Gotta love a novel about a bright, intelligent woman winning the fight against crime and misogyny. Relationships are complex enough to keep them interesting, and the setting was described excellently bringing vivid and colourful scenes to life. Being able to combine historical changes with a solid mystery and still keep the reader gripped is a special skill which the author has reams of. I look forward to the next book in the series.

have become a massive fan of this series, set in India just a few years after partition. Our protagonist is Persis Wadia a Police Inspector based in Malabar House, Bombay. Malabar House is to the Bombay Police what Slough House is to M15, a place where the disgraced, idle or politically unwanted are sent to serve and where the politically difficult or sensitive cases are sent so as not to ruin the careers of rising Indian Police Officers in other stations. None of this is really applicable to Persis. Her crime is to be a woman – and a woman with brains, and an independent train of thought into the bargain.

Already somewhat notorious for having solved a difficult crime, Persis likes her job, though she faces discrimination from her male colleagues on a daily basis. The time is an unsettling one in Bombay as everyone comes to terms with post-colonial rule and the impact of partition.

Added to the day to day struggles of being a bright woman in a fairly dull man’s Police station, Persis has some personal stuff on her mind. She can’t help the attraction she feels to a colleague, Archie Blackfinch, a British man and Metropolitan Police Criminalist, but Indian society is not yet ready for such a relationship and Persis fears that even if it were, the job she loves would be put in jeopardy by such a relationship.

Then there’s her father, Sam. In a wheelchair since the car accident that killed her mother, Sam has been her rock, running a fabulous bookshop and looking after Persis. Now he has other interests in his life and Persis cannot help but feel abandoned by the only parent she has.

The first case that crosses Persis’ desk is the discovery of the long dead body of a white man in a Himalayan mountain cave. Dubbed ‘The Ice Man’ his frozen body is discovered by a couple of climbers, but there is nothing on his body to indicate who he might be or where he came from. All that is found is a notebook with just one word. Just being white, though, is enough for pressure to be exerted to find out who he was and what happened to him.

As if that were not enough, Persis is asked by her boss, Superintendent of Police, Roshan Seth, to work with her colleague, the unpleasant bullying sexist, Hemant Oberoi on the case of a well-known couple who have been found dead in their bed at home.

Stephen Renzi, an Italian has been beaten to death, and Leela Sinha, his wife has her throat slit. Not too long afterwards, another body is found, killed in the same way as Renzi, and Persis feels the two deaths are connected. Hemant Oberoi though is having none of it. He has his eye on the guilty party and he’ll make sure he gets a confession.

Vaseem Khan weaves a brilliant interconnected series of mysteries and like peeling back an onion, the reader enjoys each and every clue that Persis uncovers on her (and our) way to enlightenment. As she painstakingly follows the clues her skills and persistence, teamed with more than a dollop of bravery and occasional recklessness, bear fruit.

The Lost Man of Bombay is a brilliant mystery and I loved trying to crack the code that ties each of these murders together. Persis is such a great character, too. That fierce independence and cleverness teamed with a real sense that she can’t afford to show her softer side less she be taken advantage of leads the reader only to love her more. You don’t know what’s in store for her and Archie, but your heart goes out to both of them as it’s clear Archie would do anything for Persis.

You should read this series for its brilliant characters and great mysteries, but what really makes this series sing is its atmospheric setting with all it conveys about the times. The dawn of Independence in India, the rituals and the very real significance of religion, even to those who have little observance is demonstrated so well, as is the slowly burgeoning role of women in society as championed by Persis. Indeed, in this book we see a glimpse of what she may have trail-blazed as she is asked to take on a young mentee. Seema Desai is part of the Bombay Slum Rehabilitation Programme and she has specifically requested that Persis be her mentor, a role that Persis herself feels ill-equipped to deliver.

Verdict: Historical fiction doesn’t get much better than this. It is engrossing, entertaining, with vivid, atmospheric settings and rich in detail. The mysteries are terrific puzzles to solve and the characters are ones that you take to your heart. All in all the Malabar House series is one of the best crime series around and if you haven’t, you should begin reading it now. (It is also exceptionally good in audiobook).

Bombay, 1950
Inspector Persis Wadia is assigned to a near impossible case. The body of a white man has been found frozen in the Himalayan foothills near Dehra Dun. Dead for a number of years with no identification and unrecognisable due to facial injuries, it seems that the case is over before it has even begun, except for the fact that there is pressure due to national interest to find the truth about the so-called Ice Man.
Making no progress, Persis is distracted by a case much nearer to home. Two Europeans are found in quick succession, both brutally murdered in their homes. With her colleague determined to arrest the first viable suspect for the first death that he comes across, Persis is convinced that the two victims are linked. Soon, however, she discovers that it is more than these two deaths that have something in common…
Book Three in the Malabar House series, following Midnight At Malabar House and The Dying Day. I mentioned in my review of the latter book that it had was more of a police procedural (with a treasure hunt!) than the first, which was more of a classic whodunnit, and this one takes the same direction. This is the story of Persis finding out what happened than a game for the reader to play, although I would point out that Vaseem Khan does include a coded message for the reader to try and work out. I’m not saying that as a complaint, by the way, but I know some of my readers will want to know whereabouts on the whodunnit spectrum this lies.
As an historical police procedural, this book is a triumph, combining an engrossing and well-paced investigation, along with a stunning recreation of 1950’s India, a country dealing with its new-found independence. The amount of research and detail put into the setting is outstanding and it really brings to vivid life a place and time that I know next to nothing of at all.
Add in the character of Persis, with her struggles against some of her colleagues refusing to accept her abilities and rank, along with her personal dilemmas, both with her father and her relationship to the British criminalist Archie Blackfinch, and this is an utterly absorbing thriller. If you enjoyed the previous two books in the series, then you will certainly enjoy this one just as much, if not more.
Many thanks to the publishers for the e-copy via NetGalley. The Lost Man Of Bombay is out on Thursday 18th August in hardback and ebook.

