Murder in Old Bombay
Trigger warnings: violence, murder
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Two women are murdered in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1892. Captain Jim Agnihorti is hired by the family to find the culprit.
Captain Jim Agnihorti realizes there's a problem with the women's deaths being categorized as a joint suicide when he reads about the case in the newspaper. He approaches the Framji family as a journalist and is hired to investigate the incident. His idol is Sherlock Holmes, and he turns to the fictional detective for inspiration during the case.
It soon becomes clear that the women were murdered, but finding the responsible party proves to be more of a challenge. Lady Diana Framji offers to help the investigation into her sisters' deaths and becomes the Watson to Jim's Holmes. She assists the beginning research but cannot follow Jim on his dangerous path. Feelings develop between the two, but Jim will not act on them because Diana is above his station.
The Captain has several adventures while he's on the killer's trail, including finding himself in enemy territory and rescuing children left alone by war. While these events add to Jim's character, they don't seem to add enough to the plot and could have been shortened.
Overall, the book is filled with action, suspense, romance, tragedy, and views of a country during wartime. The broad spectrum of emotions adds the feel of a great saga without the page length of one.
Vikas Adam does a wonderful job of all the accents used in the novel. He uses differences in inflection and timbre to show differences in dialogue and narration.
Recommended for readers who enjoy historical mysteries. Those who enjoy mysteries and historical fiction would also enjoy something new with this novel.
Nev March left a business career to write and teach creative writing. She lived in Mumbai as a teenager and currently resides in New Jersey.
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Vikas Adam
Running Time: 16 hours, 1 minute
Length: 400 pages
Release Date: November 10, 2020
I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I also received a digital audio recording through Libro.fm as a librarian review copy, and this is the edition I read/listened to. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.