reader in how he presents the social and political unrest of this turbulent period of Indian history. With the former, I would say that each time we encounter these wonderful characters, there is always a little stretch of unchartered territory between them, little pieces of which Mukherjee brings to the narrative, giving us a different perspective of them as each investigation develops. This book is no different with Sam’s largely deniable opium habit leading to all manner of trouble, and becoming an increasingly large elephant in the room in his relationship with Surrender-Not. Equally, Surrender-not’s personal connection to some prominent political enemies of the Raj, reveals a whole new side to his character, and the very personal toll it has on him, trying to make his way in a career that puts him at odds with his family and fellow citizens. Mukherjee captures perfectly their points of similarity, as much as their points of difference, and how at the crux of their working relationship, these points of separation or conflict actually lead them to be an extremely effective working partnership. This unity of purpose becomes especially evident when pitted against other representatives of law, order and security, and some thorny encounters ensue, and, needless to say when violence comes a-knocking you can guarantee Sam will be in the way. Although, this investigation is markedly more emotive and darker in tone than the previous books, there is still time for the badinage, and affectionate leg pulling that Mukherjee affords his detecting double act, as well as to those they encounter along the way, which is, as always, entertaining.
With the war for Indian independence raging on, and the upcoming visit of the Prince of Wales, there is a tinderbox atmosphere in Calcutta, and Mukherjee completely immerses the reader in the stifling heat, social unrest, and the simmering violence that regularly explodes. Peppered with figures in the fight for independence, and their differing attitudes in how to achieve this aim of liberation from suffocating British rule, the book positively throbs with suppressed and overt rebellion, from the average citizen on the street, to those who would keep order, to those who seek to overturn the status quo, and the increasingly less confident smug satisfaction of the British themselves. All this tension and turbulence is delivered in a measured, informative and entertaining style, underscored by the sights and sounds of the city streets, and the building heat, both meteorological and political, sucking you in and ramping up the tension to the nth degree. Brilliant.
I think this just proves, if further proof were needed, that this is a remarkably good book in a remarkably good series, and I cannot find a bad word to say about it.
Which is lovely.
And why you should all seek out these books for yourselves.
Which would be lovely too.
It is so gratifying to reach the third book in a series and for it to feel as fresh and vibrant as the first two. Partly, I would put this down to the developing working relationship, and growing friendship of our chalk and cheese partnership of Sam and Surrender-not, and the sheer level of engagement Mukherjee creates with the reader in how he presents the social and political unrest of this turbulent period of Indian history. With the former, I would say that each time we encounter these wonderful characters, there is always a little stretch of unchartered territory between them, little pieces of which Mukherjee brings to the narrative, giving us a different perspective of them as each investigation develops. This book is no different with Sam’s largely deniable opium habit leading to all manner of trouble, and becoming an increasingly large elephant in the room in his relationship with Surrender-Not. Equally, Surrender-not’s personal connection to some prominent political enemies of the Raj, reveals a whole new side to his character, and the very personal toll it has on him, trying to make his way in a career that puts him at odds with his family and fellow citizens. Mukherjee captures perfectly their points of similarity, as much as their points of difference, and how at the crux of their working relationship, these points of separation or conflict actually lead them to be an extremely effective working partnership. This unity of purpose becomes especially evident when pitted against other representatives of law, order and security, and some thorny encounters ensue, and, needless to say when violence comes a-knocking you can guarantee Sam will be in the way. Although, this investigation is markedly more emotive and darker in tone than the previous books, there is still time for the badinage, and affectionate leg pulling that Mukherjee affords his detecting double act, as well as to those they encounter along the way, which is, as always, entertaining.
With the war for Indian independence raging on, and the upcoming visit of the Prince of Wales, there is a tinderbox atmosphere in Calcutta, and Mukherjee completely immerses the reader in the stifling heat, social unrest, and the simmering violence that regularly explodes. Peppered with figures in the fight for independence, and their differing attitudes in how to achieve this aim of liberation from suffocating British rule, the book positively throbs with suppressed and overt rebellion, from the average citizen on the street, to those who would keep order, to those who seek to overturn the status quo, and the increasingly less confident smug satisfaction of the British themselves. All this tension and turbulence is delivered in a measured, informative and entertaining style, underscored by the sights and sounds of the city streets, and the building heat, both meteorological and political, sucking you in and ramping up the tension to the nth degree. Brilliant.
I think this just proves, if further proof were needed, that this is a remarkably good book in a remarkably good series, and I cannot find a bad word to say about it.
Which is lovely.
And why you should all seek out these books for yourselves.
Which would be lovely too.
January 7, 2020
Murder mystery set in 1921 CALCUTTA
I actually read this novel whilst in India and it proved to be a great choice, it gave me a real sense of the echoes of footsteps past, with a little history of the start of the Congress Party and Ghandi.
Smoke and Ashes is no.3 in the Sam Wyndham murder mystery series, set firmly in Raj era India. Captain Wyndham has an opium habit and one evening, as he is smoking in a dive, there is a police raid and it really wouldn’t be fitting for him – as a policeman – to be caught there. As he makes his escape he discovers the body of a male, seemingly a Chinaman, his eyes gouged out, with a couple of stab wounds to the chest.
