Midnight at Malabar House (Malabar House #1)

Paromjit

Rating: really liked it
Vaseem Khan begins a new crime fiction series, a stunning blend of actual Indian history in one of its most turbulent of times, with fiction. It is set in a Bombay and India on the cusp of becoming the largest democratic republic in the world but a nation plagued and divided by religion, fractured amidst the terrors and horrors of Partition, with separation along the Radcliffe line, costing millions of lives and triggering the huge movement of people, Muslims forced to gravitate towards Pakistan and Sikhs and Hindus to India. Amidst this background, the female Parsee Inspector Persis Wadia, is based at Malabar House, where misfits and those who have come to the end of their professional careers are placed. She is on duty when she gets a call from the aide, Madan Lal, from Laburnam House, the home of the important British diplomat, Sir James Herriot, dressed as Mephistopheles, is discovered trouserless, and murdered at his New Year's Eve Party.

Persis, the first woman police officer in India, finds herself plunged into a high profile case that is to test her to her limits, hampered by political interference, colleagues and a public that refuses to accept that a woman can do her job, with some actively wanting to bring her down, facing situations where her orders are ignored. Herriot is far from the good man he is portrayed as, and the suspects come from the circles of the rich and privileged in Bombay and the few remaining British, hardly any of whom are willing to be co-operative. Helped by British criminalist, Archimedes 'Archie' Blackfinch, Persis has to battle with her superiors, including her boss, the Superintendent of Police, Roshan Seth, untangle the lies and deception to uncover corruption, secrets, more murder, and engage in a high stakes gamble to reveal the truth at the end.

Khan creates a terrific protagonist in Persis, idealistic, awkward in her relations with others such as Archie, inexperienced and having to learn on her feet and confront the reality that the truth is often far from what is sought by those in powerful political positions. At home, she lives with her bookshop owning father, still grieving the loss of his wife, Sanaz, unwilling yet to divulge the circumstances surrounding her death to Persis. Aunt Nussie is insistent in her plans to get Persis married and producing children, but marriage will mean having to leave the police, and Persis hasn't worked so hard to get to where she is to let go of her ambitions and ideals so lightly. This is a brilliant read, so informative on British colonial history in India and Partition, exemplified in the characters such as Robert Campbell, steeped in the British mythology of their rule, believing in their superiority and that they knew what was best for everyone else, unable to conceive of any other world order. Looking forward with great anticipation to the next in the series. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

K.J. Charles

Rating: really liked it
Exciting premise--first woman detective inspector, a couple of years after Partition--but the execution was lacking. Flat writing, a lot of infodumping, and Persis felt rather like a man's idea of a strong female character, in that she flies off the handle and shouts at people whenever she gets upset (somehow without being told she's hysterical or over-emotional or unprofessional for it). DNF at 49%.

Carolyn Walsh

Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars.
This book is listed on many sites incorrectly as part of the Baby Ganesh Agency series. This is an entirely new series by Vaseem Khan. It features India's first female police detective, Persis Wadia. Midnight at Malabar House is a serious police procedural, a complicated mystery with many suspects, and set in a turbulent time after the end of British rule and the horrors and atrocities related to Partition. It is devoid of the charm and humour of the Inspector Chopra and the Baby Ganesh books.

Malabar House is the location of the district police force. It has served as a dead-end transfer for police officers unwanted elsewhere for a variety of reasons. This could be due to mistakes, incompetence, bad behaviour, or simply not fitting in with commanding officers.

Persis is a young Parsee woman who is the target of hostility from chauvinistic male officers who try to undermine her. Her commanding officers set up obstacles in her path to success. The people she needs to question feel a woman has no place in the police force and often ignore her or show a lack of respect.
There is much historical background here. The results are still having great effects on the characters and the developments in the case. Slaughter and displacement of millions of people, deadly atrocities between Hindu/Sikh and Moslem population, clashes with the British army, and the loss of land and livelihood still resonate. Adding to the disruptions in the religious, cultural, social, and economic fabric, is a very complex mystery involving the murder of English diplomat, Sir James Herriot, during a lavish party attended by rich and powerful members of the Bombay society. Finding the killer among these influential people could have political repercussions and could impact badly on the police department.

This very prominent case is given to Persis, setting her up for failure. I admit I couldn't warm up to her character. She is stubborn, a nonconformist, outspoken, tactless, often rude, and seething with anger which she usually manages to control. She was driven with the need to prove that a woman could succeed as well as a man. This was admirable, but I thought came across as arrogant, believing she was smarter than her colleagues (she was!). Persis was determined to solve the crime even if it meant disregarding orders by superior officers.

