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Malabar House #1
Midnight at Malabar House
This is an alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781473685505.
Bombay, New Year's Eve, 1949
As India celebrates the arrival of a momentous new decade, Inspector Persis Wadia stands vigil in the basement of Malabar House, home to the city's most unwanted unit of police officers. Six months after joining the force she remains India's first female police detective, mistrusted, sidelined and now consigned to the midnight shift.
And so, when the phone rings to report the murder of prominent English diplomat Sir James Herriot, the country's most sensational case falls into her lap.
Bombay, New Year's Eve, 1949
As India celebrates the arrival of a momentous new decade, Inspector Persis Wadia stands vigil in the basement of Malabar House, home to the city's most unwanted unit of police officers. Six months after joining the force she remains India's first female police detective, mistrusted, sidelined and now consigned to the midnight shift.
And so, when the phone rings to report the murder of prominent English diplomat Sir James Herriot, the country's most sensational case falls into her lap.
As 1950 dawns and India prepares to become the world's largest republic, Persis, accompanied by Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, finds herself investigating a case that is becoming more political by the second. Navigating a country and society in turmoil, Persis, smart, stubborn and untested in the crucible of male hostility that surrounds her, must find a way to solve the murder - whatever the cost.
321 pages, Paperback
First published August 20, 2020
About the author
Vaseem Khan
57 books1,080 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 783 reviews
July 31, 2020
Vaseem Khan begins a new crime fiction series, a stunning blend of actual Indian history in one of its most turbulent of times, with fiction. It is set in a Bombay and India on the cusp of becoming the largest democratic republic in the world but a nation plagued and divided by religion, fractured amidst the terrors and horrors of Partition, with separation along the Radcliffe line, costing millions of lives and triggering the huge movement of people, Muslims forced to gravitate towards Pakistan and Sikhs and Hindus to India. Amidst this background, the female Parsee Inspector Persis Wadia, is based at Malabar House, where misfits and those who have come to the end of their professional careers are placed. She is on duty when she gets a call from the aide, Madan Lal, from Laburnam House, the home of the important British diplomat, Sir James Herriot, dressed as Mephistopheles, is discovered trouserless, and murdered at his New Year's Eve Party.
Persis, the first woman police officer in India, finds herself plunged into a high profile case that is to test her to her limits, hampered by political interference, colleagues and a public that refuses to accept that a woman can do her job, with some actively wanting to bring her down, facing situations where her orders are ignored. Herriot is far from the good man he is portrayed as, and the suspects come from the circles of the rich and privileged in Bombay and the few remaining British, hardly any of whom are willing to be co-operative. Helped by British criminalist, Archimedes 'Archie' Blackfinch, Persis has to battle with her superiors, including her boss, the Superintendent of Police, Roshan Seth, untangle the lies and deception to uncover corruption, secrets, more murder, and engage in a high stakes gamble to reveal the truth at the end.
Khan creates a terrific protagonist in Persis, idealistic, awkward in her relations with others such as Archie, inexperienced and having to learn on her feet and confront the reality that the truth is often far from what is sought by those in powerful political positions. At home, she lives with her bookshop owning father, still grieving the loss of his wife, Sanaz, unwilling yet to divulge the circumstances surrounding her death to Persis. Aunt Nussie is insistent in her plans to get Persis married and producing children, but marriage will mean having to leave the police, and Persis hasn't worked so hard to get to where she is to let go of her ambitions and ideals so lightly. This is a brilliant read, so informative on British colonial history in India and Partition, exemplified in the characters such as Robert Campbell, steeped in the British mythology of their rule, believing in their superiority and that they knew what was best for everyone else, unable to conceive of any other world order. Looking forward with great anticipation to the next in the series. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
Persis, the first woman police officer in India, finds herself plunged into a high profile case that is to test her to her limits, hampered by political interference, colleagues and a public that refuses to accept that a woman can do her job, with some actively wanting to bring her down, facing situations where her orders are ignored. Herriot is far from the good man he is portrayed as, and the suspects come from the circles of the rich and privileged in Bombay and the few remaining British, hardly any of whom are willing to be co-operative. Helped by British criminalist, Archimedes 'Archie' Blackfinch, Persis has to battle with her superiors, including her boss, the Superintendent of Police, Roshan Seth, untangle the lies and deception to uncover corruption, secrets, more murder, and engage in a high stakes gamble to reveal the truth at the end.
Khan creates a terrific protagonist in Persis, idealistic, awkward in her relations with others such as Archie, inexperienced and having to learn on her feet and confront the reality that the truth is often far from what is sought by those in powerful political positions. At home, she lives with her bookshop owning father, still grieving the loss of his wife, Sanaz, unwilling yet to divulge the circumstances surrounding her death to Persis. Aunt Nussie is insistent in her plans to get Persis married and producing children, but marriage will mean having to leave the police, and Persis hasn't worked so hard to get to where she is to let go of her ambitions and ideals so lightly. This is a brilliant read, so informative on British colonial history in India and Partition, exemplified in the characters such as Robert Campbell, steeped in the British mythology of their rule, believing in their superiority and that they knew what was best for everyone else, unable to conceive of any other world order. Looking forward with great anticipation to the next in the series. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
August 27, 2025
Inspector Persis Wadia is India’s first female police detective. Even though she is at the forefront of a revolution, not everyone is happy to see that times are changing. She is mistrusted and outcast by her colleagues. And people all around her look down on her.
While doing the night shift, the phone rings. She picks it up and is told that an English diplomat was murdered. This is the opportunity she’s been looking for. A high profile case. A chance to prove herself.
This story takes place in Bombay, in 1949. A lot of attention goes to this historical setting as the author wants to shine a bright spotlight on these very difficult but interesting times. The quotes of people like Gandhi speak volumes about what they had just endured. This was a country struggling both with the lingering scars of the past and a desire to redefine itself. It was still changing and trying to find its way after the Partition. And real change is never easy.
Inspector Wadia is an interesting character who has to find a balance between her personal happiness and her ambition. Being the first to do something is always very difficult, but the challenging times she lives in make it even harder for her to break through the glass ceiling. And you can see that she has found a way to protect herself from that. She knows and has accepted that she will always be an outcast because of her beliefs. So she’s deliberately made that part of her identity. She’s not a likeable person by design. Like, she’s a bit arrogant and headstrong. Even though she has no experience and was only taught the basics. But she needs to be that way, because everyone around her is always looking down on her. That’s how she’s able to keep standing like a rock under that massive pressure. It’s a defense mechanism that keeps her going. And the loneliness that comes with it is a price that she’s willing to pay.
The mystery plot honestly feels like a background story for quite a while, allowing both the historical setting and the protagonist to shine first. But once it gets going, it can be quite complex.
It’s a fascinating historical fiction mystery story with an interesting though not always likeable protagonist. It’s mostly a story about struggling with your identity, which you can see both in the historical setting and in the protagonist. Though the mystery plot should not be underestimated. And the politics of the time are also present in the mystery plot, expertly tying everything together.
While doing the night shift, the phone rings. She picks it up and is told that an English diplomat was murdered. This is the opportunity she’s been looking for. A high profile case. A chance to prove herself.
This story takes place in Bombay, in 1949. A lot of attention goes to this historical setting as the author wants to shine a bright spotlight on these very difficult but interesting times. The quotes of people like Gandhi speak volumes about what they had just endured. This was a country struggling both with the lingering scars of the past and a desire to redefine itself. It was still changing and trying to find its way after the Partition. And real change is never easy.
Inspector Wadia is an interesting character who has to find a balance between her personal happiness and her ambition. Being the first to do something is always very difficult, but the challenging times she lives in make it even harder for her to break through the glass ceiling. And you can see that she has found a way to protect herself from that. She knows and has accepted that she will always be an outcast because of her beliefs. So she’s deliberately made that part of her identity. She’s not a likeable person by design. Like, she’s a bit arrogant and headstrong. Even though she has no experience and was only taught the basics. But she needs to be that way, because everyone around her is always looking down on her. That’s how she’s able to keep standing like a rock under that massive pressure. It’s a defense mechanism that keeps her going. And the loneliness that comes with it is a price that she’s willing to pay.
The mystery plot honestly feels like a background story for quite a while, allowing both the historical setting and the protagonist to shine first. But once it gets going, it can be quite complex.
It’s a fascinating historical fiction mystery story with an interesting though not always likeable protagonist. It’s mostly a story about struggling with your identity, which you can see both in the historical setting and in the protagonist. Though the mystery plot should not be underestimated. And the politics of the time are also present in the mystery plot, expertly tying everything together.
Read
October 4, 2021Exciting premise--first woman detective inspector, a couple of years after Partition--but the execution was lacking. Flat writing, a lot of infodumping, and Persis felt rather like a man's idea of a strong female character, in that she flies off the handle and shouts at people whenever she gets upset (somehow without being told she's hysterical or over-emotional or unprofessional for it). DNF at 49%.
August 24, 2020
3.5 stars.
