It is a beautifully written exploration of Wadia's struggle to be accepted as a detective in a male-dominated culture, while navigating a country in turmoil. A thrilling murder mystery, it also wonderfully evokes a turbulent period of India's history * Daily Express * Persis pursues the truth stubbornly & with persistence. She is hindered by her colleagues, who feel women have no place in the police service, as well as the lingering fears & prejudices of a traumatised nation. Wadia eventually establishes several lines of enquiry. Herriot was investigating atrocities during Partition, about which plenty of people have matters to conceal. His assumed wealth is found to be illusory, something his business partner might have resented. His missing trousers, when found, hint at some sexual or romantic liaison which might have been a cause for jealousy. This is historical crime fiction at its best - a compelling mix of social insight and complex plotting with a thoroughly engaging heroine. A highly promising new series * Mail on Sunday *

Vaseem Khan - Wikipedia Vaseem Khan - Wikipedia

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 story opens with Persis Wadia, the first female detective in the about-to-be Indian Republic, answering a phone at the Malabar House police station. The caller is reporting the murder of his boss, one of the few British diplomats that has found a niche for himself in the new India. Because there are higher-level police bureaus in Bombay, there's more than a hint that the team at Malabar House is being called in because it's lowest on the totem pole and likeliest to fail.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. Blatant twisting of Historical facts . The mole train line was discontinued in 1944 6yrs before the setting of this book. A/c was introduced in India by Voltas in 1954 and if she's part of a shunted and rejected team, they will be the last to get any luxury. The same goes with the jeep she gets to drive. She's part of the reject team and a woman on top she would never have gotten that jeep so easilyMax she wiuld.be given a cycle . Its 1949/50 graveyard shift to a woman?? and without a partner?? Hiw did she do the body search?Women in India, irrespective of religion/ caste, had the same treatment : downtrodden and repressed. Some may have gotten more freedom than others, but what Persis was given : even today's girls will not get it. Travelling overnight in a train to the Northwich a male companion whos not family? I wouldn't let my daughters go now unless I have a deep hatred towards them. They would be lynched within a few hrs. 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 * 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. This book is the first I have read by this author and is the beginning of a new series. The central character is Persis Wadia,the fictional first female police officer in the Indian Police Service. At the outset of the story, Persis is on duty on New Years Eve in 1949. She is a member of a police unit that is comprised of officers who have been consigned to the scrap heap because of previous missteps in their career. The newly appointed Persis’ misstep is her gender only. Her appointment to the IPS has been met with both prejudice and resistance.

Midnight at Malabar House Review Midnight at Malabar House Review

This is historical crime fiction at its sharpest, set on the brink of independence and during a dramatic period of the subcontinent's history * The Sunday Times * Plot is interesting, keeps you hooked on to it throughout as the trauma of partition unrolls itself before the readers. Repetition seemed the only irksome thing about the book, as I felt that the author wants to stuff the information into the reader’s mind by repeating it a good ten times. Besides, the long and melodramatic stretches could have been avoided, because the book seemed good with a Bollywood touch to it (but you can’t complain as the settings of the novel screamed for the touch of the city of dreams i-e: Bombay).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. The mystery itself has many similarities to typical classic English stories and even includes the Christie gathering of suspects at the end reveal. Much more is going on however. Vaseem Khan uses the framework to tell a lot about the history of the time and the partition disaster. India in 1950 was still very much at odds with itself, trying to reconcile religious and political differences.

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

The cast do not perhaps have the immediate appeal of Ganesh and his human family which gives that series so much charm, but the interaction between Wadia and Archie seems to have plenty of potential for future adventures.I do like a gritty crime novel and modern forensics, but sometimes a slightly gentler approach is desirable, as in ‘Midnight at Malabar House’. Profile". Vaseem Khan. May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016 . Retrieved 11 April 2016. 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. 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.

Midnight at Malabar House (The Malabar House Series): Winner

The plot is a direct retelling of a 90's Bollywood hit film Sarfarosh starring Amir Khan and Sonali Bendre. In the movie, the culprit is a Muslim, whereas here he's a Hindu. As with Khan’s established Ganesh series, however, the crime under investigation provides a basis for the author to explore wider issues, and there is plenty of material here of interest: the continuing resentment against the British Raj for withholding independence for so long; the mixture of religions and beliefs thrown into a new environment after Partition; and the development of a truly home-grown culture. I know that trends in writing are not unusual but the coincidences between these two series are more striking than most. I can highly recommend ‘Evil Things’ by Katja Ivar– her heroine, Inspector Hella Mauzer, is the first woman to be accepted into Helsinki’s Homicide Unit in 1940s Finland. The review is here.Much grittier than the cosy crime novels above, these writers can be relied upon to deliver brilliant police procedurals with a strong female detective. These are contemporary novels: