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A review by usbsticky
The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee
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.
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.