This book is listed on many sites incorrectly as part of the Baby Ganesh Agency series. This is an entirely new series by Vaseem Khan. It features India's first female police detective, Persis Wadia. Midnight at Malabar House is a serious police procedural, a complicated mystery with many suspects, and set in a turbulent time after the end of British rule and the horrors and atrocities related to Partition. It is devoid of the charm and humour of the Inspector Chopra and the Baby Ganesh books.
Malabar House is the location of the district police force. It has served as a dead-end transfer for police officers unwanted elsewhere for a variety of reasons. This could be due to mistakes, incompetence, bad behaviour, or simply not fitting in with commanding officers.
Persis is a young Parsee woman who is the target of hostility from chauvinistic male officers who try to undermine her. Her commanding officers set up obstacles in her path to success. The people she needs to question feel a woman has no place in the police force and often ignore her or show a lack of respect.
There is much historical background here. The results are still having great effects on the characters and the developments in the case. Slaughter and displacement of millions of people, deadly atrocities between Hindu/Sikh and Moslem population, clashes with the British army, and the loss of land and livelihood still resonate. Adding to the disruptions in the religious, cultural, social, and economic fabric, is a very complex mystery involving the murder of English diplomat, Sir James Herriot, during a lavish party attended by rich and powerful members of the Bombay society. Finding the killer among these influential people could have political repercussions and could impact badly on the police department.
This very prominent case is given to Persis, setting her up for failure. I admit I couldn't warm up to her character. She is stubborn, a nonconformist, outspoken, tactless, often rude, and seething with anger which she usually manages to control. She was driven with the need to prove that a woman could succeed as well as a man. This was admirable, but I thought came across as arrogant, believing she was smarter than her colleagues (she was!). Persis was determined to solve the crime even if it meant disregarding orders by superior officers.
Persis is confronted with a murder case with many suspects, all with a motive to want Sir James dead. This is a police procedural that shows the strenuous work and tedium of police investigations. Persis displays intuition, intelligence, inductive reasoning, as well as the determination to put the clues together and come up with a plausible theory. The solution is Agatha Christie influenced. She gets all the suspects together in a room and outlines her investigation and conclusions step by step, suggesting which people who are innocent and cleverly identifying the guilty party and the motive.
She has proven the worth of women in a man's profession. The manner the police hierarchy deals with the solution of the crime was unusual but plausible for that place and time.
I would read the next book in the series now that Persis has gained respect for her abilities, but I still miss Baby Ganesh.
This book is listed on many sites incorrectly as part of the Baby Ganesh Agency series. This is an entirely new series by Vaseem Khan. It features India's first female police detective, Persis Wadia. Midnight at Malabar House is a serious police procedural, a complicated mystery with many suspects, and set in a turbulent time after the end of British rule and the horrors and atrocities related to Partition. It is devoid of the charm and humour of the Inspector Chopra and the Baby Ganesh books.
Malabar House is the location of the district police force. It has served as a dead-end transfer for police officers unwanted elsewhere for a variety of reasons. This could be due to mistakes, incompetence, bad behaviour, or simply not fitting in with commanding officers.
Persis is a young Parsee woman who is the target of hostility from chauvinistic male officers who try to undermine her. Her commanding officers set up obstacles in her path to success. The people she needs to question feel a woman has no place in the police force and often ignore her or show a lack of respect.
There is much historical background here. The results are still having great effects on the characters and the developments in the case. Slaughter and displacement of millions of people, deadly atrocities between Hindu/Sikh and Moslem population, clashes with the British army, and the loss of land and livelihood still resonate. Adding to the disruptions in the religious, cultural, social, and economic fabric, is a very complex mystery involving the murder of English diplomat, Sir James Herriot, during a lavish party attended by rich and powerful members of the Bombay society. Finding the killer among these influential people could have political repercussions and could impact badly on the police department.
This very prominent case is given to Persis, setting her up for failure. I admit I couldn't warm up to her character. She is stubborn, a nonconformist, outspoken, tactless, often rude, and seething with anger which she usually manages to control. She was driven with the need to prove that a woman could succeed as well as a man. This was admirable, but I thought came across as arrogant, believing she was smarter than her colleagues (she was!). Persis was determined to solve the crime even if it meant disregarding orders by superior officers.
Persis is confronted with a murder case with many suspects, all with a motive to want Sir James dead. This is a police procedural that shows the strenuous work and tedium of police investigations. Persis displays intuition, intelligence, inductive reasoning, as well as the determination to put the clues together and come up with a plausible theory. The solution is Agatha Christie influenced. She gets all the suspects together in a room and outlines her investigation and conclusions step by step, suggesting which people who are innocent and cleverly identifying the guilty party and the motive.
She has proven the worth of women in a man's profession. The manner the police hierarchy deals with the solution of the crime was unusual but plausible for that place and time.
I would read the next book in the series now that Persis has gained respect for her abilities, but I still miss Baby Ganesh.
May 20, 2021
This is one heck of a debut for a series featuring a young woman determined to survive as the only female police detective in Bombay and the year has just turned to 1950. Her name is Persis Wadia and I fully intend to follow her career progress despite the high level of opposition she must navigate. There are so many remarkable and appreciated elements in this book it will engage any reader interested in the struggles in that part of the world and at that time after the devastation for so many during Partition. Looking forward to the next installment!
May 20, 2026
This is the first in a new mystery series from the author known for the Baby Ganesh crime novels. For those interested in learning more about his debut in that series, “The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra,” I’ve included a link to my review below.
“Policing is not for women. What future do you think you have? Do you really believe that men will ever follow your orders?”
What better way for Persis Wadia to spend New Year’s Eve 1949 than working alone? Especially when others have so little confidence in her, not because of her skill-set, but because she is a woman.
Persis Wadia is a police inspector at Malabar House in Bombay, India. She loves what she does—despite the constant reminder from her male colleagues that she is a woman doing what they believe is a man’s job.
When Persis is called to investigate the murder of Sir James Herriott, a British politician, she receives little welcome. Matters become even more complicated when Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch—called in by Sir James’s staff—arrives with his own confident air and opinions.
Who would want Sir James dead when he appeared so well liked? Was there something duplicitous about him—hidden secrets, quiet betrayals? Or something more sinister beneath the surface? And could the lingering turmoil of the *Partition have played a role?
“One can only hope that the wounds of history are healed in the fullness of time.”
With nearly fifty guests at Sir James’s New Year’s Eve party, Persis has no shortage of suspects. As she digs deeper, motives surface and tensions rise. Persis Wadia isn’t just searching for a killer—she’s fighting to prove she belongs in a world determined to keep her out. And in a world where women are still seen as secondary citizens, Persis Wadia may be attempting to solve a murder—but she is also quietly fighting to prove that justice has no gender.
Will Archie Blackfinch prove to be either a hindrance—or an unexpected ally?
And then as readers come close to the end, in true Agatha Christie fashion, all the characters are assembled in one room for the truth to emerge.
This historical mystery keeps the pages turning as twists, secrets, and suspicions collide. Will readers identify the culprit before the final reveal?
Will Persis receive the credit she deserves for her thorough investigation? (No spoilers from me.)
*Partition – Be sure to read the author’s note at the end for important historical context.
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“Policing is not for women. What future do you think you have? Do you really believe that men will ever follow your orders?”
What better way for Persis Wadia to spend New Year’s Eve 1949 than working alone? Especially when others have so little confidence in her, not because of her skill-set, but because she is a woman.
Persis Wadia is a police inspector at Malabar House in Bombay, India. She loves what she does—despite the constant reminder from her male colleagues that she is a woman doing what they believe is a man’s job.
When Persis is called to investigate the murder of Sir James Herriott, a British politician, she receives little welcome. Matters become even more complicated when Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch—called in by Sir James’s staff—arrives with his own confident air and opinions.
Who would want Sir James dead when he appeared so well liked? Was there something duplicitous about him—hidden secrets, quiet betrayals? Or something more sinister beneath the surface? And could the lingering turmoil of the *Partition have played a role?
“One can only hope that the wounds of history are healed in the fullness of time.”
With nearly fifty guests at Sir James’s New Year’s Eve party, Persis has no shortage of suspects. As she digs deeper, motives surface and tensions rise. Persis Wadia isn’t just searching for a killer—she’s fighting to prove she belongs in a world determined to keep her out. And in a world where women are still seen as secondary citizens, Persis Wadia may be attempting to solve a murder—but she is also quietly fighting to prove that justice has no gender.
Will Archie Blackfinch prove to be either a hindrance—or an unexpected ally?
And then as readers come close to the end, in true Agatha Christie fashion, all the characters are assembled in one room for the truth to emerge.
This historical mystery keeps the pages turning as twists, secrets, and suspicions collide. Will readers identify the culprit before the final reveal?
Will Persis receive the credit she deserves for her thorough investigation? (No spoilers from me.)
*Partition – Be sure to read the author’s note at the end for important historical context.
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 9, 2024
Such a fantastic novel. The perfect blend of murder mystery and examination of history, with wonderfully drawn characters.
