Lying in the heart of the Malabar house, there’s a tale of avarice,love, betrayal and newly founded India which is striving hard to clean the dark bloats of partition and imperialism. This was a very enjoyable historical mystery/police procedural. Set in the first days of 1950 with the consequences of Partition still churning, Persis, the first woman police officer in her country is tasked with a complicated and politically sensitive murder investigation. Her being the first woman is a major theme here and she's inundated with obstacles along the way but of course, she persists. Her colleagues, all male, were an interesting bunch and had surprises to the very end. I liked Persis and also the insight into her personal relationships with her family. She was determined and cared to find the truth, not just any answer served up to her for expedience. I adored the family bookstore her father maintained and her deep love for him. Even her Aunt Nussie was a good character with her overbearing ways. Persis is confronted with a murder case with many suspects, all with a motive to want Sir James dead. This is a police procedural that shows the strenuous work and tedium of police investigations. Persis displays intuition, intelligence, inductive reasoning, as well as the determination to put the clues together and come up with a plausible theory. The solution is Agatha Christie influenced. She gets all the suspects together in a room and outlines her investigation and conclusions step by step, suggesting which people who are innocent and cleverly identifying the guilty party and the motive.

Midnight at Malabar House: The Malabar House Series, Book 1

An intriguing mystery with a strong female protagonist who’s introvert, bookish and owns a grumpy cat (makes an ideal protagonist of course). The striking fact about her is that she’s no ordinary being, but the first woman IPS officer with some great shooting skills. Profile". Vaseem Khan. May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016 . Retrieved 11 April 2016. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes historical crime fiction with plenty of heart. The setting is interesting, the characters are engaging and the plot is well-constructed. You - like me - will end the book wondering what is next for Inspector Wadia and very much looking forward to finding out.If you like your crime novels without forensic detail, then the following books and series may be of interest. Cosy crime isn’t a genre I read often, but I can personally recommend these! I am looking forward to watching Persis Wadia mature as a human and as a police officer, and I look forward to Vaseem Khan's next book in the series with a great deal of anticipation. For those of you who are familiar with Sujatta Massey's excellent Perveen Mistry historical series, give Midnight at Malabar House a try. I think you're going to like it.

Malabar House Series by Vaseem Khan - Goodreads

Vaseem Khan's new book is an absolute treat from start to finish. A satisfying murder mystery and a fascinating evocation of India just after Partition, it also introduces the clever, endearing (and somewhat stubborn) Detective Persis Wadia to the world. I'm already looking forward to her next case * Antonia Hodgson * In 2021, Khan was awarded the Sapere Books Historical Dagger Award by the Crime Writers' Association. [9] In May 2023, Khan was elected the chair of the Crime Writers' Association. [10] Works [ edit ]Mr. Khan definitely doesn't know Mumbai/Bombay. The four streets he's mentioned still exist so no research needed. The Laetitia Rodd mysteries by Kate Saunders – starting with ‘The Secrets of Wishtide’, this series features a genteel Victorian lady detective who finds herself in reduced circumstances after her husband’s death. I love Vaseem Khan's Baby Ganesh mystery series set in Mumbai, and I was eager to see what he could do with a historical mystery, especially one involving the first female police officer in India. Midnight at Malabar House introduces a character and a time period that I have to know more about. Knowing much less about Indian history and this period in particular, you'll probably be apt to like this far more than I did. The case itself holds several good twists but it really becomes too convoluted and also rather easy to decipher at the same time. While there are way too many characters running completely on feelings, sacrifice, passion and not just plain greed to make it at all probable for their placements. The author's knowledge of Indian history is impressive, and he seamlessly weaves that history into an entertaining story. I enjoyed his protagonist (IMO, male writers have trouble nailing some of the angst felt by professional women, particularly those in break-out roles) and supporting characters. The pacing kept me interested, although I skimmed a bit during long prose sections. These passages were "telling, not showing," but I know enough Indian history that they might be revelatory to someone else.

Vaseem Khan - Wikipedia Vaseem Khan - Wikipedia

There are a few anachronisms in the book. The first female police officer in the IPS was appointed in 1972. I can live with this time displacement since this book is a work of fiction. A more jarring note was the mention of Persis having a well thumbed copy of the novel Dr Zhivago, which was not published until 1957. This oversight is also a minor quibble but was personally jarring to me. I also wondered at the characterization of Persis.She is a well drawn character who is smart, perceptive, determined and exceedingly outspoken and blunt. At times, she seemed almost James Bond like in conception. I also wondered if she too easily navigated the glass ceiling and gender prejudice that would have been encountered in 1950. And so, when the phone rings to report the murder of prominent English diplomat Sir James Herriot, the country’s most sensational case falls into her lap. The historical tidbit he's given and that's exactly how much of facts he's presented are irrelevant to the plot. Bibi ghar massacre and the info on Haji Ali have no relevance to the plot. it really makes no difference, whether it's included in the story or not. Haji Ali was off limits to women till as late as the 70's. Would they really allow a rich American woman to just walk in without the required dress code and smoke in the premises?? Any religion would take offence at the disrespect shown.Those who have enjoyed the Baby Ganesh Agency novels will be interested to hear of a new series by author Vaseem Khan, again set in Bombay, but at an earlier date. We have a new cast of characters, revolving around Persis Wadia, India’s first female police detective. Khan keeps the narrative simple. He does not want to rush the readers towards the murderer; there is no sense of urgency to the plot. Wadia’s perspective of looking at details keep the readers engaged.