Midnight at Malabar House: Winner of the CWA Historical Dagger and Nominated for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year (The Malabar House Series)

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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. The leading character is the deftly drawn Persis Wadia, the country's first female detective. She's a wonderful creation and this is a hugely enjoyable book' Ann Cleeves Jessica Fellowes’ series beginning with ‘The Mitford Murders’– a series of Golden Age-style murder mysteries in which the investigations are connected to the Mitford sisters in 1920s England.

Midnight at Malabar House - Fantastic Fiction Midnight at Malabar House - Fantastic Fiction

Persis Wadia in ‘Midnight at Malabar House’ is India’s first police detective and pioneering women is definitely a trope I love in my crime fiction! After five novels and two novellas in the Baby Ganesh Agency series, I am excited to reveal that my new book is a historical crime novel set in 1950 in India. It’s called MIDNIGHT AT MALABAR HOUSE and introduces Inspector Persis Wadia of the Bombay Police, India’s first female police detective. The period is incredibly intriguing. It’s just after Indian Independence, the horrors of Partition and the assassination of Gandhi. Social and political turmoil is rife in the country. Yet Bombay remains cosmopolitan, with thousands of foreigners still in the city.There is a lot of potential to make this a series - like maybe breaking this book into 3 books for start. I can imagine writing a complete book is nothing short of achievement. And so the one additional star. Outstanding. I've always been a fan of Vaseem Khan but this latest offering is something special and something new. Vaseem is totally at the height of his powers with this novel which combines a flair for history, time and place with a genius for mystery. A novel for our times * Imran Mahmood *

Malabar House Series by Vaseem Khan - Goodreads

I am concerned about coincidences between this book and Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry series of novels which were published a couple of years before Vaseem Khan's.Oh my gosh I love how this man writes. He could write brochures and I would read them because they'd be the best brochures out there. So when I saw that he has a new series out [after being wildly disappointed that it wasn't a new Inspector Chopra book, as I ADORE that series and have learned so much about India by reading them], I decided to request the ARC and was thrilled to receive it. And boy was I NOT disappointed. THIS is going to be a great series, I can just feel it. Bookworm, Mum and English teacher. Resident of Cheshire in the rainy north of England but an Essex girl at heart and by birth. The leading character is the deftly drawn Persis Wadia, the country’s first female detective. She’s a wonderful creation and this is a hugely enjoyable book’ ANN CLEEVES 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.

Midnight at Malabar House: Khan, Vaseem: 9781473685505 Midnight at Malabar House: Khan, Vaseem: 9781473685505

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.

Finally, Persis is definitely not a Parsis at all. Parsis are the most decent,courteous humble, friendly and law abiding individuals. They have a distinct way of speaking - they speak Gujrati which isn't evident anywhere. The history and legend of how they were accepted and integrated into the Gujrati society is a lovely tale which again is missing. Parsis are a very closed society- in Bombay they live in gated colonies that are called Parsi Colonies. I couldn't picture Persis as a Parsi at all. She's not even close to being an Indian woman. Profile". Vaseem Khan. May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016 . Retrieved 11 April 2016. Midnight at Malabar House will appeal to many kinds of readers: Bombay lovers, those interested in modern Indian history, and anyone who appreciates a strong female lead.

Midnight at Malabar House - Goodreads Midnight at Malabar House - Goodreads

All in all, an enjoyable book if one puts aside any expectations and also is willing to be a little patient. Khan, Vaseem (14 January 2016). The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9781473612280. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017.I do like a gritty crime novel and modern forensics, but sometimes a slightly gentler approach is desirable, as in ‘Midnight at Malabar House’. 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. She is on duty for New Year’s Eve at Malabar House, home to one of the city’s less-favoured crime units, when a report is received of the murder of a diplomat, Sir James Herriot. The death occurred in Herriot’s study while a ball he was hosting for the wealthy and well-connected was in progress downstairs. He does this often in the book. The cow pissing on Archie's shoes ?? really at night 9pm? where did it come from and it just disappeared? There will be no cows at such posh areas, and anyways, cows are very disciplined, punctual amimals. You don't find them wandering around at 9 pm outside a night club. He continues his spin on India, being the exotic country where tigers roam the streets etc. with that langur watching Persis. How did that Langur reach south Bombay?? flying across the Arabian Sea? Langurs are an almost extinct species and are found only in the jungles of Assam : Assam is 3hrs away from Mumbai by flight and in today's times.