At police headquarters there is no mention of the corpse and he wonders whether he in fact imagined seeing it in his befuddled state. When another murder victim turns up, with very similar wounds, he is clear that there is a connection.
The pressure is on as the Prince of Wales is due to visit on Christmas Day and in the background the police and military are having to address Ghandi’s newly formed Congress Party who are on the verge of bringing the city to a grinding halt through peaceful protest.
The author beautifully weaves together the various strands that all come together to create a colourful and oftentimes humorous portrayal of the era. A good read!
If you ever get the opportunity to meet Abir at an author event, then do make sure to take the opportunity. I very much enjoyed his talk with Dr Noir (of Newcastle Noir) at Forum Books in Corbridge. He is entertaining, erudite and thoughtful. And I am looking forward to reading no.4 in the series (Death in the East).
Can be read as a standalone.
I actually read this novel whilst in India and it proved to be a great choice, it gave me a real sense of the echoes of footsteps past, with a little history of the start of the Congress Party and Ghandi.
Smoke and Ashes is no.3 in the Sam Wyndham murder mystery series, set firmly in Raj era India. Captain Wyndham has an opium habit and one evening, as he is smoking in a dive, there is a police raid and it really wouldn’t be fitting for him – as a policeman – to be caught there. As he makes his escape he discovers the body of a male, seemingly a Chinaman, his eyes gouged out, with a couple of stab wounds to the chest.
At police headquarters there is no mention of the corpse and he wonders whether he in fact imagined seeing it in his befuddled state. When another murder victim turns up, with very similar wounds, he is clear that there is a connection.
The pressure is on as the Prince of Wales is due to visit on Christmas Day and in the background the police and military are having to address Ghandi’s newly formed Congress Party who are on the verge of bringing the city to a grinding halt through peaceful protest.
The author beautifully weaves together the various strands that all come together to create a colourful and oftentimes humorous portrayal of the era. A good read!
If you ever get the opportunity to meet Abir at an author event, then do make sure to take the opportunity. I very much enjoyed his talk with Dr Noir (of Newcastle Noir) at Forum Books in Corbridge. He is entertaining, erudite and thoughtful. And I am looking forward to reading no.4 in the series (Death in the East).
Can be read as a standalone.
March 5, 2024
Su malonumu suskaitytas klasikinis detektyvas, kai įtarinėji ne tuos, kir priešai sudaro sąjungas, vyksta bėgimas, slėpimasis, aiškinimasis ir žaidimas su ugnimi.
Puiki, įtraukianti Vindemo byla, kuri prasideda su šiek tiek manijos.
Puiki, įtraukianti Vindemo byla, kuri prasideda su šiek tiek manijos.
September 17, 2019
This wonderful series keeps getting better! This book opens in December 1921 with Sam in an opium den during a police raid, indulging his secret addiction, a miserable legacy of his injuries from WWI.
He manages to escape the vice raid, but stumbles across a mutilated body. When he sobers up, he’s not sure he didn’t imagine it. He tries to investigate on the sly - the body is gone, a clean-up attempted, but Sam finds it nearby “hiding in plain sight” in a funeral parlor. He can’t openly investigate without revealing how he found the body in the first place, but soon another body is discovered, mutilated in the same gruesome way, and then another. Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales is due to arrive in the powder keg of Calcutta for a state visit, and the Congress Party non-violent protests have been grinding on for a year, stretching police and military resources.
Mukherjee has created a great, flawed hero in Sam, who has lost so much, and his high-caste Brahmin sergeant, “Surrender-Not” Banerjee, who has become estranged from his wealthy, successful family because he continues to work for the British. We also see more of the increasing racial tension surrounding the Indian Congress movement. Mukherjee really ratchets up the tension as the Prince’s visit approaches and the body count rises, and fears of a riot or terror attack rise.
Very exciting, satisfying, yet tragic, mystery and resolution, clearly showing how the tragedy of WWI continues to impact so many, even years later. The fourth book in the series is due out in November, I can’t wait to read the next adventure!
He manages to escape the vice raid, but stumbles across a mutilated body. When he sobers up, he’s not sure he didn’t imagine it. He tries to investigate on the sly - the body is gone, a clean-up attempted, but Sam finds it nearby “hiding in plain sight” in a funeral parlor. He can’t openly investigate without revealing how he found the body in the first place, but soon another body is discovered, mutilated in the same gruesome way, and then another. Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales is due to arrive in the powder keg of Calcutta for a state visit, and the Congress Party non-violent protests have been grinding on for a year, stretching police and military resources.
Mukherjee has created a great, flawed hero in Sam, who has lost so much, and his high-caste Brahmin sergeant, “Surrender-Not” Banerjee, who has become estranged from his wealthy, successful family because he continues to work for the British. We also see more of the increasing racial tension surrounding the Indian Congress movement. Mukherjee really ratchets up the tension as the Prince’s visit approaches and the body count rises, and fears of a riot or terror attack rise.
