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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! Khan keeps the narrative simple. He does not want to rush the readers towards the murderer; there is no sense of urgency to the plot. Wadia’s perspective of looking at details keep the readers engaged.
Midnight at Malabar House | Vaseem Khan Midnight at Malabar House | Vaseem Khan
The main thing that makes Persis such a fascinating character is her ironclad sense of morality, her belief in the new India, and her youth. She has the pig-headed righteousness of youth, convinced that she's always right, convinced that her way is the moral-- and only-- way. She doesn't have a frivolous molecule in her body, and she certainly didn't inherit a humor gene. Persis could be an obnoxious character, but she's not. Her naïveté means that it never occurs to her that the reason why those powerful government men are content to let her head the investigation is because they are convinced that she's incapable of solving it. She's a mere woman after all! As she flings herself at one obstacle after another, we see that some of those sharp edges of hers are going to be worn down with time. 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. There is a lot to like in this book.Most notably, there is a wealth of information and history about the demise of the British Raj and the religious and secular conflicts that arose from the Partition of India. Much of the viewpoint is presented from an Indian point of view, which is a refreshing departure from a host of Anglo centric novels that have been written. Wadia is a very relatable, real character. The only woman among male colleagues and bosses who tell her that she does not deserve to be among them, she is plagued with doubt. Khan describes her style of investigation with an intimacy that makes the novel charming:One can only hope that the wounds of history are healed in the fullness of time. Only then might the ghosts of Partition, the millions of dead and missing, find peace."
The Lost Man of Bombay: The thrilling new mystery from the
Sometimes simplicity is so underrated. This book makes you feel the publishing house could have told the author - keep it simple. The reader can feel the eagerness of the author in creating sub plots that impose the value system of today on the past. 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 *This is the first in a new historical crime series from Vaseem Khan, author of the excellent Baby Ganesh Agency novels. Opening on 31 December 1949 in Bombay, it follows Insp Persis Wadia, India’s first female police detective, as she fights both to prove herself (her appointment is greeted with hysteria, with newspapers claiming that “in temperament, intelligence and moral fibre, the female of the species is, and always will be, inferior to the male”) and to solve the murder of the English diplomat Sir James Herriot. 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. Those who have enjoyed the Baby Ganesh Agency novels will be interested to hear of a new series by author Vaseem Khan, again set in Bombay, but at an earlier date. We have a new cast of characters, revolving around Persis Wadia, India’s first female police detective. 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 *
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