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visorforavisor's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Wow, this book is amazing. Nev March weaves an intricately detailed image of late-19th-century Bombay (now Mumbai) and excellently walks the fine balance between not over-explaining things for non-Indian readers while still being totally comprehensible, while also making what explanations or translations are there into seamless parts of Jim’s narration. (There’s also a glossary at the back.)
This book is so, so incredibly fascinating and tantalising. It’s a perfect mystery, wrapped up in the changing and complex socio-political situation of British-ruled India. Our hero, James Agnihotri, is loveable and frustrating in equal measures, and his wry commentary and Sherlock Holmes references make for a delightful read.
Jim (or Ms March, however you want to see it) draws in the reader by point-blank describing nasty parts of life in the 19th century, not shying away from describing the 1857 Sepoy Rebellion, or prostitution being forced on teens, or poverty. Describing the horrors that largely resulted from the British rule in India makes us care all the more for the people Jim then helps, and gives us more of an insight to his experience as a man with one English parent and one Indian, and the potential to pass for either one of those nationalities depending on the situation.
The mystery at the heart of this story — the murder of Bacha and Pilloo Framji, wife and sister to Adi Framji — is intricate, detailed, cleverly constructed, and never confusing as it continually grows.
Jim’s narrative voice is one of my favourites of things I’ve read recently, and I really did root for him in everything: love, mystery-solving, and finding a family.
This book will break your heart in places, but it’s the best mystery I’ve read in a long, long time and it’s also great to see publishing finally starting to realise we should publish historical and mystery books outside of England and the States.
I also really appreciate the brief passage making it clear to us that Jim is in support of homosexuals. Not strictly plot-necessary, but super nice and tells us more about who he is.
This book is so, so incredibly fascinating and tantalising. It’s a perfect mystery, wrapped up in the changing and complex socio-political situation of British-ruled India. Our hero, James Agnihotri, is loveable and frustrating in equal measures, and his wry commentary and Sherlock Holmes references make for a delightful read.
Jim (or Ms March, however you want to see it) draws in the reader by point-blank describing nasty parts of life in the 19th century, not shying away from describing the 1857 Sepoy Rebellion, or prostitution being forced on teens, or poverty. Describing the horrors that largely resulted from the British rule in India makes us care all the more for the people Jim then helps, and gives us more of an insight to his experience as a man with one English parent and one Indian, and the potential to pass for either one of those nationalities depending on the situation.
The mystery at the heart of this story — the murder of Bacha and Pilloo Framji, wife and sister to Adi Framji — is intricate, detailed, cleverly constructed, and never confusing as it continually grows.
Jim’s narrative voice is one of my favourites of things I’ve read recently, and I really did root for him in everything: love, mystery-solving, and finding a family.
This book will break your heart in places, but it’s the best mystery I’ve read in a long, long time and it’s also great to see publishing finally starting to realise we should publish historical and mystery books outside of England and the States.
I also really appreciate the brief passage making it clear to us that Jim is in support of homosexuals. Not strictly plot-necessary, but super nice and tells us more about who he is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment
ktyndall's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Rape
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