This is a new crime series
It is set in Bombay and India and covers lots of historical events.
It did feel more like a history novel than a crime book at times

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

After my sister said that I would really love this series and with book 4 due to be published later this year I thought it was high time I brought it to the top of my TBR pile and I am glad that I did as it really taps into my love of historical fiction with a bit of murder thrown in and I love books like this that give me a bit more of an insight into periods of history that I am not overly familiar with
Inspector Persis Wadia is on duty at Malabar House on New Year's Eve when she receives a call to go to the residence of Sir James Herriot who has been found murdered. When she arrives she finds that she has to work along side Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch to try to work out who wanted to see him dead when no one is willing to say a bad word against him. With a whole house of suspects to contend with Persis is determined to find the killer despite the case being a bit of a poison chalice as if she fails then it may end her career.
Persis has definitely been thrown in the deep end with this case and she is determined to solve it and prove all those who doubt that she should even be a police officer wrong. As the first and only female officer she is met with prejudice and distrust and the more she digs the more she realises that things just don’t add up and that not everyone is being truthful with her. She is certainly a very strong-willed person but at times her frustration boils over into anger that can actually be a hindrance to her investigations. Her relationship with Archie Blackfinch whilst starting out as one of distrust and resentment on her part does eventually shift to one that enables them to work well together. Her family are not always supportive of her actions, and I think at times this contributes to her responses to situations. I can only hope that she manages to prove everyone wrong, and I am looking forward to finding out.
There were quite a few suspects who definitely had reason to want the victim dead and even with a confession you can’t be sure who the killer was right up to the end. With the backdrop of India on the cusp of total independence there is so much distrust that you can feel the frustration as Persis searches for the truth. The politics of the time give the reader a real sense of the brutality and uncertainty as new ways are forged and add yet another dimension to the story and has made me glad that I can dive into the next book without having to wait.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review - apologies for the delay in sharing this. It’s the first in a new series set in Bombay, featuring Persis Wadia, the first female IPS detective. It’s a tricky balancing act, setting something back in history (in this case 1950) or in a different country - how much do you explain and describe? Too much showed your knowledge and research, but risks alienating your readers who switch off. Too little, and you miss educating them or keeping history alive.

I think on reflection, this one slipped a little too far into the oversharing camp. There were times when it felt a little too obviously “tell, don’t show” and while I now know a little more about Partition, I can’t say I learnt too much - it was overload and that’s when you stop learning.

Persis is understandably a little aloof and detached, but it did make her hard to get to know or like. It was also jarring that one minute she’s distant and aloof, the next she’s raging.

I’m hoping that this will settle down in the second book, so that the knowledge, research and characters can stand on their own for us to appreciate and get to know better.

This book is the first in a new and exciting historical murder mystery series set in India at a time of political change and unrest. Seen from the viewpoint of Persis Wadia, the first female detective in India. She is the subject of misogyny, family expectations and political interference. However, she is ambitious, and her tenacity for the truth overcomes her social awkwardness and political naivety.

Classically plotted against a background of insightful historical detail, this is an engaging book.

I received a copy of this book from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is a page-turning historical mystery about a female detective, Inspector Persis Wadia, solving a murder that has more and more political implications. Recommended for fans of historical settings and complex mysteries.

The first in a new series by the author of the Baby Ganesh series, which is probably one of my favourite series ever. Honestly, I would read a shopping list written by this man.

This one is set in the aftermath of WWII, and just after the Partition of India, and encompasses all the issues that arise from such an enormous upheaval. I had no idea about any of it, so this was also a history lesson for me in respect of such a controversial time in India's, and indeed, the world's, history, which is always written by the winners, as we know. We meet Persis Wadia, India's first, and currently only, female police Inspector. Not only does she have her gender working against her, but also is the fact that she is the Inspector in the Malabar House, the place where police officer's careers go to die. No one expects that this murder that lands in Persis's lap will ever be solved, but Persis is more determined and focused than anyone can imagine, and turns over many a stone to find all kinds of things crawling out from under them.

As with any first novel in a series, the story can get a little bogged down with all the information that needs to be shared and set up. But despite all that, the story takes us on an overland journey from Mumbai to Delhi and beyond while Persis searches for the answers. Much like Partition, the murder is a complicated situation, with an ultimately frustrating resolution.

Another excellent read and I'm looking forward to the next one already!

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot (there are plenty of reviews like that out there already!).

