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A compelling mystery set in a fascinating period in India's tumultuous history. Inspector Persis Wadia, the India's first female detective, is gutsy, stubborn and ideally suited to navigate both the complexities of a murder in Bombay's high society and the politics of a police force that want to see her fail. A stunning start to brand new series from one of the UK's finest writers * M.W. Craven *
The best recent thrillers – review roundup - The Guardian The best recent thrillers – review roundup - The Guardian
Spotlight on Vaseem Khan". University College London. 11 August 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016 . Retrieved 13 April 2016. 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. Five teenagers set off into the woods to find their missing friend, Sadie. The police have mounted a huge search, but the friends – Abi, Sadie’s boyfriend Mason, Cora, Fash and Luke, Sadie’s twin brother – think they’re looking in the wrong place, and may well know more than they’re letting on.
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
Malabar House Series by Vaseem Khan - Goodreads
It is a beautifully written exploration of Wadia's struggle to be accepted as a detective in a male-dominated culture, while navigating a country in turmoil. A thrilling murder mystery, it also wonderfully evokes a turbulent period of India's history * Daily Express * The Laetitia Rodd mysteries by Kate Saunders – starting with ‘The Secrets of Wishtide’, this series features a genteel Victorian lady detective who finds herself in reduced circumstances after her husband’s death. The story is brilliant. It is 31 December 1949: India is a free country and all set to adopt itsConstitution in less than a month. Wadia receives a phone call in her police station: British diplomat James Herriot has been murdered in his room and his trousers are missing! Her investigation takes her in different directions: Bombay’s socialite circle that includes the last of the British elite, different episodes of Indian freedom struggle, and the Partition riots, or — to be precise—specific crimes among them. Essential to the plot is the recent Partition of colonial India into Pakistan (where Muslim Indians are supposed to live happily ever after) and independent India (mostly Hindu). 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:
Summary
Mr. Khan definitely doesn't know Mumbai/Bombay. The four streets he's mentioned still exist so no research needed. 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.
Midnight at Malabar House (The Malabar House Series): Khan Midnight at Malabar House (The Malabar House Series): Khan
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."
Review
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. 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. It is painful to read about the sectarian violence of Partition and the typically ham-fisted solutions of the British (how many of the world's cultures have been carved up with straight edges and have wallowed in violence since the Empire left?). But since Partition happened several years before the action of the novel, I felt I could handle it.
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