May 25, 2022
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3 ¼ stars
Midnight at Malabar House presents its readers with a fairly promising start to a new sleuthing series. As you may or may not know I am a big fan of whodunnits and golden detective fiction and ever since finishing Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries I have been on the lookout for a historical mystery with a female lead. Midnight at Malabar House starts off in Bombay on New Year's Eve, 1949. Inspector Persis Wadia, our main character, happens to be India’s first female inspector. Persis is fairly ‘fresh’ on the force and is keen to prove her worth. Yet, her passionate and driven attitude seems to have only antagonized her peers who are quick to dismiss her on the basis of her gender and her age. It just so happens that she’s the first on the scene of Sir James Herriot, a ‘distinguished’ English diplomat. Persis knows that his death is not a result of a robbery gone wrong and is prepared to pursue avenues that might make her a persona non grata in the force as the wealthy and well-connected guests of Herriot’s party are not happy to be seen as suspects. Her superior too seems to show little concern over the apprehension of the true killer, seemingly satisfied with attributing his death to the most convenient and ‘expandable’ person. As Persis investigates Herriot’s not-so-straight-and-narrow affairs and the various members of his household she is forced to reassess her idea of justice. Persis is assisted by Archie Blackfinch, a Scotland Yard criminalist who becomes her unlikely ally.
The aspect I enjoyed the most was the historical setting. Vaseem Khan demonstrates an admirable ability to render specific time periods and places: from his dialogues to the way the characters comport themselves, Khan shows an understanding of the social mores existing in this period of time. Because of this many characters express unsavoury opinions, and Persis is often at the sharp end of these remarks. I appreciated that Persis was portrayed as a very determined individual. Her characterization does fall a bit into the clichèd territory as she’s the 'green' young investigator keen to prove herself and the, allegedly, ‘stubborn’ woman in a male-dominated field. Her stubbornness is made out to be her ‘main’ flaw, something that frustrated me a little. At times this aspect of her character was a tad overdone as if the author wanted to stress that she wasn’t a perfect lead and/or to explain how she has ‘made it’ onto the force. It just so happens that before reading this I’d read another male-authored book with a ‘headstrong’ female investigator/agent/whatever and part of me realizes that may very well be realistic but I’d like more complexity in their characterization. The male investigators are battling inner demons/recovering from traumas/clever-yet-super-flawed or whatever else and the women are ‘stubborn’ and ‘spunky’....then again, this is only the first instalment in a series that will probably go on to make Persis into a more rounded character, so I look forward to that (khan, do not disappoint me pls).
The case is fairly engaging and I liked the plot’s momentum. We have red herrings, some false leads, some interesting dialogues with possible suspects etc. Backdropping this investigation are some thought-provoking discussions on the long-lasting consequences of colonialism, the partition, class-based inequalities, and corruption. This landscape of political and social turmoil adds a layer of tension and urgency to Persis’ investigation, and overall I liked the author’s nuanced approach to these topics. I particularly appreciated how he challenges simplistic ‘good/evil’ binaries. Persis does undergo some promising character growth, as she learns that good intentions do not always lead to good outcomes and that her ambition sometimes clouds her judgment. While she does show empathy for others, there are instances where she is so focused on the big picture, in this case, the identity of the killer, that she can come across as callous. There is a hint of a romance subplot which I am not wholly sold on yet…but maybe the follow-up will make said romance a bit more credible.
While this whodunnit doesn’t quite fall into the cozy mystery genre it ultimately had a feel-good vibe to it. It was very rewarding to see Persis challenge the people who oppose her or who proudly & loudly share their misogynistic views. If you are an Agatha Christie fan you should definitely check this one out.
3 ¼ stars
Midnight at Malabar House presents its readers with a fairly promising start to a new sleuthing series. As you may or may not know I am a big fan of whodunnits and golden detective fiction and ever since finishing Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries I have been on the lookout for a historical mystery with a female lead. Midnight at Malabar House starts off in Bombay on New Year's Eve, 1949. Inspector Persis Wadia, our main character, happens to be India’s first female inspector. Persis is fairly ‘fresh’ on the force and is keen to prove her worth. Yet, her passionate and driven attitude seems to have only antagonized her peers who are quick to dismiss her on the basis of her gender and her age. It just so happens that she’s the first on the scene of Sir James Herriot, a ‘distinguished’ English diplomat. Persis knows that his death is not a result of a robbery gone wrong and is prepared to pursue avenues that might make her a persona non grata in the force as the wealthy and well-connected guests of Herriot’s party are not happy to be seen as suspects. Her superior too seems to show little concern over the apprehension of the true killer, seemingly satisfied with attributing his death to the most convenient and ‘expandable’ person. As Persis investigates Herriot’s not-so-straight-and-narrow affairs and the various members of his household she is forced to reassess her idea of justice. Persis is assisted by Archie Blackfinch, a Scotland Yard criminalist who becomes her unlikely ally.
The aspect I enjoyed the most was the historical setting. Vaseem Khan demonstrates an admirable ability to render specific time periods and places: from his dialogues to the way the characters comport themselves, Khan shows an understanding of the social mores existing in this period of time. Because of this many characters express unsavoury opinions, and Persis is often at the sharp end of these remarks. I appreciated that Persis was portrayed as a very determined individual. Her characterization does fall a bit into the clichèd territory as she’s the 'green' young investigator keen to prove herself and the, allegedly, ‘stubborn’ woman in a male-dominated field. Her stubbornness is made out to be her ‘main’ flaw, something that frustrated me a little. At times this aspect of her character was a tad overdone as if the author wanted to stress that she wasn’t a perfect lead and/or to explain how she has ‘made it’ onto the force. It just so happens that before reading this I’d read another male-authored book with a ‘headstrong’ female investigator/agent/whatever and part of me realizes that may very well be realistic but I’d like more complexity in their characterization. The male investigators are battling inner demons/recovering from traumas/clever-yet-super-flawed or whatever else and the women are ‘stubborn’ and ‘spunky’....then again, this is only the first instalment in a series that will probably go on to make Persis into a more rounded character, so I look forward to that (khan, do not disappoint me pls).
The case is fairly engaging and I liked the plot’s momentum. We have red herrings, some false leads, some interesting dialogues with possible suspects etc. Backdropping this investigation are some thought-provoking discussions on the long-lasting consequences of colonialism, the partition, class-based inequalities, and corruption. This landscape of political and social turmoil adds a layer of tension and urgency to Persis’ investigation, and overall I liked the author’s nuanced approach to these topics. I particularly appreciated how he challenges simplistic ‘good/evil’ binaries. Persis does undergo some promising character growth, as she learns that good intentions do not always lead to good outcomes and that her ambition sometimes clouds her judgment. While she does show empathy for others, there are instances where she is so focused on the big picture, in this case, the identity of the killer, that she can come across as callous. There is a hint of a romance subplot which I am not wholly sold on yet…but maybe the follow-up will make said romance a bit more credible.
While this whodunnit doesn’t quite fall into the cozy mystery genre it ultimately had a feel-good vibe to it. It was very rewarding to see Persis challenge the people who oppose her or who proudly & loudly share their misogynistic views. If you are an Agatha Christie fan you should definitely check this one out.
February 22, 2022
I did love Midnight at Malabar House; it was very fun to read. Not only is there a good mystery and great characters, its background is an authentic depiction of the period in India following the British pullout and the savage murders of civilians on both sides of the line drawn between what is now Pakistan and modern India. More than two million people were murdered and ten million displaced. There are still major disruptions and unhappiness remaining.
On New Year’s Eve 1949 a murder is reported to the first female detective in all of India (actually the first female detective came about a decade later but the author uses this to show stressful changes in in the country). She takes the call at Malabar House police station, the basement home of the least respected department in all of Bombay. An important British citizen has been murdered. Persis Wadia ranks number two at Malabar Hill but for the most part is not wanted by her colleagues. There is much resentment and prejudice against the idea of women on the force. Her colleagues have landed at Malabar House because of their mistakes and their perceived downward track. Because she’s a woman and in spite of graduating at the top of her academy class she’s stuck with a lot of uncooperative people. She’s obviously going to have to prove herself as well as to learn how to play the game and restrain her impatience and curb her desire to say the first angry thought that comes to mind.
The mystery itself has many similarities to typical classic English stories and even includes the Christie gathering of suspects at the end reveal. Much more is going on however. Vaseem Khan uses the framework to tell a lot about the history of the time and the partition disaster. India in 1950 was still very much at odds with itself, trying to reconcile religious and political differences.
Detective Wadia is an especially good character. Belonging to the Parsi religious group, she can view the Hindu, Moslem and Sikh majorities more dispassionately than most Indians. It sorrows and angers her to see Indians tear each other apart. The murder victim, a British man who has remained and has been working at the behest of the new Indian government has been murdered why? For his work uncovering partition atrocities, money, being British or just because he’s a bad guy. Take your pick.
On New Year’s Eve 1949 a murder is reported to the first female detective in all of India (actually the first female detective came about a decade later but the author uses this to show stressful changes in in the country). She takes the call at Malabar House police station, the basement home of the least respected department in all of Bombay. An important British citizen has been murdered. Persis Wadia ranks number two at Malabar Hill but for the most part is not wanted by her colleagues. There is much resentment and prejudice against the idea of women on the force. Her colleagues have landed at Malabar House because of their mistakes and their perceived downward track. Because she’s a woman and in spite of graduating at the top of her academy class she’s stuck with a lot of uncooperative people. She’s obviously going to have to prove herself as well as to learn how to play the game and restrain her impatience and curb her desire to say the first angry thought that comes to mind.
