lzad's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, War, Violence, Suicide, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Mental illness
debbiemv's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
johnotoole84's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
kyrajg's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jhbandcats's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-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? Yes
3.0
I’m so frustrated with this series. I love the stories and the main character Persis and learning about post-Independence India, but so much of the writing drives me nuts. At least the jarring introduction of historical facts into the tale didn’t bother me as much this time.
That said, the whole premise of the riddles seemed preposterous. Maybe if the riddles had been less complex I might have accepted them more easily, but I couldn’t picture a frantic, stressed police inspector going through the nitpicking of figuring them out - and there were a LOT. The story itself was too complex, with too many extraneous characters muddying the plot, especially at the end when everything is finally spelled out.
I was also bothered about documents being faxed - I didn’t know faxes existed in 1950s. In fact, they didn’t. They weren’t in use till 1964. Perhaps the author was referring to the pantelegraph, a precursor to the fax machine.
And what’s that bit about casually climbing over a 7’ wall in the middle of the night? Doesn’t seem realistic.
Finally, there’s a scene in a morgue where what appears to be a tattoo is discovered, but it turns out to be ink. But it’s not something simple; it’s a really long series of words and numbers. It would have gone all the way down the man’s thigh. And it was so complicated that it would have been easy to make a lot of mistakes. After all, writing on your own thigh is harder than writing on a piece of paper.
Normally I wouldn’t read further but I bought the first three books in the series so I’ll read the next one - but I’ll be mad about it.
That said, the whole premise of the riddles seemed preposterous. Maybe if the riddles had been less complex I might have accepted them more easily, but I couldn’t picture a frantic, stressed police inspector going through the nitpicking of figuring them out - and there were a LOT. The story itself was too complex, with too many extraneous characters muddying the plot, especially at the end when everything is finally spelled out.
I was also bothered about documents being faxed - I didn’t know faxes existed in 1950s. In fact, they didn’t. They weren’t in use till 1964. Perhaps the author was referring to the pantelegraph, a precursor to the fax machine.
And what’s that bit about casually climbing over a 7’ wall in the middle of the night? Doesn’t seem realistic.
Finally, there’s a scene in a morgue where what appears to be a tattoo is discovered, but it turns out to be ink. But it’s not something simple; it’s a really long series of words and numbers. It would have gone all the way down the man’s thigh. And it was so complicated that it would have been easy to make a lot of mistakes. After all, writing on your own thigh is harder than writing on a piece of paper.
Normally I wouldn’t read further but I bought the first three books in the series so I’ll read the next one - but I’ll be mad about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Antisemitism, Violence, War, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Racism, Genocide, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Gore, Gun violence, and Mental illness
engersand's review
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? Yes
4.0
thebooktrail88's review
5.0
image: 
Discover the literary locations of The Dying Day
Head to Mumbai for some criminal investigations
A real literary treasure hunt!
This is a novel which quite cleverly mixes fact and fiction to a very good effect. A manuscript of Dante’s famous book has gone missing. This is important as there has been tension between Italy and India regarding this for years so its loss is not just financial but political and of course, all about honour. We are in an India that has recently experienced partition so Bombay is a divided city in more ways than one.
Female police officer Persis is stuck in between two worlds and not just in a political sense. She is the only female police officer in India and so she has more to prove than most. Not least to her aunt who, in keeping with the literary links, seems to have read Pride and Prejudice a few too many times. It is not a universally acknowledged truth that all women are in need of a good wife.
The city and the politics of the time and place make this novel what it is. There’s so much careful research and casual observations drip-fed throughout and this makes the novel shine. Bombay’s post partition growth spurt for example means that the infrastructure of the city is lacking. On top of that, there is instability in the country. With Nehru’s political reforms and the British withdrawal, the city is a hotbed of instability.
Back to the literary leaning of this novel for that is what really griped me. Ancient texts in Greek, a missing Dante manuscript and a novel in a hidden bookcase with another clue…..My oh my Vaseem. I was totally engrossed in this novel from start to finish!
A deliciously good literary treasure hunt and mystery.
Discover the literary locations of The Dying Day
Head to Mumbai for some criminal investigations
A real literary treasure hunt!
This is a novel which quite cleverly mixes fact and fiction to a very good effect. A manuscript of Dante’s famous book has gone missing. This is important as there has been tension between Italy and India regarding this for years so its loss is not just financial but political and of course, all about honour. We are in an India that has recently experienced partition so Bombay is a divided city in more ways than one.
Female police officer Persis is stuck in between two worlds and not just in a political sense. She is the only female police officer in India and so she has more to prove than most. Not least to her aunt who, in keeping with the literary links, seems to have read Pride and Prejudice a few too many times. It is not a universally acknowledged truth that all women are in need of a good wife.
The city and the politics of the time and place make this novel what it is. There’s so much careful research and casual observations drip-fed throughout and this makes the novel shine. Bombay’s post partition growth spurt for example means that the infrastructure of the city is lacking. On top of that, there is instability in the country. With Nehru’s political reforms and the British withdrawal, the city is a hotbed of instability.
Back to the literary leaning of this novel for that is what really griped me. Ancient texts in Greek, a missing Dante manuscript and a novel in a hidden bookcase with another clue…..My oh my Vaseem. I was totally engrossed in this novel from start to finish!
A deliciously good literary treasure hunt and mystery.
aashi123435's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.0
aljavi's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
Had this book on kindle for a long time.
Now I bought the first.
Really enjoyed this mystery in India 😊
Now I bought the first.
Really enjoyed this mystery in India 😊