Sam & Surendranath are two of my favourite fictional characters and I was excited to receive my copy of this book - a new release from Abir Mukherjee is a reason to book your comfy reading spot and settle down for a great read.
The Shadows of Men is the fifth book in the hugely popular Wyndham and Banerjee detective series. Set in colonial India, from 1919, the books have catalogued the adventures of our heroes during a time of heightened police unrest. Now in 1923, tensions are worsening as elections loom and Mukherjee expertly describes the atmosphere, giving the reader a real insight into life ad the turmoil of the era. Mukherjee does not hestitate to detail (via Suren) the hyppo-critical and amoral dealings of the British leaders. And helps us to understand and sympathise with emotions left by Sam and Suren.
Unlike the previous books, The Shadows of Men is told from two points of view - Sam Wyndham and Surendranath Banerjee's as we learn of Surendranath's arrest and the murder of a local religious leader. By providing two viewpoints, the author has given us the opportunity to view the events from Suren's perspective and how he must struggle to save his country.
As I've mentioned, the background in certainly vivid and fascinating but for me, the best part of the novels is the relationship between are heroes and especially how we see them grow. Sam in particular is starting to understand that the actions of the leaders are not always taken with consideration for the pains of the locals. Sam also tends to prescribe to the 'unemotional' and 'stiff upper lip' stereotype but is slowly learning to show his emotions and interact with his more emotional colleague.
A 5 star read, The Shadows of Men made me both laugh and cry and I'm very eagerly awaiting the next installment.

The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee

I have to start by saying I had not come across this series before not heard of the author Abir Mukherjee , and I have definitely missed out !
The Shadows of Men is the fifth outing in a series about Captain Sam Wyndham & Sergeant Surendranath Banerjee. Set in colonial India in 1923.
I'm not usually a fan of this type of book / era in time and place , but I'm now a fan of this one.
Abir Mukherjee manages to transport you back to the time , and the prose in the book gives you a real insight to the feel , sights , and sounds of what it must have felt living there..
Part crime , part mystery, full of atmosphere , and throw in the religious tensions and inter gang warfare , and you have yourself a great read.
Do I feel I've missed out by not reading the previous adventures of this duo ? Yes and I fully plan to put that to right .

Another eagerly awaited adventure of Sam Wyndham and Surendranath Banerjee the Calcutta detectives, and friends. It's 1923 and Indian elections are looming. With Gandhi imprisoned, the British colonial powers depend on their 'divide and rule' mantra to undermine the advances his party had made towards a more united (and ultimately independent) India.
Surendranath finds himself caught up unawares in this struggle - and this book is about him fighting to clear his name over serious crimes he did not commit. The book is tense and exciting and examines the hyppocritical and amoral dealings of the colonial usurpers: "Placing oneself in a postiion of semi-permanent hyppocrisy , that's what it means to be an Englishman in India ..... the claim that we are here for the betterment of this land, when all the time we mererly sucked it dry" pretty much sums it up for me.
I love the friendship between Sam an Suren, the British emotional 'stundtedness' of Sam and 'over-emotional-ness' (according to Sam, though not that word because it doesn't exist!) of Suren - even at a crucial point in their friendship. I was tempted to tears at one point over a description of Sam, unable to voice his feelings. I really hope friendships such as these did exist between Indians and British of the time.
Sometimes in this book Sam did seem to morph into sort of 'cartoonish' Philip Marlowe type - his ironic asides did have me laughing out loud, but I don't want him to come across as 'corny'. Another wonderful book; I really admire this series and now await the next instalment - I have to know what happens in the future; but fear Suren may have found a more peaceful way of life - and who could blame him?

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.