The mystery itself has many similarities to typical classic English stories and even includes the Christie gathering of suspects at the end reveal. Much more is going on however. Vaseem Khan uses the framework to tell a lot about the history of the time and the partition disaster. India in 1950 was still very much at odds with itself, trying to reconcile religious and political differences.
Detective Wadia is an especially good character. Belonging to the Parsi religious group, she can view the Hindu, Moslem and Sikh majorities more dispassionately than most Indians. It sorrows and angers her to see Indians tear each other apart. The murder victim, a British man who has remained and has been working at the behest of the new Indian government has been murdered why? For his work uncovering partition atrocities, money, being British or just because he’s a bad guy. Take your pick.
February 4, 2021
This was a very enjoyable historical mystery/police procedural. Set in the first days of 1950 with the consequences of Partition still churning, Persis, the first woman police officer in her country is tasked with a complicated and politically sensitive murder investigation. Her being the first woman is a major theme here and she's inundated with obstacles along the way but of course, she persists. Her colleagues, all male, were an interesting bunch and had surprises to the very end. I liked Persis and also the insight into her personal relationships with her family. She was determined and cared to find the truth, not just any answer served up to her for expedience. I adored the family bookstore her father maintained and her deep love for him. Even her Aunt Nussie was a good character with her overbearing ways.
The mystery of who killed Sir James Herriot was a tangled one for many reasons. He's found alone in a room with his throat slit and sans trousers. There were burned remnants in the fireplace and his safe is empty. The files of an investigation he was carrying out are missing and it's clear very quickly that he's not the good and honourable man he presents. There were many leads and threads of the investigation and I appreciated the turns it took. I enjoyed the final solution and how Persis arrived at it. I do have to admit that there was a lot of historical information on Partition and that sometimes felt like it slowed down the narrative. I can't imagine how else to have included the information than the way it was done and it was important but at times it did feel a bit like a history lesson, even in a historical novel. Still, I did feel the tension from the characters and understood the depth of it because of those details.
I'd read another by Khan and given that I realized when I reached the end of this that it's the beginning of a series, I suppose I will do.
Recommended.
The mystery of who killed Sir James Herriot was a tangled one for many reasons. He's found alone in a room with his throat slit and sans trousers. There were burned remnants in the fireplace and his safe is empty. The files of an investigation he was carrying out are missing and it's clear very quickly that he's not the good and honourable man he presents. There were many leads and threads of the investigation and I appreciated the turns it took. I enjoyed the final solution and how Persis arrived at it. I do have to admit that there was a lot of historical information on Partition and that sometimes felt like it slowed down the narrative. I can't imagine how else to have included the information than the way it was done and it was important but at times it did feel a bit like a history lesson, even in a historical novel. Still, I did feel the tension from the characters and understood the depth of it because of those details.
I'd read another by Khan and given that I realized when I reached the end of this that it's the beginning of a series, I suppose I will do.
Recommended.
July 16, 2021
Great characters' potential and ambiance,very good build up,but the solve and the ending were a let down.An extra star because this could become an excellent series,if the author is less heavy handed.
July 14, 2020
"That is the true legacy of Partition, The way it has coloured the perceptions of two peoples who were essentially one, the way it continues to serve as a means by which political interests on both sides of the border can employ hatred and prejudice as a means of deflecting criticism of their regimes.
One can only hope that the wounds of history are healed in the fullness of time. Only then might the ghosts of Partition, the millions of dead and missing, find peace."
-Vaseem Khan
Oh my gosh I love how this man writes. He could write brochures and I would read them because they'd be the best brochures out there. So when I saw that he has a new series out [after being wildly disappointed that it wasn't a new Inspector Chopra book, as I ADORE that series and have learned so much about India by reading them], I decided to request the ARC and was thrilled to receive it. And boy was I NOT disappointed. THIS is going to be a great series, I can just feel it.
The setting is Bombay, 3 years after Partition and on the cusp of official Independence for India. Persis Wadia is the first female police officer, and to be frank, she has a huge chip on her shoulder. She is young and eager to prove her mettle in a world that thinks that she doesn't belong and cannot do her job [more than once in this book, she hears "YOU do not belong here" from both her colleagues and from the people she has to interview while investigating the murder - its a bitter pill]. Add that people are willing to lie at any cost, and to cover each other's tracks, and her job gets harder with each day. Aided by a British Forensic Scientist [Archie Blackfinch] - who she isn't sure if she even LIKES, she sets off to solve the murder that lands in her lap on New Years Eve, no matter what. And WHAT a story it is. And right before the reveal, I realized who it was and was shocked. I never saw it coming. It was very satisfying and very well done.
A note here - if you are unfamiliar with India's history, I would highly suggest reading up on the Colonialism of India by Britain and then reading up on Partition and what happened during that time and what it meant for India and its people. Because if you go in with little to no knowledge, you will be spending a LOT of time looking things up because both of those topics are vital to the story. I have read quite a few books about India, set in India or Pakistan and I still learned stuff I didn't know. So I would suggest reading something, even if it is to give yourself a refresher course via Google or Wikipedia.
I highly recommend this book and I am so looking forward for this series to continue.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
One can only hope that the wounds of history are healed in the fullness of time. Only then might the ghosts of Partition, the millions of dead and missing, find peace."
-Vaseem Khan
Oh my gosh I love how this man writes. He could write brochures and I would read them because they'd be the best brochures out there. So when I saw that he has a new series out [after being wildly disappointed that it wasn't a new Inspector Chopra book, as I ADORE that series and have learned so much about India by reading them], I decided to request the ARC and was thrilled to receive it. And boy was I NOT disappointed. THIS is going to be a great series, I can just feel it.
The setting is Bombay, 3 years after Partition and on the cusp of official Independence for India. Persis Wadia is the first female police officer, and to be frank, she has a huge chip on her shoulder. She is young and eager to prove her mettle in a world that thinks that she doesn't belong and cannot do her job [more than once in this book, she hears "YOU do not belong here" from both her colleagues and from the people she has to interview while investigating the murder - its a bitter pill]. Add that people are willing to lie at any cost, and to cover each other's tracks, and her job gets harder with each day. Aided by a British Forensic Scientist [Archie Blackfinch] - who she isn't sure if she even LIKES, she sets off to solve the murder that lands in her lap on New Years Eve, no matter what. And WHAT a story it is. And right before the reveal, I realized who it was and was shocked. I never saw it coming. It was very satisfying and very well done.
A note here - if you are unfamiliar with India's history, I would highly suggest reading up on the Colonialism of India by Britain and then reading up on Partition and what happened during that time and what it meant for India and its people. Because if you go in with little to no knowledge, you will be spending a LOT of time looking things up because both of those topics are vital to the story. I have read quite a few books about India, set in India or Pakistan and I still learned stuff I didn't know. So I would suggest reading something, even if it is to give yourself a refresher course via Google or Wikipedia.
I highly recommend this book and I am so looking forward for this series to continue.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 20, 2026
The novel opens on New Year’s Eve, 1949, just a few years after India’s independence. The story follows Inspector Persis Wadia, the country’s first female police detective, who is posted to Malabar House—a neglected department filled with sidelined officers.
When a high-profile British diplomat, Sir James Herriot, is murdered, Persis is unexpectedly given the case. As she investigates, she uncovers a complex web of political intrigue tied to post-independence tensions, colonial legacy, and social unrest. With help from a British forensic expert, Archie Blackfinch, she must navigate prejudice, bureaucracy, and danger to uncover the truth. The main character is :
Persis Wadia – Intelligent, determined, and resilient; she faces constant sexism and skepticism as a woman in a male-dominated police force. The main themes are :
Post-independence India: Political instability and the aftermath of Partition
Gender barriers: Struggles of a woman breaking into policing
Colonial legacy: Tensions between British officials and newly independent India
Justice vs. politics: Crime investigation entangled with national identity
I think Why it stands out is because of its :
Rich historical setting that brings 1950 Bombay to life
A strong, pioneering female protagonist
Combines a classic murder mystery with social and political depth
The novel also won the CWA Historical Dagger Award (2021), highlighting its quality as historical crime fiction. I am really fascinated by such books with rich historical setting of that era and I would give this book 4 stars !
Dr. Javed Rasheed
When a high-profile British diplomat, Sir James Herriot, is murdered, Persis is unexpectedly given the case. As she investigates, she uncovers a complex web of political intrigue tied to post-independence tensions, colonial legacy, and social unrest. With help from a British forensic expert, Archie Blackfinch, she must navigate prejudice, bureaucracy, and danger to uncover the truth. The main character is :
Persis Wadia – Intelligent, determined, and resilient; she faces constant sexism and skepticism as a woman in a male-dominated police force. The main themes are :
Post-independence India: Political instability and the aftermath of Partition
Gender barriers: Struggles of a woman breaking into policing
Colonial legacy: Tensions between British officials and newly independent India
Justice vs. politics: Crime investigation entangled with national identity
I think Why it stands out is because of its :
Rich historical setting that brings 1950 Bombay to life
A strong, pioneering female protagonist
Combines a classic murder mystery with social and political depth
The novel also won the CWA Historical Dagger Award (2021), highlighting its quality as historical crime fiction. I am really fascinated by such books with rich historical setting of that era and I would give this book 4 stars !
