Those who have been following my reviews know that I am a big fan of Abir Mukherjee’s crime novels set in 1920’s India featuring British detective Sam Wyndham and Indian police sergeant Surendranath Banerjee.
The novels in the series have deservedly won several prizes and “The Shadow of Men”, the fifth in the series, is set in Calcutta of 1923 with the beginning of uprisings between Muslims and Hindus during their fight for independence from the Raj. Sam and Suren recount in alternating chapters how Suren came to find himself accused of murdering a high standing Hindu theologian facing the death sentence. Their seemingly impossible task in trying to prove that the wrong man has been accused is a more opaque, complex plot than that of previous novels; at least that is how it felt to me. The second half of the book, with the plot unfolding with a clever ending had my full attention again. Even if “The Shadow of Men” is not my favorite in the series, I really enjoyed that Surendranath took center stage this time instead and loved the read.

The Shadows of Men is the 5th outing for Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath Banerjee, an immensely enjoyable historical crime series set in India as the Empire wobbles.

At the start of this adventure we join Surendranath who is in serious trouble. Apparently exiled from his role in the Imperial Police and fighting for his freedom. Trouble is the order of time, as religious tensions spill over into violence in Calcutta and prominent leaders find themselves in danger. Both Sam and Surendranath find themselves struggling to unravel who is the puppet master behind the troubles and how best to ensure Surendranath’s liberty can be restored.

Abir Mukherjee has created an absolutely scintillating series. The first outing, A Rising Man, was a Waterstones pick and a New Blood choice at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival. Every book since has been excellent and has pushed boundaries in quality, plot and character development. The Shadows of Men is a fantastic read, drawing on politics, religious tensions and pulling the reader to India as changes become increasingly inevitable.

This would work well as a stand-alone but the series is well worth reading in its entirety.

Thanks to Harvill Secker, Vintage and Netgalley for an ARC.