Wow! The pace of this book is incredible – this is one you’ll pick up, read at every opportunity and it will have to be prised out of your hands!
I really loved Abir Mukherjee’s Wyndham and Banerjee historical crime series, but I didn’t know whether I’d feel quite the same about a modern thriller as they aren’t my usual fayre. I’m quite happy to report that I loved this too.
Continue reading Book Review: ‘Hunted’ by Abir MukherjeeThis was one of my most anticipated novels of 2021 – I have absolutely loved all the mysteries featuring Captain Sam Wyndham and his partner, Sergeant Surendranath Banerjee set in Colonial India during the 1920s. This is the fifth book in the series and was out on 11th November.
You’re going to need a copy of this one!
Continue reading Book Review: ‘The Shadows of Men’ by Abir MukherjeeAs a life-long bookworm, I’ve made it my mission to read ALL THE BOOKS.
Everything I liked the sound of – added to the TBR. Recommended by someone I trust – added to the TBR. Interesting cover – added to the TBR.
You get the picture – a love of books and an endless TBR.
However, I do (kind of) accept that I cannot read every book.
In fact, my journey into blogging has really made me focus on the elements of books that I really love. I’ve had to really think before I request yet more books – and there are definitely things that tick the boxes for me.
So here we go – an insight into my muddled mind and the TBR that I am desperately trying to tame… I love all these things independently but where they combine is pure magic!
(Disclaimer: I still reserve the right to read randomly and at whim - that's one of the true pleasure of reading!)
My blog contains affiliate links - thanks for supporting what I do with any purchases.Continue reading How I Choose My TBR
Published towards the end of 2019, this is my review of book 4 in the Wyndham and Banerjee series. As I promised in my review, I’ve caught up the missed books and absolutely love this series!
I don't know why it took me so long to pick up this book! Now I've read it - the fourth in the series featuring Captain Sam Wyndham and his Sergeant, Surrender-Not Banerjee - I've fallen in love with the series and shall immediately be making up for lost time with the other books. Although it would have been good to read these in order, I didn't feel that I was disadvantaged by reading this one first - it works as a standalone, I think.
At the start of this book, Captain Sam Wyndham of the Calcutta Police is in a state - he is an opium addict who is taking himself off to an ashram in rural India in order to break his addiction through a frankly barbaric vomiting cure. It's 1922 and the story mostly covers Wyndham's experiences at the retreat and then afterwards in a neighbouring town where he gets embroiled in investigating a crime. However, the story is also partially set in 1905 in Whitechapel in the East End of London where a young Sam Wyndham, a new Metropolitan police officer, is involved in solving a crime that has echoes and repercussions for him later in India.
I really loved the Indian setting of this book - it seemed at once exotic and interesting, but there was also a sense of the simmering resentments around the British Raj which added a frisson of danger to the proceedings. It was interesting to see the white privilege in action in the way that Wyndham was treated very differently to Banerjee in the expat community, even though Banerjee was meant to be the main investigating officer at one point. The characters are well drawn and I cannot wait to get into the other books to find out more about Banerjee in particular as he does not feature heavily here. There's clever plotting, peril and vibrant description - what more could you want?! My only quibble was that I solved the murder and worked out the method well ahead of poor Captain Wyndham, but when the novel is so beautifully written as this then that really doesn't matter.
Overall, this is an excellent historical crime novel with real depth and interest. I would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who enjoys this genre or who wants more insight into the British Raj in India - it certainly is an eye-opener on this front!
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