Persis is confronted with a murder case with many suspects, all with a motive to want Sir James dead. This is a police procedural that shows the strenuous work and tedium of police investigations. Persis displays intuition, intelligence, inductive reasoning, as well as the determination to put the clues together and come up with a plausible theory. The solution is Agatha Christie influenced. She gets all the suspects together in a room and outlines her investigation and conclusions step by step, suggesting which people who are innocent and cleverly identifying the guilty party and the motive.

She has proven the worth of women in a man's profession. The manner the police hierarchy deals with the solution of the crime was unusual but plausible for that place and time.
I would read the next book in the series now that Persis has gained respect for her abilities, but I still miss Baby Ganesh.

Kathy

Rating: really liked it
This is one heck of a debut for a series featuring a young woman determined to survive as the only female police detective in Bombay and the year has just turned to 1950. Her name is Persis Wadia and I fully intend to follow her career progress despite the high level of opposition she must navigate. There are so many remarkable and appreciated elements in this book it will engage any reader interested in the struggles in that part of the world and at that time after the devastation for so many during Partition. Looking forward to the next installment!

luce (currently recovering from a hiatus)

Rating: really liked it
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3 ¼ stars

Midnight at Malabar House presents its readers with a fairly promising start to a new sleuthing series. As you may or may not know I am a big fan of whodunnits and golden detective fiction and ever since finishing Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries I have been on the lookout for a historical mystery with a female lead. Midnight at Malabar House starts off in Bombay on New Year's Eve, 1949. Inspector Persis Wadia, our main character, happens to be India’s first female inspector. Persis is fairly ‘fresh’ on the force and is keen to prove her worth. Yet, her passionate and driven attitude seems to have only antagonized her peers who are quick to dismiss her on the basis of her gender and her age. It just so happens that she’s the first on the scene of Sir James Herriot, a ‘distinguished’ English diplomat. Persis knows that his death is not a result of a robbery gone wrong and is prepared to pursue avenues that might make her a persona non grata in the force as the wealthy and well-connected guests of Herriot’s party are not happy to be seen as suspects. Her superior too seems to show little concern over the apprehension of the true killer, seemingly satisfied with attributing his death to the most convenient and ‘expandable’ person. As Persis investigates Herriot’s not-so-straight-and-narrow affairs and the various members of his household she is forced to reassess her idea of justice. Persis is assisted by Archie Blackfinch, a Scotland Yard criminalist who becomes her unlikely ally.
The aspect I enjoyed the most was the historical setting. Vaseem Khan demonstrates an admirable ability to render specific time periods and places: from his dialogues to the way the characters comport themselves, Khan shows an understanding of the social mores existing in this period of time. Because of this many characters express unsavoury opinions, and Persis is often at the sharp end of these remarks. I appreciated that Persis was portrayed as a very determined individual. Her characterization does fall a bit into the clichèd territory as she’s the 'green' young investigator keen to prove herself and the, allegedly, ‘stubborn’ woman in a male-dominated field. Her stubbornness is made out to be her ‘main’ flaw, something that frustrated me a little. At times this aspect of her character was a tad overdone as if the author wanted to stress that she wasn’t a perfect lead and/or to explain how she has ‘made it’ onto the force. It just so happens that before reading this I’d read another male-authored book with a ‘headstrong’ female investigator/agent/whatever and part of me realizes that may very well be realistic but I’d like more complexity in their characterization. The male investigators are battling inner demons/recovering from traumas/clever-yet-super-flawed or whatever else and the women are ‘stubborn’ and ‘spunky’....then again, this is only the first instalment in a series that will probably go on to make Persis into a more rounded character, so I look forward to that (khan, do not disappoint me pls).
The case is fairly engaging and I liked the plot’s momentum. We have red herrings, some false leads, some interesting dialogues with possible suspects etc. Backdropping this investigation are some thought-provoking discussions on the long-lasting consequences of colonialism, the partition, class-based inequalities, and corruption. This landscape of political and social turmoil adds a layer of tension and urgency to Persis’ investigation, and overall I liked the author’s nuanced approach to these topics. I particularly appreciated how he challenges simplistic ‘good/evil’ binaries. Persis does undergo some promising character growth, as she learns that good intentions do not always lead to good outcomes and that her ambition sometimes clouds her judgment. While she does show empathy for others, there are instances where she is so focused on the big picture, in this case, the identity of the killer, that she can come across as callous. There is a hint of a romance subplot which I am not wholly sold on yet…but maybe the follow-up will make said romance a bit more credible.

While this whodunnit doesn’t quite fall into the cozy mystery genre it ultimately had a feel-good vibe to it. It was very rewarding to see Persis challenge the people who oppose her or who proudly & loudly share their misogynistic views. If you are an Agatha Christie fan you should definitely check this one out.

