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monnibo's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nicjohnston's review against another edition
5.0
5*. I loved it! The Lost Man of Bombay (which I have also seen titled in advanced copies as The Lost Man of Debra Dun) is the 3rd in Vaseem Khan’s brilliant Malabar House series. We rejoin Persis, India’s first female police woman who took up her role as the clock struck on Indian independence and partition. This series is a pre-order must for me.
In a cave in the mountains, the body of an unidentified European man is found, quickly dubbed the Ice Man by the press. Meanwhile in Bombay a couple are murdered while sleeping in their bed, the woman being the daughter of a prominent politician. As the body count mounts, the seemingly unrelated cases land on the desk of Persis. Dogged by her sexist colleagues but determined to find the answers, Persis had to unlock a host of cyphers and a decade long mystery to draw the strings together.
The Lost Man of Bombay would work well as a stand alone. However, revisiting Persis, her family and her colleagues (notably Archie the awkward British forensic policeman) is an absolute joy. This is the second book in the series to include cyphers and to draw on inspiration from real events which leads to a brilliantly plotted story. The pacing, the protagonists and the sense of place are all superb. I would highly recommend this book and those which go before it.
With huge thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for an advance copy.
In a cave in the mountains, the body of an unidentified European man is found, quickly dubbed the Ice Man by the press. Meanwhile in Bombay a couple are murdered while sleeping in their bed, the woman being the daughter of a prominent politician. As the body count mounts, the seemingly unrelated cases land on the desk of Persis. Dogged by her sexist colleagues but determined to find the answers, Persis had to unlock a host of cyphers and a decade long mystery to draw the strings together.
The Lost Man of Bombay would work well as a stand alone. However, revisiting Persis, her family and her colleagues (notably Archie the awkward British forensic policeman) is an absolute joy. This is the second book in the series to include cyphers and to draw on inspiration from real events which leads to a brilliantly plotted story. The pacing, the protagonists and the sense of place are all superb. I would highly recommend this book and those which go before it.
With huge thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for an advance copy.
nicjohnston's review
5.0
5*. I loved it! The Lost Man of Bombay (which I have also seen titled in advanced copies as The Lost Man of Debra Dun) is the 3rd in Vaseem Khan’s brilliant Malabar House series. We rejoin Persis, India’s first female police woman who took up her role as the clock struck on Indian independence and partition. This series is a pre-order must for me.
In a cave in the mountains, the body of an unidentified European man is found, quickly dubbed the Ice Man by the press. Meanwhile in Bombay a couple are murdered while sleeping in their bed, the woman being the daughter of a prominent politician. As the body count mounts, the seemingly unrelated cases land on the desk of Persis. Dogged by her sexist colleagues but determined to find the answers, Persis had to unlock a host of cyphers and a decade long mystery to draw the strings together.
The Lost Man of Bombay would work well as a stand alone. However, revisiting Persis, her family and her colleagues (notably Archie the awkward British forensic policeman) is an absolute joy. This is the second book in the series to include cyphers and to draw on inspiration from real events which leads to a brilliantly plotted story. The pacing, the protagonists and the sense of place are all superb. I would highly recommend this book and those which go before it.
With huge thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for an advance copy.
In a cave in the mountains, the body of an unidentified European man is found, quickly dubbed the Ice Man by the press. Meanwhile in Bombay a couple are murdered while sleeping in their bed, the woman being the daughter of a prominent politician. As the body count mounts, the seemingly unrelated cases land on the desk of Persis. Dogged by her sexist colleagues but determined to find the answers, Persis had to unlock a host of cyphers and a decade long mystery to draw the strings together.
The Lost Man of Bombay would work well as a stand alone. However, revisiting Persis, her family and her colleagues (notably Archie the awkward British forensic policeman) is an absolute joy. This is the second book in the series to include cyphers and to draw on inspiration from real events which leads to a brilliantly plotted story. The pacing, the protagonists and the sense of place are all superb. I would highly recommend this book and those which go before it.
With huge thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for an advance copy.
amreetkaur98's review against another edition
4.0
A great classic thriller, set against the rich backdrop of India, post British Raj. Well written characters, with subtleties in character. The only things that detract from the book are the almost farcical portrayals of honest and committed Indian police, and how pro-Gandhi propaganda is carefully peppered throughout. Depictions of life post Partition is skewed, and largely fictional. Albeit, this is a work of fiction so I’ll let it pass! It’s a good read, if you can bear to ignore the underlying socio-political agenda.
bookish79's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nikica_k's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
vampirefwoodstock's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
emilyack91's review against another edition
mysterious
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
margaret21's review
4.0
Three deaths, two in 1950s Bombay, one some years before high in the Himalayas. Two murders. Or could it be three? India's first female Police Detective, Inspector Persis Wadi, and Metropolitan Police Detective Archie Blackfinch are on the case. An engaging story with a more-than-flawed heroine and her less-than-clubbable side-kick paints a picture of troubled post-Imperial India, in which conspiracy theories abound. An engaging and enjoyable read.
dogearedandfurry's review
4.0
I quite enjoyed the plot of this one, and how it spanned the years. Things start to develop between Persis and Archie, though she is still very prickly (to most people) - I’m hoping she mellows a little, as while it’s understandable, it’s also hard to warm to her too much. And I like how things were left with Oberoi, Persis owing him but him having to adjust to what he did… it moves events along without tipping the balance too much one way or another. She owes him, but he can’t lord it over her.
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.