Book: Murder in Old Bombay
Author: Nev March
Pages: 400
Read on: Kindle
Read in: ~5 hours
Plot Summary: In 1892, Bombay is the center of British India.
Nearby, Captain Jim Agnihotri lies in Poona military hospital recovering from a skirmish on the wild northern frontier, with little to do but re-read the tales of his idol, Sherlock Holmes, and browse the daily papers.
The case that catches Captain Jim's attention is being called the crime of the century: Two women fell from the busy university’s clock tower in broad daylight. Moved by Adi, the widower of one of the victims — his certainty that his wife and sister did not commit suicide — Captain Jim approaches the Parsee family and is hired to investigate what happened that terrible afternoon.
But in a land of divided loyalties, asking questions is dangerous. Captain Jim's investigation disturbs the shadows that seem to follow the Framji family and triggers an ominous chain of events. And when lively Lady Diana Framji joins the hunt for her sisters’ attackers, Captain Jim’s heart isn’t safe, either.Things I Liked:
1. A story set in Bombay in 1892- what is not to like?! Plus, a twin murder mystery. The promise of family secrets coupled with complex political climes! This seemed like the perfect book to sink one's teeth into during these cold winter days. So, safe to say, it is the book's premise that attracted me to it. I do enjoy historical fiction as a genre and when you add a touch of murder mystery to it, then that is a combo that I find quite irresistible!
2. The historical aspect of this book is decently done- not spectacularly, but not awfully. I would give the author snaps for the research she has done into the lives of a wealthy Parsee family in late 19th century Bombay. The author also does a good job of some fictionalised conflict between the British forces and the Afghan soldiers.
3. There are 3-4 different tracks that the central mystery and Jim Agnihotri's pursuit of the truth takes us along. Some of these, while not directly related to the central case, are interesting and heartwarming.
4. There is also a decent amount of character building. We get to know our protagonist- Captain James Agnihotri- the most, given he is the narrator of our tale. We get to see his insecurities- not knowing the identity of his father, being an Anglo Indian yet white-passing and watch his struggles to overcome PTSD and try and control his feelings for Diana Framji. He is a likeable character and I would not be too averse to read more books featuring his adventures.
5. The build-up towards learning more of what became of the two Framji women and who was behind their murder is nicely done. There are several suspects and possibilities and the book is quite unputdownable till about the ~65% mark.
Things I Didn't Like:
1. While this book is a historical crime thriller, there is insufficient world building of Bombay or even India in the 1890s. As an Indian and a student of Indian history, I did not find it difficult to fill in the blank spaces left out by the author, but for anyone not familiar with India during this period, the book's lack of historical context and detailing will leave them feeling confused and unsatisfied. The book is very, very superficial in its historical detailing; it barely touches upon the caste system or the discrimination faced by the Indians at the hands of the British. It does not even bring 'old Bombay' alive. It mentions names of streets and other destinations in 'town' without giving any context of what these look like or bringing it to life with the kinds of homes, businesses, people etc.
2. As mentioned above, the central mystery of this book splits up into 3-4 different tracks and each of these is quite meandering. Not all of these other tracks are relevant to the story and some of them are, honestly, quite dull and pointless. I liked Jim's Lahore adventure and him meeting the little kids and his relationship with them. I couldn't care less about his hike to Pathankot to rescue a garrison of Gorkha soldiers stuck in some fort or the whole segue into the fictitious royal kingdom of Roop-something-or-the-other, which shone no new light on the case!
3. The actual motive behind the deaths of the two women was really, really silly and pointless! I don't want to spoil the book, but the reason the two women were at the Rajabai Tower was fairly ridiculous! Plus, the central mystery of the book was solved, properly solved, at the 76-78% mark and then the book pointlessly meandered on till the end! Argh!
4. The author tries really hard to make this book about more than just the murder of these two women. She has tried and failed to imbue a political flavour to the book. It was not needed in the first place. As a premise, the mysterious death of two Parsee women from a wealthy Bombay family in 1892 was more than enough to be interesting. The motive could've been something slightly different, maybe a little more personal than what it actually ended up being!
Rating: 2.5/5
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