Anissa

Rating: really liked it
This was a very enjoyable historical mystery/police procedural. Set in the first days of 1950 with the consequences of Partition still churning, Persis, the first woman police officer in her country is tasked with a complicated and politically sensitive murder investigation. Her being the first woman is a major theme here and she's inundated with obstacles along the way but of course, she persists. Her colleagues, all male, were an interesting bunch and had surprises to the very end. I liked Persis and also the insight into her personal relationships with her family. She was determined and cared to find the truth, not just any answer served up to her for expedience. I adored the family bookstore her father maintained and her deep love for him. Even her Aunt Nussie was a good character with her overbearing ways.

The mystery of who killed Sir James Herriot was a tangled one for many reasons. He's found alone in a room with his throat slit and sans trousers. There were burned remnants in the fireplace and his safe is empty. The files of an investigation he was carrying out are missing and it's clear very quickly that he's not the good and honourable man he presents. There were many leads and threads of the investigation and I appreciated the turns it took. I enjoyed the final solution and how Persis arrived at it. I do have to admit that there was a lot of historical information on Partition and that sometimes felt like it slowed down the narrative. I can't imagine how else to have included the information than the way it was done and it was important but at times it did feel a bit like a history lesson, even in a historical novel. Still, I did feel the tension from the characters and understood the depth of it because of those details.

I'd read another by Khan and given that I realized when I reached the end of this that it's the beginning of a series, I suppose I will do.

Recommended.

Paula

Rating: really liked it
Great characters' potential and ambiance,very good build up,but the solve and the ending were a let down.An extra star because this could become an excellent series,if the author is less heavy handed.

Pam

Rating: really liked it
I did love Midnight at Malabar House; it was very fun to read. Not only is there a good mystery and great characters, its background is an authentic depiction of the period in India following the British pullout and the savage murders of civilians on both sides of the line drawn between what is now Pakistan and modern India. More than two million people were murdered and ten million displaced. There are still major disruptions and unhappiness remaining.

On New Year’s Eve 1949 a murder is reported to the first female detective in all of India (actually the first female detective came about a decade later but the author uses this to show stressful changes in in the country). She takes the call at Malabar House police station, the basement home of the least respected department in all of Bombay. An important British citizen has been murdered. Persis Wadia ranks number two at Malabar Hill but for the most part is not wanted by her colleagues. There is much resentment and prejudice against the idea of women on the force. Her colleagues have landed at Malabar House because of their mistakes and their perceived downward track. Because she’s a woman and in spite of graduating at the top of her academy class she’s stuck with a lot of uncooperative people. She’s obviously going to have to prove herself as well as to learn how to play the game and restrain her impatience and curb her desire to say the first angry thought that comes to mind.

The mystery itself has many similarities to typical classic English stories and even includes the Christie gathering of suspects at the end reveal. Much more is going on however. Vaseem Khan uses the framework to tell a lot about the history of the time and the partition disaster. India in 1950 was still very much at odds with itself, trying to reconcile religious and political differences.

Detective Wadia is an especially good character. Belonging to the Parsi religious group, she can view the Hindu, Moslem and Sikh majorities more dispassionately than most Indians. It sorrows and angers her to see Indians tear each other apart. The murder victim, a British man who has remained and has been working at the behest of the new Indian government has been murdered why? For his work uncovering partition atrocities, money, being British or just because he’s a bad guy. Take your pick.

Skip

Rating: really liked it
Persis Wadia is the first female police officer in India. She works at Malabar House, home to misfits or policemen who have made career limiting mistakes. Persis is on duty on New Year's Eve in 1949 when a call comes in to investigate the murder of a prominent British official, Sir James Herriot, during a party he is hosting. His throat has been cut in his study in a compromising position, and his trousers are missing. Turns out, he has been asked to look into atrocities associated with the Partition (i.e., the contention establishment of Pakistan, based on religious beliefs.)

Persis faces personal and political resentment and prejudice as the first woman in the police force. and resistance. She does however have a few allies, including Archimedes (Archie) Blackfinch, a British criminologist. Learning about the divisive politics in the aftermath of the crime and how they lead to uncovering the perpetrator was fun; however, I think the author could have done a better job describing non-political issues. It was refreshing to have the politics presented from an Indian POV versus an Anglo one.

Dawn Michelle

Rating: really liked it
"That is the true legacy of Partition, The way it has coloured the perceptions of two peoples who were essentially one, the way it continues to serve as a means by which political interests on both sides of the border can employ hatred and prejudice as a means of deflecting criticism of their regimes.
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."
-Vaseem Khan

Oh my gosh I love how this man writes. He could write brochures and I would read them because they'd be the best brochures out there. So when I saw that he has a new series out [after being wildly disappointed that it wasn't a new Inspector Chopra book, as I ADORE that series and have learned so much about India by reading them], I decided to request the ARC and was thrilled to receive it. And boy was I NOT disappointed. THIS is going to be a great series, I can just feel it.