Dr. Javed Rasheed
February 6, 2022
Persis Wadia is the first female police officer in India. She works at Malabar House, home to misfits or policemen who have made career limiting mistakes. Persis is on duty on New Year's Eve in 1949 when a call comes in to investigate the murder of a prominent British official, Sir James Herriot, during a party he is hosting. His throat has been cut in his study in a compromising position, and his trousers are missing. Turns out, he has been asked to look into atrocities associated with the Partition (i.e., the contention establishment of Pakistan, based on religious beliefs.)
Persis faces personal and political resentment and prejudice as the first woman in the police force. and resistance. She does however have a few allies, including Archimedes (Archie) Blackfinch, a British criminologist. Learning about the divisive politics in the aftermath of the crime and how they lead to uncovering the perpetrator was fun; however, I think the author could have done a better job describing non-political issues. It was refreshing to have the politics presented from an Indian POV versus an Anglo one.
Persis faces personal and political resentment and prejudice as the first woman in the police force. and resistance. She does however have a few allies, including Archimedes (Archie) Blackfinch, a British criminologist. Learning about the divisive politics in the aftermath of the crime and how they lead to uncovering the perpetrator was fun; however, I think the author could have done a better job describing non-political issues. It was refreshing to have the politics presented from an Indian POV versus an Anglo one.
November 21, 2020
This series shows a lot of promise.
This book is the first I have read by this author and is the beginning of a new series. The central character is Persis Wadia,the fictional first female police officer in the Indian Police Service. At the outset of the story, Persis is on duty on New Years Eve in 1949. She is a member of a police unit that is comprised of officers who have been consigned to the scrap heap because of previous missteps in their career. The newly appointed Persis’ misstep is her gender only. Her appointment to the IPS has been met with both prejudice and resistance.
A call comes in to Persis requesting attendance at the murder scene of a prominent British official, Sir James Herriot. He is found alone in his office murdered and in a compromising position with his trousers off and missing as well. Persis doggedly begins her pursuit of evidence and deduction.It is unusual for her unit to investigate such a high profile crime, particularly with a newly appointed female officer as the lead investigator. She suspects that the investigation may have been set up for her to fail.She encounters a great deal of political and personal resistance yet finds an ally in Archie Blackfinch,a Scottish criminal consultant.Together they navigate the landscape of an emerging India in the throes of its inception and move forward determined to discover the truth.
There is a lot to like in this book.Most notably, there is a wealth of information and history about the demise of the British Raj and the religious and secular conflicts that arose from the Partition of India. Much of the viewpoint is presented from an Indian point of view, which is a refreshing departure from a host of Anglo centric novels that have been written.
There are a few anachronisms in the book. The first female police officer in the IPS was appointed in 1972. I can live with this time displacement since this book is a work of fiction. A more jarring note was the mention of Persis having a well thumbed copy of the novel Dr Zhivago, which was not published until 1957. This oversight is also a minor quibble but was personally jarring to me. I also wondered at the characterization of Persis.She is a well drawn character who is smart, perceptive, determined and exceedingly outspoken and blunt. At times, she seemed almost James Bond like in conception. I also wondered if she too easily navigated the glass ceiling and gender prejudice that would have been encountered in 1950.
On balance, though, these criticisms are minor when set against the scope of the work as a whole.The author manages to create a sense of people and place that is both evocative and informative. I look forward to seeing how the series and the character of Persis evolve in the future.
This book is the first I have read by this author and is the beginning of a new series. The central character is Persis Wadia,the fictional first female police officer in the Indian Police Service. At the outset of the story, Persis is on duty on New Years Eve in 1949. She is a member of a police unit that is comprised of officers who have been consigned to the scrap heap because of previous missteps in their career. The newly appointed Persis’ misstep is her gender only. Her appointment to the IPS has been met with both prejudice and resistance.
A call comes in to Persis requesting attendance at the murder scene of a prominent British official, Sir James Herriot. He is found alone in his office murdered and in a compromising position with his trousers off and missing as well. Persis doggedly begins her pursuit of evidence and deduction.It is unusual for her unit to investigate such a high profile crime, particularly with a newly appointed female officer as the lead investigator. She suspects that the investigation may have been set up for her to fail.She encounters a great deal of political and personal resistance yet finds an ally in Archie Blackfinch,a Scottish criminal consultant.Together they navigate the landscape of an emerging India in the throes of its inception and move forward determined to discover the truth.
There is a lot to like in this book.Most notably, there is a wealth of information and history about the demise of the British Raj and the religious and secular conflicts that arose from the Partition of India. Much of the viewpoint is presented from an Indian point of view, which is a refreshing departure from a host of Anglo centric novels that have been written.
There are a few anachronisms in the book. The first female police officer in the IPS was appointed in 1972. I can live with this time displacement since this book is a work of fiction. A more jarring note was the mention of Persis having a well thumbed copy of the novel Dr Zhivago, which was not published until 1957. This oversight is also a minor quibble but was personally jarring to me. I also wondered at the characterization of Persis.She is a well drawn character who is smart, perceptive, determined and exceedingly outspoken and blunt. At times, she seemed almost James Bond like in conception. I also wondered if she too easily navigated the glass ceiling and gender prejudice that would have been encountered in 1950.
On balance, though, these criticisms are minor when set against the scope of the work as a whole.The author manages to create a sense of people and place that is both evocative and informative. I look forward to seeing how the series and the character of Persis evolve in the future.
September 25, 2025
4 stars
It was in my kindle from a long long time. I was a bit sceptical on reading this, fearing the worst or mediocre narration which usually follows with Indian setting stories. No offense there but most of the books do not justify the Indian setting is my opinion ( to myself). But this one squashed my doubts. I liked the narration, it was above my expectations.
Parsis Wadia is the first woman IPS in newly free India and is working in Malabar House where the most problematic are put. Though Parsis's only problem is she is a woman officer and no one knows what to do with her. And then she lands herself with a murder of British personnel, a Sir James Harriot. She tries to solve the murder along with her Watson aka Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch with whom she has a bittersweet relationship. Though it was set in 1950, I felt it was very much progressive than what I thought or pictured, mildly surprised with woman working as a police officer. It's frowned upon even now, as it is supposed to be a "Male Job".
Well, setting all those facts aside, I assumed what author told is true and took it on the face value. An enjoyable read, a good mystery.
Happy Reading!!
It was in my kindle from a long long time. I was a bit sceptical on reading this, fearing the worst or mediocre narration which usually follows with Indian setting stories. No offense there but most of the books do not justify the Indian setting is my opinion ( to myself). But this one squashed my doubts. I liked the narration, it was above my expectations.
Parsis Wadia is the first woman IPS in newly free India and is working in Malabar House where the most problematic are put. Though Parsis's only problem is she is a woman officer and no one knows what to do with her. And then she lands herself with a murder of British personnel, a Sir James Harriot. She tries to solve the murder along with her Watson aka Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch with whom she has a bittersweet relationship. Though it was set in 1950, I felt it was very much progressive than what I thought or pictured, mildly surprised with woman working as a police officer. It's frowned upon even now, as it is supposed to be a "Male Job".
Well, setting all those facts aside, I assumed what author told is true and took it on the face value. An enjoyable read, a good mystery.
Happy Reading!!
May 21, 2021
An accomplished and exceptional beginning to a new series that I will definitely be continuing. I loved the flawed young police officer, the first woman police officer in the IPS. Partition was a particularly difficult time, religiously and politically and I learned a lot from reading this book.
October 18, 2021
Premise is excellent. Persis has thick skin. Extremely.
There are several huge factors that would not keep me within this series, most of them are closely tied to writing style. Because it's very flat, the way this is told. It IS told. Telling, telling, telling. While that works for some description or a score of characters in a procedural, it does not work for historical events, backgrounds, entire tangent areas. You are consistently reading infodump at/of entire historical period lengths. And in this case, at least half of it is also judgmentally relayed on top of it. From a Parsee viewpoint almost entirely.
Knowing much less about Indian history and this period in particular, you'll probably be apt to like this far more than I did. The case itself holds several good twists but it really becomes too convoluted and also rather easy to decipher at the same time. While there are way too many characters running completely on feelings, sacrifice, passion and not just plain greed to make it at all probable for their placements.
Loving Indian locale and fiction as much as I do, this one just barely made the cut. NO Thrity Umigar here.
But those of you who want 1/2 history lecture, 1/2 dry closed room top down who-dun-it with other possible procedural placements? You may like this tons more than I did. Especially if you tend to the long winded, over word copy length style of saying the same things 12 different ways.