This is the first book I've read by Vaseem Khan, and also the first in a new series for him.

I enjoyed reading this novel on the whole - it was distressing to read some of the gory details of the events around Partition (even if they were true), which is not something I previously knew anything about to be honest (though I intend to remedy that)..

Persis Wadia - the main character of the novel - is a strong and headstrong character. She is not an easy character to like at first, though I did begin to warm to her more as the book progressed As the first Indian female detective, she faces hostility (both overt and hidden) from many sides - and has presumably developed a tough carapace for her own protection. She does not find relationships of any kind easy, but appears to get on reasonably well with her father, and also with her co-investigator, Archie Blackfinch (excellent name!)..

I will gladly read further novels by this author, as I really enjoyed his writing style. There is plenty of detailed description, so that you can easily picture the settings and characters, and the various personalities are well crafted.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I love the books by this author - beautifully described but I also learn so much about the history and the culture of a place I haven’t yet been able to visit

I hope this is the first in a series and there will be other instalment featuring Inspector Persis Wadia.
It's a well written, engrossing and highly enjoyable story that mixes historical fiction and mystery in an excellent way.
Great character development and story telling, a vivid and well researched historical background.
I learned something new about India and was fascinated by the historical facts and appreciated how well the author deals with issues like colonialism, misogyny and race.
It's an excellent read that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

On the midnight of New Year’s Eve in 1949, Malabar House police station receives a call for an investigation at Laburnum House.
Inspector Persis Wadia is the first to reach the scene and soon realizes it’s a house of elite British Sir James Herriot. Sir James Herriot was in headlines because of his close collaboration with Govt. of India.

By coincidence or by a deliberate try, Persis Wadia stumbles upon one of the most crucial cases of Free India. India has been free from the British regime and is on the cusp of becoming a new Republic. It is at a susceptible stage where it’s prone to disturbances.
The murder of Sir Herriot is more than what meets the eye! And with every step forward, Wadia becomes more entangled into a complex labyrinth.

As a first women IPS officer of India, she carries a tremendous burden of truth/ justice on her shoulder. And if she fails, her career may sink along with it.

Vaseem Khan’s Midnight at Malabar House is a gentle reminder of the golden age of whodunnit. Persis handles the case with a power, which gets, complicated at every turn of the event. She teams up with Archimedes “Archie” Blackfinch, a criminalist. Her focus is undeterred despite immense pressure at home (for getting married) and at work.

The story flows with a good pace but, at a few instances, the author gave too much background information and, that’s very distracting. She keeps remembering incidences from her childhood when she is about to go for an interview.

Overall, Midnight at Malabar House is a good read with a historical background.

My rating for the book is 3 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the copy in exchange for my honest review,

I was excited to read a murder mystery set in India. This follows Persis, the first female police detective in Bombay in 1950. She gets a call on New Year Eve 1949 about a murder of Sir James Herriot. He is an English diplomat who appears well liked. He was murder at a party in his house and Persis is tasked with trying to solve the murder. This book did not really work for me. I found it too slow and political for my tastes. I also did not think it necessary to reiterate over and over that she is the first female detective. I struggle quite a bit to read it honestly. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc for an honest review.

For someone like me, whose only real knowledge of Partition came from an episode of Dr Who, this book has been as much a history lesson as it has a thoroughly engaging murder mystery. Set at New Year 1949 into 1950, the story comes at a critical time in the evolution of India, after the atrocities that the division of the country into India and Pakistan created, but whilst India is still finding its feet as a new and soon to be self ruling nation. Working the night shift on New Years Eve, Inspector Persis Wadia receives a call summoning her to home of Sir James Herriot, whose aide has discovered his employer has been murdered. Given the circumstances. the prominence of the victim and the country's desire to start the next chapter of their existence, the pressure is on Wadia and the team of so-called 'misfits' at Malabar House to solve the case quickly.