The setting is Bombay, 3 years after Partition and on the cusp of official Independence for India. Persis Wadia is the first female police officer, and to be frank, she has a huge chip on her shoulder. She is young and eager to prove her mettle in a world that thinks that she doesn't belong and cannot do her job [more than once in this book, she hears "YOU do not belong here" from both her colleagues and from the people she has to interview while investigating the murder - its a bitter pill]. Add that people are willing to lie at any cost, and to cover each other's tracks, and her job gets harder with each day. Aided by a British Forensic Scientist [Archie Blackfinch] - who she isn't sure if she even LIKES, she sets off to solve the murder that lands in her lap on New Years Eve, no matter what. And WHAT a story it is. And right before the reveal, I realized who it was and was shocked. I never saw it coming. It was very satisfying and very well done.

A note here - if you are unfamiliar with India's history, I would highly suggest reading up on the Colonialism of India by Britain and then reading up on Partition and what happened during that time and what it meant for India and its people. Because if you go in with little to no knowledge, you will be spending a LOT of time looking things up because both of those topics are vital to the story. I have read quite a few books about India, set in India or Pakistan and I still learned stuff I didn't know. So I would suggest reading something, even if it is to give yourself a refresher course via Google or Wikipedia.

I highly recommend this book and I am so looking forward for this series to continue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Daniel Shindler

Rating: really liked it
This series shows a lot of promise.

This book is the first I have read by this author and is the beginning of a new series. The central character is Persis Wadia,the fictional first female police officer in the Indian Police Service. At the outset of the story, Persis is on duty on New Years Eve in 1949. She is a member of a police unit that is comprised of officers who have been consigned to the scrap heap because of previous missteps in their career. The newly appointed Persis’ misstep is her gender only. Her appointment to the IPS has been met with both prejudice and resistance.
A call comes in to Persis requesting attendance at the murder scene of a prominent British official, Sir James Herriot. He is found alone in his office murdered and in a compromising position with his trousers off and missing as well. Persis doggedly begins her pursuit of evidence and deduction.It is unusual for her unit to investigate such a high profile crime, particularly with a newly appointed female officer as the lead investigator. She suspects that the investigation may have been set up for her to fail.She encounters a great deal of political and personal resistance yet finds an ally in Archie Blackfinch,a Scottish criminal consultant.Together they navigate the landscape of an emerging India in the throes of its inception and move forward determined to discover the truth.
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.
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.
On balance, though, these criticisms are minor when set against the scope of the work as a whole.The author manages to create a sense of people and place that is both evocative and informative. I look forward to seeing how the series and the character of Persis evolve in the future.

Emma

Rating: really liked it
An accomplished and exceptional beginning to a new series that I will definitely be continuing. I loved the flawed young police officer, the first woman police officer in the IPS. Partition was a particularly difficult time, religiously and politically and I learned a lot from reading this book.

Dur e Najaf

Rating: really liked it
An intriguing mystery with a strong female protagonist who’s introvert, bookish and owns a grumpy cat (makes an ideal protagonist of course). The striking fact about her is that she’s no ordinary being, but the first woman IPS officer with some great shooting skills.

Lying in the heart of the Malabar house, there’s a tale of avarice,love, betrayal and newly founded India which is striving hard to clean the dark bloats of partition and imperialism.

Plot is interesting, keeps you hooked on to it throughout as the trauma of partition unrolls itself before the readers. Repetition seemed the only irksome thing about the book, as I felt that the author wants to stuff the information into the reader’s mind by repeating it a good ten times. Besides, the long and melodramatic stretches could have been avoided, because the book seemed good with a Bollywood touch to it (but you can’t complain as the settings of the novel screamed for the touch of the city of dreams i-e: Bombay).

Let’s see what is in there for me in the follow-up of The Wadia series. Fingers crossed🤞.

Louise

Rating: really liked it
I have very much enjoyed the Baby Ganesh series by this author and was very interested to see that he had a new unrelated book. I got off to a very slow start in this one, in part because I was expecting a much lighter tone. This series is clearly more serious. Set in 1950’s India, shortly after partition, the protagonist is Persis Wadia, India’s first female detective. The mystery itself was complex and satisfying. Unfortunately I did not really care for Persis, who was prickly, blunt, and essentially socially inept. She questioned people in a very forward way, with absolutely no finesse, which was not terribly effective. However, she was very clever and determined. The ending was a bit Agatha Christie-ish, with all the suspects gathered together in one place. I look forward to the next book.

Andy

Rating: really liked it
A most enjoyable, complex mid century crime thriller set in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Having lived there myself I found the telling of the history fascinating. Vaseem grew up in England but spent many years working in India.
The writing can be a little tedious or perhaps precise is a better word. I find this style sets the mood for the time and place and the era's momentous events. A bit Agatha Christie.
I see he struggled to be published for twenty years and love his quote about the struggle - "write, write and then, when you're sick of it, write some more."
Must read some more of his work.