Having just read another modern (2021) article at length about Indian architecture- I think I should add this note. It's been judged by Indian, European, Asian artists etc. that the English architecture left in India is the best. Far more appreciated than any American, French etc. colonial left overs or home grown Indian build in the last century. Or in any other world location, as well. For form, wear, use etc. And in this book, all English building seems to be either scorned or in some ways criticized. I thought that dichotomy of opinion to fact was rather insightful and at the same time so typical of our own times. Opposite judgments of "good" being so fluid.
There are several huge factors that would not keep me within this series, most of them are closely tied to writing style. Because it's very flat, the way this is told. It IS told. Telling, telling, telling. While that works for some description or a score of characters in a procedural, it does not work for historical events, backgrounds, entire tangent areas. You are consistently reading infodump at/of entire historical period lengths. And in this case, at least half of it is also judgmentally relayed on top of it. From a Parsee viewpoint almost entirely.
Knowing much less about Indian history and this period in particular, you'll probably be apt to like this far more than I did. The case itself holds several good twists but it really becomes too convoluted and also rather easy to decipher at the same time. While there are way too many characters running completely on feelings, sacrifice, passion and not just plain greed to make it at all probable for their placements.
Loving Indian locale and fiction as much as I do, this one just barely made the cut. NO Thrity Umigar here.
But those of you who want 1/2 history lecture, 1/2 dry closed room top down who-dun-it with other possible procedural placements? You may like this tons more than I did. Especially if you tend to the long winded, over word copy length style of saying the same things 12 different ways.
Having just read another modern (2021) article at length about Indian architecture- I think I should add this note. It's been judged by Indian, European, Asian artists etc. that the English architecture left in India is the best. Far more appreciated than any American, French etc. colonial left overs or home grown Indian build in the last century. Or in any other world location, as well. For form, wear, use etc. And in this book, all English building seems to be either scorned or in some ways criticized. I thought that dichotomy of opinion to fact was rather insightful and at the same time so typical of our own times. Opposite judgments of "good" being so fluid.
August 25, 2022
An intriguing mystery with a strong female protagonist who’s introvert, bookish and owns a grumpy cat (makes an ideal protagonist of course). The striking fact about her is that she’s no ordinary being, but the first woman IPS officer with some great shooting skills.
Lying in the heart of the Malabar house, there’s a tale of avarice,love, betrayal and newly founded India which is striving hard to clean the dark bloats of partition and imperialism.
Plot is interesting, keeps you hooked on to it throughout as the trauma of partition unrolls itself before the readers. Repetition seemed the only irksome thing about the book, as I felt that the author wants to stuff the information into the reader’s mind by repeating it a good ten times. Besides, the long and melodramatic stretches could have been avoided, because the book seemed good with a Bollywood touch to it (but you can’t complain as the settings of the novel screamed for the touch of the city of dreams i-e: Bombay).
Let’s see what is in there for me in the follow-up of The Wadia series. Fingers crossed🤞.
Lying in the heart of the Malabar house, there’s a tale of avarice,love, betrayal and newly founded India which is striving hard to clean the dark bloats of partition and imperialism.
Plot is interesting, keeps you hooked on to it throughout as the trauma of partition unrolls itself before the readers. Repetition seemed the only irksome thing about the book, as I felt that the author wants to stuff the information into the reader’s mind by repeating it a good ten times. Besides, the long and melodramatic stretches could have been avoided, because the book seemed good with a Bollywood touch to it (but you can’t complain as the settings of the novel screamed for the touch of the city of dreams i-e: Bombay).
Let’s see what is in there for me in the follow-up of The Wadia series. Fingers crossed🤞.
Read
November 15, 2021All the way through this book I kept thinking the prose is too flat, the info-dumping too much, I don't want to keep on reading it. But I did keep on reading it because despite that the murder plot is wonderfully twisty and the setting and characters are very attractive. Persis Wadia, Khan's detective, is a loner type, a Parsi from a family active in the Quit India movement, and Bombay's (and India's) first female police officer. It's 1950 and the case she's been landed with has something nasty in it to do with Partition. The author is a bit too invested in giving a history lesson to those who don't know much about independence-era India which is why it gets kind of didactic, but the historical setting is brilliantly realised and got me into the story almost despite myself. The other thing I loved is Persis's relationship with Archie Blackfinch, her awkward English forensic pathologist, who is also very well-realised - he's completely clueless in some ways and very astute in others, and extremely interesting in that he has all the advantages of a white man in India but is still vulnerable on account of being probably-autistic in a world that is not set up for that. I went straight on to the next book because I want to know how it pans out between the two of them, so there we are.
(nb. to really enjoy this book, you've got to somehow get past the fact the victim's name is James Herriot and somehow - somehow! - an editor did not change this. Every second page I was like, wait, James Herriot the vet?? No, not the vet, the dead guy. and so on.)
(nb. to really enjoy this book, you've got to somehow get past the fact the victim's name is James Herriot and somehow - somehow! - an editor did not change this. Every second page I was like, wait, James Herriot the vet?? No, not the vet, the dead guy. and so on.)
August 31, 2021
I have very much enjoyed the Baby Ganesh series by this author and was very interested to see that he had a new unrelated book. I got off to a very slow start in this one, in part because I was expecting a much lighter tone. This series is clearly more serious. Set in 1950’s India, shortly after partition, the protagonist is Persis Wadia, India’s first female detective. The mystery itself was complex and satisfying. Unfortunately I did not really care for Persis, who was prickly, blunt, and essentially socially inept. She questioned people in a very forward way, with absolutely no finesse, which was not terribly effective. However, she was very clever and determined. The ending was a bit Agatha Christie-ish, with all the suspects gathered together in one place. I look forward to the next book.
March 27, 2021
A most enjoyable, complex mid century crime thriller set in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Having lived there myself I found the telling of the history fascinating. Vaseem grew up in England but spent many years working in India.
The writing can be a little tedious or perhaps precise is a better word. I find this style sets the mood for the time and place and the era's momentous events. A bit Agatha Christie.
I see he struggled to be published for twenty years and love his quote about the struggle - "write, write and then, when you're sick of it, write some more."
Must read some more of his work.
The writing can be a little tedious or perhaps precise is a better word. I find this style sets the mood for the time and place and the era's momentous events. A bit Agatha Christie.
I see he struggled to be published for twenty years and love his quote about the struggle - "write, write and then, when you're sick of it, write some more."
Must read some more of his work.
September 15, 2021
// Midnight at Malabar House by Vaseem Khan
It's the last night of 1949, and India is still settling into its newly acquired independence. The economy isn't faring so well, the rich have lost money and the poor are striving for equality. There are only a handful of Britishers who are still willing to stay back in the country and amidst that is an English diplomat named Sir James Herriot. When Herriot is found dead at his own New Year's Eve party, the higher authorities are pressurised to solve the case quickly. The case, somehow falls into the lap of India's first female Inspector, Persis Wadia. Persis then sets out on a clever wild goose chase with almost everyone standing against her. This is entirely a female centric novel, one that has been executed exceptionally well. And how delightful it was to read about Persis!
It's 2021 and yet women aren't taken seriously at work or everywhere else so one can imagine a scenario when a female inspector had to work alongside disgruntled men back in the 40s. There's a lot of patriarchy, machismo as we watch Persis throw herself into solving the case. The characters are wonderfully built, the setting of the book is vivid and Persis's personality is gold. The history of our country, its leaders, politics and the communal riots that trailed after the partition are very well narrated. While the mystery can be resolved on our own before we reach the climax, it does not dim the story in any which way. The various twists thrown at us coupled with all the suspicious characters do the job to keep us guessing. But it is Persis's character that steals the show. Vaseem creates a protagonist with her own shortcomings but also brilliant in her own way. I saw myself in her and so will many other women who read this book.
This is one book that is a perfect cocktail of history and mystery, neither overpowering the other. Want to read a crime novel which houses a stellar female protagonist? Look no further.
Thank you for the copy @hachette_india 💜
It's the last night of 1949, and India is still settling into its newly acquired independence. The economy isn't faring so well, the rich have lost money and the poor are striving for equality. There are only a handful of Britishers who are still willing to stay back in the country and amidst that is an English diplomat named Sir James Herriot. When Herriot is found dead at his own New Year's Eve party, the higher authorities are pressurised to solve the case quickly. The case, somehow falls into the lap of India's first female Inspector, Persis Wadia. Persis then sets out on a clever wild goose chase with almost everyone standing against her. This is entirely a female centric novel, one that has been executed exceptionally well. And how delightful it was to read about Persis!
It's 2021 and yet women aren't taken seriously at work or everywhere else so one can imagine a scenario when a female inspector had to work alongside disgruntled men back in the 40s. There's a lot of patriarchy, machismo as we watch Persis throw herself into solving the case. The characters are wonderfully built, the setting of the book is vivid and Persis's personality is gold. The history of our country, its leaders, politics and the communal riots that trailed after the partition are very well narrated. While the mystery can be resolved on our own before we reach the climax, it does not dim the story in any which way. The various twists thrown at us coupled with all the suspicious characters do the job to keep us guessing. But it is Persis's character that steals the show. Vaseem creates a protagonist with her own shortcomings but also brilliant in her own way. I saw myself in her and so will many other women who read this book.
This is one book that is a perfect cocktail of history and mystery, neither overpowering the other. Want to read a crime novel which houses a stellar female protagonist? Look no further.
Thank you for the copy @hachette_india 💜
June 30, 2023
So, I've finally finished reading this one and instantly realised a couple of things:
1. Mr. Khan definitely doesn't know Mumbai/Bombay. The four streets he's mentioned still exist so no research needed.
2. Bollywood is his constant source of inspiration. What would he do without this vast and free source at his fingertips? Shouldn't he show some originality?
3. He has never ever met / interacted with a Parsi ever at all.
4. His research extends only up to the 8th grade History text book.
5. He really doesn't like India nor Indians even though he claims half his parentage to this country.
To elaborate:
1. The plot is a direct retelling of a 90's Bollywood hit film Sarfarosh starring Amir Khan and Sonali Bendre. In the movie, the culprit is a Muslim, whereas here he's a Hindu.
2. The historical tidbit he's given and that's exactly how much of facts he's presented are irrelevant to the plot. Bibi ghar massacre and the info on Haji Ali have no relevance to the plot. it really makes no difference, whether it's included in the story or not. Haji Ali was off limits to women till as late as the 70's. Would they really allow a rich American woman to just walk in without the required dress code and smoke in the premises?? Any religion would take offence at the disrespect shown.
3. He does this often in the book. The cow pissing on Archie's shoes ?? really at night 9pm? where did it come from and it just disappeared? There will be no cows at such posh areas, and anyways, cows are very disciplined, punctual amimals. You don't find them wandering around at 9 pm outside a night club. He continues his spin on India, being the exotic country where tigers roam the streets etc. with that langur watching Persis. How did that Langur reach south Bombay?? flying across the Arabian Sea? Langurs are an almost extinct species and are found only in the jungles of Assam : Assam is 3hrs away from Mumbai by flight and in today's times.
4. Blatant twisting of Historical facts . The mole train line was discontinued in 1944 6yrs before the setting of this book. A/c was introduced in India by Voltas in 1954 and if she's part of a shunted and rejected team, they will be the last to get any luxury. The same goes with the jeep she gets to drive. She's part of the reject team and a woman on top she would never have gotten that jeep so easilyMax she wiuld.be given a cycle . Its 1949/50 graveyard shift to a woman?? and without a partner?? Hiw did she do the body search?Women in India, irrespective of religion/ caste, had the same treatment : downtrodden and repressed. Some may have gotten more freedom than others, but what Persis was given : even today's girls will not get it. Travelling overnight in a train to the Northwich a male companion whos not family? I wouldn't let my daughters go now unless I have a deep hatred towards them. They would be lynched within a few hrs.
5. The absolute lack of Indian ness in the book. Not a single word/ mannerism that's exclusive to Indians only. Campbell retains his Scottish form of speaking after spending so many years in India but no Indian shows any such manners- not even a namaste?? really disappointed on this count.
6. Finally, Persis is definitely not a Parsis at all. Parsis are the most decent,courteous humble, friendly and law abiding individuals. They have a distinct way of speaking - they speak Gujrati which isn't evident anywhere. The history and legend of how they were accepted and integrated into the Gujrati society is a lovely tale which again is missing. Parsis are a very closed society- in Bombay they live in gated colonies that are called Parsi Colonies. I couldn't picture Persis as a Parsi at all. She's not even close to being an Indian woman.
I'm not an overtly patriotic person nor very religious,but claiming to be a part of a culture that one isn't and then degrade it isn't in good taste. Mr Vaseem Khan kindly refrain from writing about a country you have zero knowledge about.
This is such a modern book it's a joke that's its set in.1950.
Totally and completely disappointed.
Recommended :👎
1. Mr. Khan definitely doesn't know Mumbai/Bombay. The four streets he's mentioned still exist so no research needed.
2. Bollywood is his constant source of inspiration. What would he do without this vast and free source at his fingertips? Shouldn't he show some originality?
3. He has never ever met / interacted with a Parsi ever at all.
4. His research extends only up to the 8th grade History text book.
5. He really doesn't like India nor Indians even though he claims half his parentage to this country.
To elaborate:
1. The plot is a direct retelling of a 90's Bollywood hit film Sarfarosh starring Amir Khan and Sonali Bendre. In the movie, the culprit is a Muslim, whereas here he's a Hindu.
2. The historical tidbit he's given and that's exactly how much of facts he's presented are irrelevant to the plot. Bibi ghar massacre and the info on Haji Ali have no relevance to the plot. it really makes no difference, whether it's included in the story or not. Haji Ali was off limits to women till as late as the 70's. Would they really allow a rich American woman to just walk in without the required dress code and smoke in the premises?? Any religion would take offence at the disrespect shown.
3. He does this often in the book. The cow pissing on Archie's shoes ?? really at night 9pm? where did it come from and it just disappeared? There will be no cows at such posh areas, and anyways, cows are very disciplined, punctual amimals. You don't find them wandering around at 9 pm outside a night club. He continues his spin on India, being the exotic country where tigers roam the streets etc. with that langur watching Persis. How did that Langur reach south Bombay?? flying across the Arabian Sea? Langurs are an almost extinct species and are found only in the jungles of Assam : Assam is 3hrs away from Mumbai by flight and in today's times.
4. Blatant twisting of Historical facts . The mole train line was discontinued in 1944 6yrs before the setting of this book. A/c was introduced in India by Voltas in 1954 and if she's part of a shunted and rejected team, they will be the last to get any luxury. The same goes with the jeep she gets to drive. She's part of the reject team and a woman on top she would never have gotten that jeep so easilyMax she wiuld.be given a cycle . Its 1949/50 graveyard shift to a woman?? and without a partner?? Hiw did she do the body search?Women in India, irrespective of religion/ caste, had the same treatment : downtrodden and repressed. Some may have gotten more freedom than others, but what Persis was given : even today's girls will not get it. Travelling overnight in a train to the Northwich a male companion whos not family? I wouldn't let my daughters go now unless I have a deep hatred towards them. They would be lynched within a few hrs.
5. The absolute lack of Indian ness in the book. Not a single word/ mannerism that's exclusive to Indians only. Campbell retains his Scottish form of speaking after spending so many years in India but no Indian shows any such manners- not even a namaste?? really disappointed on this count.
6. Finally, Persis is definitely not a Parsis at all. Parsis are the most decent,courteous humble, friendly and law abiding individuals. They have a distinct way of speaking - they speak Gujrati which isn't evident anywhere. The history and legend of how they were accepted and integrated into the Gujrati society is a lovely tale which again is missing. Parsis are a very closed society- in Bombay they live in gated colonies that are called Parsi Colonies. I couldn't picture Persis as a Parsi at all. She's not even close to being an Indian woman.
I'm not an overtly patriotic person nor very religious,but claiming to be a part of a culture that one isn't and then degrade it isn't in good taste. Mr Vaseem Khan kindly refrain from writing about a country you have zero knowledge about.
This is such a modern book it's a joke that's its set in.1950.
Totally and completely disappointed.
Recommended :👎
March 31, 2022
A terrific new mystery series set in Bombay at beginning of the fifties. Main character is the first female inspector. I loved the history and the mystery. Learned alot about post WWII India.
August 14, 2020
I love Vaseem Khan's Baby Ganesh mystery series set in Mumbai, and I was eager to see what he could do with a historical mystery, especially one involving the first female police officer in India. Midnight at Malabar House introduces a character and a time period that I have to know more about.
The horrors of the 1947 Partition loom large in this book, as they should considering the time in which it is set. The Partition was so momentous that its aftershocks are still being felt today, and the author talks about this a bit at the end of the book.
The mystery here is deeply satisfying, but it is the character of Persis Wadia that holds center stage and refuses to turn loose. She is paired with Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, a relationship that should continue to prove increasingly interesting as the series progresses. Persis's wheelchair-bound father, Sam, owns a well-known bookshop in Bombay, and this is where Persis has grown up-- now with ever more frustrating visits from her Auntie Nussie who's determined to get Persis married off and away from all this police nonsense.
The main thing that makes Persis such a fascinating character is her ironclad sense of morality, her belief in the new India, and her youth. She has the pig-headed righteousness of youth, convinced that she's always right, convinced that her way is the moral-- and only-- way. She doesn't have a frivolous molecule in her body, and she certainly didn't inherit a humor gene. Persis could be an obnoxious character, but she's not. Her naïveté means that it never occurs to her that the reason why those powerful government men are content to let her head the investigation is because they are convinced that she's incapable of solving it. She's a mere woman after all! As she flings herself at one obstacle after another, we see that some of those sharp edges of hers are going to be worn down with time.
I am looking forward to watching Persis Wadia mature as a human and as a police officer, and I look forward to Vaseem Khan's next book in the series with a great deal of anticipation. For those of you who are familiar with Sujatta Massey's excellent Perveen Mistry historical series, give Midnight at Malabar House a try. I think you're going to like it.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
The horrors of the 1947 Partition loom large in this book, as they should considering the time in which it is set. The Partition was so momentous that its aftershocks are still being felt today, and the author talks about this a bit at the end of the book.
