Reviews

The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee

extraaardvark's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

daniel_mc_adam's review against another edition

5.0

What a book it is truly one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.
Now I have to find the time to start from The First Book in The Series to The Fourth one.

A Rising Man

A Necessary Evil

Smoke & Ashes

Death In The East.

Really Looking forward to reading these very soon.

varunob's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

 "A Hindu theologian is dead."

Five words that would have India on the streets. And not just today, but pretty much anytime in the last four decades. That we didn't get here without "help" is obvious, and The Shadows of Men, the latest entry in Abir Mukherjee's Sam Wyndham series, probes this increasingly familiar space of the Indian psyche.

The crime-busting duo of Wyndham and Surendranath Banerjee has never played with fire quite so fiendish and must tread carefully in a case that'll take them further than they've ever been before.

Following Death in the East, which explored some grim spaces (to say the least), The Shadows of Men is instantly lighter - in weight and in tone. It seems to talk about the light in dark times, while duking it out with bigotry-infused nationalism.

Despite the tonal shift from the previous two books, The Shadows of Men is seldom in danger of slipping off the ladder (or falling off the wagon, as Wyndham could-would-should). The novel's true value lies in seeing just how naturally the "lighter" writing comes to Mukherjee, and how he treads the path between portraying and preaching.

And because this is Mukherjee, a man who can safely fictionalise history from the distant shores of England, we get mirrors of the Indian leaders of the time who sought to slice-and-dice the country, and there's a brief appearance by a certain Mayor of Calcutta, who is used to tremendous effect in what is his second appearance in the series.

The other parallels - to the Muslim League and to the Hindu far-right organisations of the time - are easy enough to spot, though Mukherjee prefers to leave them in the background.

The most notable difference from the earlier novels is in Mukherjee's choice of narrator - while Wyndham remains the protagonist, chapters alternate between his point-of-view and Suren's, and Mukherjee pulls out the stops in etching a deeper arc for the character. It is a promotion for Suren, who rises to the occasion.

The travels and travails of the duo are yet another point of interest - though Calcutta cops, this is their third of five cases to be tackled outside the erstwhile Indian capital. That Mukherjee chooses to leave aside the parts of Bombay that don't fit in with his world might seem a curious call at first (did to me) but it adds to the book - gives it the edge it doesn't always carry, makes it more eerie.

I do have a quibble with the book: it's far too short, and what makes these books so damn delectable is the length, for it permits you to get lost in this long bygone world. It isn't quite as daring as the previous two either, which is a shame because the ideas Mukherjee has are solid ones. It's the series middler - the separator, if you will, one that has some of the better aspects of A Rising Man and A Necessary Evil but doesn't quite match up to Smoke and Ashes and Death in the East. Still, it's a damn good book, and anyone with a soft spot for the genre or for Mukherjee will take to it quite readily. 

jmatkinson1's review against another edition

3.0

When a prominent Hindu cleric is found dead the prime suspect is Suren Banerjee. He claims to have been sent to the house by a senior officer, assaulted and then finding the man dead tried to cover it up. All of Bombay is aflame with religious riots. The prime suspect is a Muslim leader who has escaped to Calcutta so Sam and a fugitive Suren follow him, working undercover. The truth is far more complex and the colonial Raj rulers are not far from the centre.
I have read a couple of previous instalments in the series and found them more gripping than this. the premise is great, a secret plot to destabilise India along religious grounds and allow the Raj to cement themselves as the law but it never really seems to fly.

sapient_mammal's review against another edition

adventurous reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

roshk99's review against another edition

4.0

Mukherjee seems to be getting better as this series goes on and this book is no exception. Flipping between Suren and Sam every chapter, this book tackles Hindu/Muslim tensions and involves an impromptu travel out of Calcutta. Lots of twists and turns, a great read.

saraheholtom's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

usbsticky's review against another edition

4.0

Spoilers ahead. I have enjoyed all the books in this series.

The setting is early last century during the waning days of the Raj, between the great wars. Wyndham is a detective Captain and Banerjee is his native/local sergeant. The writing is very natural and easy to read. I got into the story right away despite reading the last book a year ago.

The POV alternates between the two. I like the book because the author does a good job of making the 2 protagonists feel real as well as the supporting characters.

The plot centers around the Indians wanting/agitating for independence from the British, yet the Muslims and Hindus dislike each other as much as the British and seemingly just waiting for the British to leave before going for each other's throats.

A notable Hindu academic is murdered in a Muslim area. Sergeant Banerjee is found unconscious nearby and arrested for his murder. He swears that the Police Commissioner Taggart gave him a secret mission to follow the academic. But Taggart is gravely wounded in a bomb attack and cannot vouch for him. As the authorities prepare to charge him with murder, Banerjee escapes to Mumbai together with Wyndham to follow a suspect. The only way for Banerjee to avoid arrest and the gallows is to catch the real murderer.

As far as I can recall, this latest book focuses quite a bit in Indian independence whereas the other books more on crime. To be honest I'd rather the author write more about crime and the two main characters rather than on history.

debrup_bhattacharya's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

booktwitcher23's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5