As india's first, and only, female Detective, the stakes for Wadia are high and yet expectations low. If she succeeds, all well and good. If she fails then it will simply be written off as a failure by an team who have already been sidelined within the police force as a bunch of incompetents and curios. But Vaseem Kahn's latest protagonist, Persis Wadia, is not so easily written off. Whilst many around her believe that she is only there until an offer of marriage comes along and she can return to her proper role in life, she has very clearly got other ideas. She is a truly superb character - principled, determined, tenacious and not one to let things drop no matter what pressure comes to bear from the powers that be, and there is much pressure handed down with regards to the investigation. Wadia has great instincts and although battling the expectations of a very patriarchal society and the cultural norms of India, will not be swayed. She is led by her beliefs and her innate sense of justice rather than logic or science pushing on with her investigation when those around her believe the case is already closed. She is not necessarily the most open of characters, clearly struggling with expressing her emotions or reading those of the people around her, but. I did grow to like her very quickly, and I am looking forward to seeing her develops as the series progresses. She is one very canny and capable cat within a flock of misogynistic and complacent pigeons. It could be a lot of fun.

Almost in direct contrast to Wadia's instinct driven character we have Archie Blackfinch, a British Criminalist who is working with the Indian Police force to help them develop their forensic skills. He is quintessentially British, but also a scientist to the last, and where Wadia just knows something is wrong, Blackfinch is led very much by the evidence. That said, despite his being quite a measured character, he has the capacity to surprise you, and the chemistry between him and Wadia, as mismatched as they are, has been beautifully developed. She leads, he follows, although his trust in Wadia does put him in danger on more than one occasion. It really is fun to watch the clinician being led astray by the eager Inspector.

The backstory to this murder mystery is carefully crafted, the clues well hidden and the list of suspects long. It is a really thought provoking story, reminding readers of the real history of India, beyond the contrasts of the poverty and excess of the country we know today. This is the beginning of modern India's journey, where the imprint of Colonial rule is hard to wash away, and where politics and religion have literally divided a nation. It serves as a stark reminder of the brutality of Partition, of the senseless loss of life that occured due to a difference of faith. The balance between needing to provide the history of India and the current investigation is handled perfectly, neither over working nor over simplifying the horror of what happened, but laying the foundation for the story and the future of the series. There is a real sense of place that develops throughout the story and I was left with a strong impression of the setting and the characters as I read, drawing me even more into the narrative.

There is a kind of Christie-esque vibe to the whole piece, particularly in the reveal of the killer towards the end, wonderfully scripted and with all the key suspects playing their part. It is a brilliant blend of historical thriller and police procedural with a less than typical protagonist that I am really looking forward to seeing develop. Definitely recommended.

This encapsulated everything I like in books - history, family saga, mystery, detective, a touch of geography and politics of the glass ceiling. All hot topics for me.

The story set in post partition Bombay involves Persis a Parsi (tiny minority in India and in the world actually) eloquent, educated and determined to hold her own in a terribly male dominated profession - the police force in India. The only and first female detective in India but one who has to fight every step of the way to get recognition from her peers, from her superiors and even the public whom she tries to help.

A murder of a English diplomat at the height of a dinner party despite lots of people around, security, his personal servants etc and no one saw or heard anything. The victim was found minus his trousers which added to the mystery and Persis and her team are put in charge of the investigation. Mainly with the reason that if the investigation falls flat, the blame will squarely fall on her shoulders and those of her precinct, all of whom other than her have come there as a result of what is usually called a "punishment transfer" for some misdeed done. Her colleagues all have a chip on their shoulder and some of them are out gunning for her, not liking her status, her position and her confidence.

Going back and forth from the victim's mansion and his coterie of domestics to the far outskirts of Amritsar and the Punjab and coming back again the story winds around with a sad ending. Not the ending that was envisaged but one which sought to cover political ills in a system and one where everyone came smelling of roses. Persis is not happy but she cannot endanger the careers of many with her wanting to speak out the truth. A fine enactment of what happens everyday in most countries even today.

I loved the setting, the detailed history of the antagonism which exists and which politicians try to play down, the insistence on one's community, religion and caste so important in not just India but many Asian countries and the deep rooted hatred built up over centuries sometimes not understood by those outside these realms. Beautifully written about and fascinating reading. This was a real winner for me.

This is the first in a new series by the author of the fabulous Inspector Chopra Mysteries. I love historical fiction, I love mysteries and I love books set in India, so I knew this was the book for me. From the first word, to the last, it did not disappoint. The character of Persis Wadia, is brilliant - a woman in a man's world, she basically does what no one expects her to do. She is dumped on the graveyard shift, where everyone thinks she will basically be kept, and keep herself, out of the way. Persis is having none of it. She is a modern and independent Indian woman and she knows a female police officer can do exactly what a man can do. The mystery is strong and the plot engrossing, leading to me wanting to carry on reading. I was up half the night reading this book. This book is a strong contender in the historical mystery stakes and Vaseem Khan is up there at his sparkling best. I didn't think Baby Ganesh could be bettered but I now know that is not the case. A fantastic historical mystery which everyone should read.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This features Persis, the first woman police detective in India, and is set at the beginning of 1950, not long after partition. Persis is charged with investigating the death of an Englishman called (distractingly) Sir James Herriott, and is hampered by her disloyal and sexist colleagues and aided by a consultant from the Met called Blackfinch who is a 1950s CSI.

I enjoyed reading this. I liked Persis and Blackfinch, who are clearly going to have one of those will they-won't they relationships in future books. I thought it was well plotted, apart from a strange section towards the end when Persis has summoned the suspects together to do the big reveal and questions them to lay out the course of events. This is then followed immediately by the author running through exactly the same events again, this time as Persis mulls things over. My only other grumble is the amount of history included here. Certain events of WWII and partition very much form the backdrop and context of the novel, but here were so many battles and riots and massacres that I became a little jaded and confused. Sometimes less is more. I could have waited to the next book to learn about some of these atrocities.

A Stunning Mystery.....
A stunning mystery combining perfectly and impeccably drawn characters, pinpoint plotting and an incredible sense of place. Persis Wadia, India’s first female detective has her problems but when a momentous case falls to her she must solve the crime. Enjoyable and satisfying.

I liked this novel and the main character Persis Wadia, living with her disabled father at the family bookshop and how she is thrust into the limelight by a controversial and political murder case.
The author describes Bombay well and we are engaged with the buildings, the sights and smells of the city and the family lives of the characters as Persis moves amongst the suspects. Clues and word puzzles abound and I did at times get a bit overwhelmed with the investigation focusing perhaps too much on Persis and the interesting developing relationship with English criminologist Archie Blackfinch.
Amusing choices for names I thought! The murdered man is Sir James Herriot and I kept imagining the stories of the vet!!
But some of the most intriguing parts of the plot were the details regarding India's history at this time. The fight for independence, Partition and the ongoing religious disputes alongside the independence of the country moving away (but still almost marvelling) at their colonial masters from Britain. I am quite interested in how different nations fought, worked and died alongside the British in both wars and how their roles have been ignored for many years. This novel doesn't impose a critique of a dark colonial past but an understanding that its impact transfers for so many generations often with disastrous effects.
Unravelling the end of the plot was slightly in the style of Hercule Poirot/Miss Marple but there were a lot of strands to unravel. I didn't guess the murderer and as with the author's previous Inspector Chopra novels there are many twists and turns to keep readers guessing.
I am sure Persis and Archie will feature in future books to provide a good series of crime novels. At the time of reading I am watching a TV adaptation of 'A Suitable Boy' which is perhaps more Bollywood than Sunday costume dramas are but I could also see the characters in these books on TV or film.

This was my first Vaseem Khan novel and I will definitely be returning for another in this brilliant new series. From the compelling crime to the brilliant (knowingly) Christie-esque denouement, the story whizzed along without leaving the reader behind. Wadia was a great character to ride along with as she battled to make the truth known, despite the interference of her peers and bosses and the setting of newly-independent India is well-written and does a good job of exploring those tumultuous times without letting it overwhelm the central mystery. Excellent work, Vaseem, we WILL meet again.

Midnight at Malabar House rings in the start of a new historical mystery series that promises to be a solid, enjoyable, thoroughly appealing addition to the whodunit canon. Inspector Persis Wadia, 1950s India's fictional first woman in the police force, provides the smart, prickly, stubborn heart of the story, and I look forward to reading more of her adventures. The setting, Bombay (as it was then known) at the beginning of India's post-Britain independence, is far more than just historical set decor; the political, social, and religious tensions of the time, as well as the myriad cultures at play in this metropolis, are completely woven into the plot and characters. As for that plot, the thing that can make or break a mystery for me, I was beyond relieved to find that I had neither predicted the solution earlier than I felt I was supposed to, nor rolled my eyes at the way it went down. Vaseem Khan is no stranger to writing a mystery novel, since this isn't his first detective series, so perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised, but I haven't read his other books (though I will now!), and was glad to find a well-paced whodunit structure with clues and suspects sprinkled with a delicate and skillful hand.

I'd recommend Midnight at Malabar House, and future books in the series, to any fan of historical fiction and classic whodunit-style mysteries.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review!