The mystery here is deeply satisfying, but it is the character of Persis Wadia that holds center stage and refuses to turn loose. She is paired with Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, a relationship that should continue to prove increasingly interesting as the series progresses. Persis's wheelchair-bound father, Sam, owns a well-known bookshop in Bombay, and this is where Persis has grown up-- now with ever more frustrating visits from her Auntie Nussie who's determined to get Persis married off and away from all this police nonsense.
The main thing that makes Persis such a fascinating character is her ironclad sense of morality, her belief in the new India, and her youth. She has the pig-headed righteousness of youth, convinced that she's always right, convinced that her way is the moral-- and only-- way. She doesn't have a frivolous molecule in her body, and she certainly didn't inherit a humor gene. Persis could be an obnoxious character, but she's not. Her naïveté means that it never occurs to her that the reason why those powerful government men are content to let her head the investigation is because they are convinced that she's incapable of solving it. She's a mere woman after all! As she flings herself at one obstacle after another, we see that some of those sharp edges of hers are going to be worn down with time.
I am looking forward to watching Persis Wadia mature as a human and as a police officer, and I look forward to Vaseem Khan's next book in the series with a great deal of anticipation. For those of you who are familiar with Sujatta Massey's excellent Perveen Mistry historical series, give Midnight at Malabar House a try. I think you're going to like it.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
November 15, 2021
A GoodReads author I know thought this book sounded like my kind of thing, and she was right. It's a well-written mystery that introduced me to the culture of another country and a major moment in its history.
The story opens with Persis Wadia, the first female detective in the about-to-be Indian Republic, answering a phone at the Malabar House police station. The caller is reporting the murder of his boss, one of the few British diplomats that has found a niche for himself in the new India. Because there are higher-level police bureaus in Bombay, there's more than a hint that the team at Malabar House is being called in because it's lowest on the totem pole and likeliest to fail.
Essential to the plot is the recent Partition of colonial India into Pakistan (where Muslim Indians are supposed to live happily ever after) and independent India (mostly Hindu).
But there is no happily ever after for anyone after months of unbelievably savage bloodshed with thousands of innocent civilians slaughtered for religious sectarian reasons -- and sometimes for hidden wealth.
Persis is determined to be a success in this new India, not so much for her own ambition or to honor the activist mother she lost when she was seven, but to make justice happen. She is ornery and speaks her mind too much, so it's a question whether she will be able to keep her job in the know-a-guy culture left over from colonialism.
Author Vaseem Khan chooses to create a very Hercule Poirot climactic scene in a church parlor, where, with the assistance of her British not-quite-beau, Persis succeeds in a ruse to gather a remarkably large group of Indian and British suspects hiding secrets that may or may not be relevant.
It is painful to read about the sectarian violence of Partition and the typically ham-fisted solutions of the British (how many of the world's cultures have been carved up with straight edges and have wallowed in violence since the Empire left?). But since Partition happened several years before the action of the novel, I felt I could handle it.
Recommended.
The story opens with Persis Wadia, the first female detective in the about-to-be Indian Republic, answering a phone at the Malabar House police station. The caller is reporting the murder of his boss, one of the few British diplomats that has found a niche for himself in the new India. Because there are higher-level police bureaus in Bombay, there's more than a hint that the team at Malabar House is being called in because it's lowest on the totem pole and likeliest to fail.
Essential to the plot is the recent Partition of colonial India into Pakistan (where Muslim Indians are supposed to live happily ever after) and independent India (mostly Hindu).
But there is no happily ever after for anyone after months of unbelievably savage bloodshed with thousands of innocent civilians slaughtered for religious sectarian reasons -- and sometimes for hidden wealth.
Persis is determined to be a success in this new India, not so much for her own ambition or to honor the activist mother she lost when she was seven, but to make justice happen. She is ornery and speaks her mind too much, so it's a question whether she will be able to keep her job in the know-a-guy culture left over from colonialism.
Author Vaseem Khan chooses to create a very Hercule Poirot climactic scene in a church parlor, where, with the assistance of her British not-quite-beau, Persis succeeds in a ruse to gather a remarkably large group of Indian and British suspects hiding secrets that may or may not be relevant.
It is painful to read about the sectarian violence of Partition and the typically ham-fisted solutions of the British (how many of the world's cultures have been carved up with straight edges and have wallowed in violence since the Empire left?). But since Partition happened several years before the action of the novel, I felt I could handle it.
Recommended.
March 19, 2023
3.5-4 stars, rounded up because of all the informative historical background about the Partition and the first years of independent India - and of course, our heroine, Inspector Persis Wadia.
She’s a very intriguing character - stubborn, smart, idealistic, diligent - but she’s not very good with people. Unable to trust her fellow officers, most of whom feel women have no place in policing, she forms an uneasy alliance with Archie Blackfinch, a “criminalist” from Scotland Yard, sent to India to help the newly independent police force. Archie is also smart, analytical, funny and quirky; there seems to be a hint of a possible romantic relationship there.
The story opens in Bombay on New Year’s Eve, 1949. Persis has been a detective at Malabar House, supposedly where all the unwanted or washed-up police end up, for six months. Top of her class at the academy, she is the only female police in India. She has pulled the midnight shift, and receives a summons to Laburnum House, residence of Sir James Herriot, found dead during his New Year’s party.
Persis arrives to a lavish party, and finds the dead man in his study; he’s sitting at his desk, in costume, stabbed through the neck - but his pants are missing. His assistant is helpful, Archie begins examining the crime scene, Persis starts questioning guests. But as Sir James was British, and powerful, the guests are wealthy and powerful and impatient; it becomes apparent the case is a political landmine, and Persis must step carefully. She soon learns the dead man was asked by the Indian government to stay on and investigate atrocities committed during the Partition of 1947.
I enjoyed following Persis’ investigation, and getting to know her a bit, and learn more about this fascinating and painful time in Indian history. Have read the first of this author’s Inspector Chopra mysteries, I thought this might be cozyish, but it’s grittier and darker, more like Abir Mukherjee’s awesome Sam Wyndham series set in 1920s India. I enjoyed this and want to read on, and see how Persis develops; she’s a very prickly character, and could definitely learn some humility, or at least the importance of saying thank you. But she is young, and seems to have gained some hard-earned wisdom by the end of this case. Also, Archie seems very interesting and likable. I’d like to read more and see how the informal partnership develops!
She’s a very intriguing character - stubborn, smart, idealistic, diligent - but she’s not very good with people. Unable to trust her fellow officers, most of whom feel women have no place in policing, she forms an uneasy alliance with Archie Blackfinch, a “criminalist” from Scotland Yard, sent to India to help the newly independent police force. Archie is also smart, analytical, funny and quirky; there seems to be a hint of a possible romantic relationship there.
The story opens in Bombay on New Year’s Eve, 1949. Persis has been a detective at Malabar House, supposedly where all the unwanted or washed-up police end up, for six months. Top of her class at the academy, she is the only female police in India. She has pulled the midnight shift, and receives a summons to Laburnum House, residence of Sir James Herriot, found dead during his New Year’s party.
Persis arrives to a lavish party, and finds the dead man in his study; he’s sitting at his desk, in costume, stabbed through the neck - but his pants are missing. His assistant is helpful, Archie begins examining the crime scene, Persis starts questioning guests. But as Sir James was British, and powerful, the guests are wealthy and powerful and impatient; it becomes apparent the case is a political landmine, and Persis must step carefully. She soon learns the dead man was asked by the Indian government to stay on and investigate atrocities committed during the Partition of 1947.
I enjoyed following Persis’ investigation, and getting to know her a bit, and learn more about this fascinating and painful time in Indian history. Have read the first of this author’s Inspector Chopra mysteries, I thought this might be cozyish, but it’s grittier and darker, more like Abir Mukherjee’s awesome Sam Wyndham series set in 1920s India. I enjoyed this and want to read on, and see how Persis develops; she’s a very prickly character, and could definitely learn some humility, or at least the importance of saying thank you. But she is young, and seems to have gained some hard-earned wisdom by the end of this case. Also, Archie seems very interesting and likable. I’d like to read more and see how the informal partnership develops!
August 14, 2022
Was a fast paced murder mystery- a police procedural of just independent India with all its nascent problems and a mobile foreign population. Perses, the first woman police officer, was a slightly irritating character, but I bore her with magnanimity. All the men characters were described with great attention to the sizes and shapes of their moustaches.
The story was fast paced and kept me interested.
The story was fast paced and kept me interested.
December 2, 2022
Too heavy on the history and less on the mystery until seventy percent of the book has been read. I know that we are getting to know Persis and that is the reason for a slower pace at the beginning but the constant introduction of her aunt and father was at times distracting and tedious. Also, every time she arrives at a building, the author needs to tell us the whole history behind it. Probably in the next installment he is going to concentrate more in the investigation at hand and in the characters. I did like the joke about how her father (the bookseller) bought too many copies of 1984 by Orwell, he thought it wasn’t going to sell.
Archie and Persis are great well developed characters that interact well with each other. I am looking forward to revisit them again.
Archie and Persis are great well developed characters that interact well with each other. I am looking forward to revisit them again.
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