In less than two weeks, James Whitby will hang. Sentenced to death for the murder of Fareed Mazumdar, a prominent lawyer and former Quit India activist, Whitby insists he is innocent but holds very little hope that a white man will receive justice in post-colonial India.
His father forces a new investigation into the killing, and Inspector Persis Wadia is forced to work the case. She will be taken from Bombay to the old colonial capital of Calcutta where she uncovers a possible link to a second murder that occurred during the Calcutta Killings of 1946.
Are the two cases connected? Is James Whitby really innocent, or is Persis merely postponing the inevitable? Can a white man receive justice in post-colonial India?
~
Inspector Persis Wadia wants nothing to do with taking a look into the case of convicted killer James Whitby. India was controlled by British "justice" for hundreds of years. Surely, turnabout is fair play? But higher-ups in the Bombay Police and the government realize that, if no one makes sure that Whitby is really guilty, then they are no better than the whites who ruled them for so long. Besides, if anything goes pear-shaped, who better to put in charge of the investigation than the only woman on the police force, the woman everyone wishes would just disappear? Persis is the perfect scapegoat.
Author Vaseem Khan continues his enthralling Malabar House historical series with this fourth book, Death of a Lesser God. He never fails to enlighten me about the history of the area, be it India's fight for independence, the gut-wrenching Partition riots, or the horrific Bengali Famine of 1943. This fourth book centers on a sensitive subject: ensuring that the former white oppressors receive justice even though they did not dispense it themselves when they were in power. And... how can you scream at someone to GO HOME when they were born in India? "How can I go back to a place I've never been?" says more than one white character.
Inspector Persis Wadia is led by an overwhelming ambition to succeed in a career where she's not wanted. She is so convinced of her mission that she blindly puts others in danger. Fortunately, Persis realizes these deadly traits and knows she has to fight them. Watching her character struggle and develop is one of the strengths of this series. She must also deal with a personal learning curve when she's put in charge of mentoring Seema, a young woman who wants more for herself than a life in abject poverty. Fortunately, the love triangle Khan has created isn't taking center stage in the story, since I've never cared for those. However, the triangle does highlight a cultural difficulty. Life would be much easier if Persis accepted her Aunty Nussie's choice of Darius. Her strong attraction to white Archie Blackfinch could be much more dangerous.
As compelling as the story is, I did have a couple of problems with it. There was a bit of deus ex machina at the end with various elements popping up just in time to save the day. Although they had been mentioned tangentially beforehand, their timing was so impeccable that I couldn't resist a tiny eye roll. In addition, similes run amok through most of the book. Now I love a good simile, but when I start counting them, it's not a favorable sign. But those two small complaints aside, Death of a Lesser God is a good addition to Persis Wadia's story. I'm looking forward to what she does next.
Death of a Lesser God by Vaseem Khan
eISBN: 9781399707626
Hodder & Stoughton © 2023
eBook, 376 pages
Historical Mystery, #4 Malabar House mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased from Amazon.
Another series to start. (sigh, sigh) Oh, why can't we have 36 hours a day so we can read a lot more?
ReplyDeleteSomething tells me that non-reading activities would insist on encroaching on the extra time.
DeleteI've banned myself from streaming for awhile, although I am watching Unforgotten on PBS and I will watch Annika when it starts and also Bosch in October. But spending 45 hours on a crazy series while I had 9 library books in a pile won't happen any time soon.
DeleteSomehow I've managed to find the right balance for me between reading, knitting, and watching TV.
DeleteI so like Khan's writing, Cathy! This series, the Baby Ganesha series, they're both great. I know what you mean about having a few minor quibbles about a book, but for whatever reason, there are authors whom I forgive those peccadillos. Khan is one of them.
ReplyDeleteYes, he is (although I hope he holds back on a few of those similes in his next book).
DeleteI read the first one in this series and mostly enjoyed it but never followed up by reading more. Now that you've reminded me of it perhaps I will.
ReplyDelete"Mostly enjoyed it"? Sounds as though you should put these on the back burner.
DeleteI liked the first one in this series, but haven't managed to read any of the others yet. I do want to though. And it made me laugh when you talked about similes running amok in this one. I sometimes count when authors start overusing the word smirk, but I don't think I've ever run across too many similes in a book...yet. :D
ReplyDeleteThey were excellent similes... just 'way too many of 'em! :-)
DeleteThere are so many current series set in India that sound so good - I really have to remember to set aside all the others for a little while to give this series, and some of the others, a try.
ReplyDeleteI know! India seems to be one of the favorite settings for crime fiction right now, and I couldn't be happier.
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