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librarydancer's review
3.0
Read 10%, skimmed rest.
Interesting mystery -- former army solider follows Sherlock Holmes' way of thinking to solve a mystery.
Interesting mystery -- former army solider follows Sherlock Holmes' way of thinking to solve a mystery.
taylorfield's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Book Club August Read
Long Story Short: It’s 1892, and Captain James Agnihorti is in a hospital recovering from an injury sustained in a military battle that left both physical and mental scars. When he reads about the deaths of two prominent women in Bombay, he sets out on a mission to discover who killed them and why.
Long Story Short: It’s 1892, and Captain James Agnihorti is in a hospital recovering from an injury sustained in a military battle that left both physical and mental scars. When he reads about the deaths of two prominent women in Bombay, he sets out on a mission to discover who killed them and why.
She looked agonized. “Captain, do you ever break the rules?”
I drew a slow breath. “I have. But never without consequences, my dear.”
This probably isn’t a book I would have picked up on my own, but I enjoyed the historical fiction-murder mystery-romance mashup. I loved Jim’s good but tortured character and the Framji family. I loved the ending.
It was interesting that some of the writing was so repetitive while other areas were so vague the reader has to infer what happened. Many of the big reveals also felt a little anticlimactic, and the few that weren’t were glossed over.
Enjoyment: 4/5
Craft: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
monopolyllama's review
2.0
Sigh… I was really intrigued by the idea of this book, and I spent most of my winter vacation trying to really jump into it. However, I’m about halfway through the novel and I find myself just not intrigued at all about the mystery set before us. I feel like zero dots have been connected and even the romance is boring. Life is too short to drag yourself through a boring book - I’m going to have to DNF this one.
fourwhitetrees's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-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
5.0
hollysar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-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
4.75
coralcrab77's review
dnf @ 153 pg
Well written and I liked the storyline but I wanted more mystery and less historical fiction. Wasn't for me
Well written and I liked the storyline but I wanted more mystery and less historical fiction. Wasn't for me
inoirita's review
3.0
In a manner imitating that of Doyle’s Holmes and Ray’s Feluda, Captain Jim Agnihotri finds himself called to solve the mysterious deaths of two women belonging to the aristocratic Framji family based in Bombay. The pre Independence era of India gives a cosy setting to the mysterious murder mystery that travels from Lahore to Shimla and Bombay. The atmospheric features of the story are well balanced with the variety of characters in March’s novel that gives the India of the late 1800s a buoyant mood.
Captain Agnihotri maintained a complicated relationship with his past, healing from his experiences on the Northern Frontier was a difficult task for him. After twelve years of service in the military, he was looking for a quiet life of working in a newspaper company. Upon meeting the young and grieving Adi Framji, the widower of one of the women in the mysterious double deaths, Agnihotri takes it upon himself to find the culprits. He even finds himself a number two in the young and beautiful Diana, the younger sister of Adi who had just returned from England to mourn with her family. A forbidden love story blooms between the two and fuels Agnihotri’s quest for justice.
The central character’s search for identity is one of the most nuanced aspects of the novel; it showcases the sensitivity of the author while handling the stringent ambience of the society. The Parsee community was immensely tight knit and they did not believe in intermarriage, which kept the Captain in a tricky relation with his employers. His mixed heritage from a fair skinned Brahmin woman and an unknown Englishman provided him the opportunities to impose several disguises in himself but was a curse in matters of wrongful identity accusation and acceptance from the Framji’s as their own.
The plot is immersing and at times comical, which is a rare scene in most of the narratives of that particular timeline. In all reflection, Nev March’s debut, “Murder in Old Bombay” is a charming crime novel with prominent historical undertones and an entertaining prose, a perfect weekend cozy read with a warm cup of comfort!
Captain Agnihotri maintained a complicated relationship with his past, healing from his experiences on the Northern Frontier was a difficult task for him. After twelve years of service in the military, he was looking for a quiet life of working in a newspaper company. Upon meeting the young and grieving Adi Framji, the widower of one of the women in the mysterious double deaths, Agnihotri takes it upon himself to find the culprits. He even finds himself a number two in the young and beautiful Diana, the younger sister of Adi who had just returned from England to mourn with her family. A forbidden love story blooms between the two and fuels Agnihotri’s quest for justice.
The central character’s search for identity is one of the most nuanced aspects of the novel; it showcases the sensitivity of the author while handling the stringent ambience of the society. The Parsee community was immensely tight knit and they did not believe in intermarriage, which kept the Captain in a tricky relation with his employers. His mixed heritage from a fair skinned Brahmin woman and an unknown Englishman provided him the opportunities to impose several disguises in himself but was a curse in matters of wrongful identity accusation and acceptance from the Framji’s as their own.
The plot is immersing and at times comical, which is a rare scene in most of the narratives of that particular timeline. In all reflection, Nev March’s debut, “Murder in Old Bombay” is a charming crime novel with prominent historical undertones and an entertaining prose, a perfect weekend cozy read with a warm cup of comfort!
cathy5981's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
suegat's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
eclecticsunlight's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated