by Abir Mukherjee
Crime fiction by authors new to the genre often seems to need its own ambience. In this case, it is Calcutta in the years between the two World Wars. Captain Sam Wyndham arrives in India to take up a new post in the Calcutta police force. A ‘native’ officer is assigned to work with him, and Wyndham quickly learns that Sergeant ‘Surrender-not’ Banerjee will be a valuable member of his team: quick-witted, highly educated, loyal and with the crucial local knowledge. His first case is the murder of a senior British official.
Are the army helping or hindering Captain Wyndham’s efforts? Is his colleague Digby actually on his side, or trying to trip him up… or worse? The setting is believable and the historical context works on the whole, showing some quite considerable research on the author’s part.
This is the first in a series – five novels so far. I’m not going to rush to read the others, though this was a pleasant enough read.
A rug and a book 