Very exciting, satisfying, yet tragic, mystery and resolution, clearly showing how the tragedy of WWI continues to impact so many, even years later. The fourth book in the series is due out in November, I can’t wait to read the next adventure!
February 22, 2022
Detektyvas, trunkantis apytikriai dešimt dienų - nuo 1921 m. gruodžio 21 iki 31 dienos. Tik va kalėdiniu šį detektyvą pavadinti sunku – pagrindinis tyrėjas balansuoja tarp nuslydimo į visišką priklausomybę opiumui ir meilės, bet viską nuolat gadina. Byla – bjauriai pažymėtos ir tarsi nenusijusios aukos, fone – Mahatmos Gandžio judėjimas, gadinantis nervus britų valdantiesiems. Ir dar princo vizitas. Ir dingę itin pavojingos medžiagos. (Nesupykčiau dėl alternatyvios istorinės fantastikos šia tema). Tiek maždaug galima pasakyti nenorinti išduoti turinio, tad pasakysiu, kad man labai patinka detektyvai, susiję su tikrai įvykiais, o pastarieji – tikrai nesmagūs. Ir, kaip galima suprasti, britų imperijos istoriją atskleidžiantys ne rožių ir romantiškos muzikos fone.
Kas nepasikeitė? Perskaičiau jau trečią knygą, kurią kaip ir pirmas dvi perskaičiau kone vienu prisėdimu. Ir kaip ir pirmose dviejose labiausiai simpatizuoju seržantui Surindranatui ir indams. Tuo tarpu britai tik... pakenčiami. Bet matyt to ir siekė autorius ir aš jam labai pritariu. Ir vis dar noriu tokios istorijos apie Lietuvą panašiu laikotarpiu.
Kas nepasikeitė? Perskaičiau jau trečią knygą, kurią kaip ir pirmas dvi perskaičiau kone vienu prisėdimu. Ir kaip ir pirmose dviejose labiausiai simpatizuoju seržantui Surindranatui ir indams. Tuo tarpu britai tik... pakenčiami. Bet matyt to ir siekė autorius ir aš jam labai pritariu. Ir vis dar noriu tokios istorijos apie Lietuvą panašiu laikotarpiu.
July 5, 2024
istoriniai detektyvai veža
Istoriniai detektyvai yra tai, kas man šiomis dienomis išvis gražina tikėjimą detektyvinių trilerių žanru. Abi Mukharjee tarpukario Indijos detektyvų serija - paprasta, bet tikrai įdomi. O prieskonio jai tikrai prideda ir laikotarpis, ir politiniai motyvai.
Trečiojoje serijos dalyje ‘Dūmai ir pelenai’ politiniai motyvai išlenda bene į pirmąjį planą, mat Gandis paskelbia savo taikią nebendradarbiavimo akciją, kurios įkarštyje šalį lanko ir princas Edvardas, o pagrindinių herojų tiriama byla šį kartą pasirodo itin su tuo susijusi.
Jeigu ankščiau tyrimas man pasirodydavo vangus, lėtas, tai šį kartą atrodo kad veiksmas vijo veiksmą, jaučiau daug įtampos ir bendrai buvau sužavėta. Gaila, kad nebuvo apsieita be klišių, kurios padarė pagrindinę bylą kažkiek nuspėjamą, bet daug malonumo skaityti tai neatėmė, nes buvo galima koncentruotis į kitus dalykus.
Džiaugiuosi, kad ‘Tyto alba’ taip greitai griebėsi šių knygų vertimo ir ne itin stipriai atsilieka nuo originalių leidimų. Toks gana gaivus gurkšnis detektyvų padangėje šiomis dienomis labais sveikintinas.
Istoriniai detektyvai yra tai, kas man šiomis dienomis išvis gražina tikėjimą detektyvinių trilerių žanru. Abi Mukharjee tarpukario Indijos detektyvų serija - paprasta, bet tikrai įdomi. O prieskonio jai tikrai prideda ir laikotarpis, ir politiniai motyvai.
Trečiojoje serijos dalyje ‘Dūmai ir pelenai’ politiniai motyvai išlenda bene į pirmąjį planą, mat Gandis paskelbia savo taikią nebendradarbiavimo akciją, kurios įkarštyje šalį lanko ir princas Edvardas, o pagrindinių herojų tiriama byla šį kartą pasirodo itin su tuo susijusi.
Jeigu ankščiau tyrimas man pasirodydavo vangus, lėtas, tai šį kartą atrodo kad veiksmas vijo veiksmą, jaučiau daug įtampos ir bendrai buvau sužavėta. Gaila, kad nebuvo apsieita be klišių, kurios padarė pagrindinę bylą kažkiek nuspėjamą, bet daug malonumo skaityti tai neatėmė, nes buvo galima koncentruotis į kitus dalykus.
Džiaugiuosi, kad ‘Tyto alba’ taip greitai griebėsi šių knygų vertimo ir ne itin stipriai atsilieka nuo originalių leidimų. Toks gana gaivus gurkšnis detektyvų padangėje šiomis dienomis labais sveikintinas.
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