This was a book that I just kept reading until it was over and then I felt sad and wanted more.it was a fantastic read. I loved the historical aspects and the descriptions of the surroundings and places that were visited as they were so easy to place myself there. Persis depicts the trouble women have trying to meet their full potential in a male dominated society in an understandable way that made me want her to succeed all the way just to prove that women are as good as men, if not better at times.
The story starts with the discovery of the body that they call The Ice Man which then leads onto to 3other murders and it is up to Persis to link them together and discover why they all happened.
A well written story based upon true facts . Highly recommend this to any mystery readers

Sometimes you find a book the is so enjoyable you race through it and then when you have finished it experience a feeling of disappointment that you can no longer enjoy the pleasure that reading it has brought you.
This for me was such a book, full of of interesting characters, laced through with historical facts and full of humour.
The setting is in a newly independent India in the late 1940’s and follows the investigations of Persis ,a female detective inspector into a series of brutal murders. That Indian society has not yet accepted the fact women could hold such positions does not help her in her inquiries. Throughout the book there are comments about the British rule in India not always complimentary but probably accurate.
The book is superbly plotted with many twists and turns and gives a picture of Indian life post independence and the prejudices that exist reflected in the difficulty Persis has in coming to terms with the mutual feelings between her and an English colleague.
This book should have wide appeal and I can recommend it.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

The Lost Man of Bombay is book 3 in the Malabar House historical mystery series by Vaseem Khan set in 1950s Bombay around Persis Wadia, India’s first (fictional) female inspector. Persis who as the only female inspector in the police at the time is not quite as welcome in all quarters, is posted at Malabar House, a station manned by officers who have for different reasons fallen out of favour with the powers that be, and which often is handed cases politically or otherwise sensitive, which no one else wishes to deal with. Alongside, we follow her personal life—she lives with her father, Sam who runs a bookstore, and cat Akbar; she is romantically interested in Archie Blackfinch, an English forensic examiner but reluctant to take things further because of its implications.

This book opens with two mountaineers on a spontaneous climb finding and old frozen corpse—the Ice Man—in a cave somewhere in the Himalayas above Dehradun. The only thing found with the body is a book with a Bombay stamp and so the case finds its way to Bombay and Malabar House. Forensic examination shows the man was murdered. Meanwhile, another couple, an Italian businessman Stephen Renzi and his Indian wife, Leela, daughter of a prominent politician are found murdered, and Persis’ boss assigns her investigation jointly with her arch rival, Oberoi who has strong opinions about women serving in the force. Before long, a third murder is added to the list, a catholic priest, and a particularly orthodox one. Nothing seemingly connects the matters, yet the way some of these at least were killed is too similar to overlook. We follow Persis as she investigates the cases, while also having to deal with Oberoi’s contempt (and incompetence). And her boss, Roshan Seth, assigns her a young girl to mentor, another role she is very reluctant to undertake for she is comfortable only when at police work. Meanwhile, she is also fighting her feelings for Archie and at home, her father Sam is starting to act very strangely, and she can’t seem to guess why.

This was another enjoyable entry in this historical mystery series with a very interesting mystery at its core, once again involving a cypher, and developments in Persis’ life, all set against the background of the newly independent India where ideals have already given way to red-tape, corruption, and other bumps in the road as the country is finding its way in the world.

The mystery in the book was one I found to be a very interesting one, and in which while the solution seemed pointed at some way into the story, but turned out to have a nice twist at the end which I didn’t see coming. I’ve kept from writing anything about the elements it involves so readers can enjoy them as they are revealed, but the historical setting and people on which it was based were ones I was familiar with and caught on to immediately (the explanatory note at the end confirmed it) which made it all the more engaging for me to read. This case unlike the previous one doesn’t keep Persis in Bombay alone but she travels, among other places, to Dehradun with Mussoorie being mentioned (these two were especially fun for me since I have lived in Mussoorie previously).

Persis is certainly a well-drawn character, shown realistically to be struggling with her work which she loves, the attention (welcome and unwelcome) she receives because of her position as the first female police inspector, and her personal life where pursuing the romance she is interested in will have both personal and professional fallouts. She is a rather prickly character, and one doesn’t always sympathise with her (especially in this book, when she reacts somewhat childishly though perhaps not surprisingly to some developments which contrasts with her stronger self, projected when she is investigating), also apt to dive in head first, getting herself into trouble more than once (again, one can’t sympathize because the red flags are all there); one enjoys following her though even if one can’t entirely like her.

The mystery and personal parts of Persis’ life are well-balanced in the book and flow well together. I liked the exploration of the country at this point in history which forms the background to the story and the various problems it was struggling with while trying to find its feet. While the book does attempt to highlight the colonials’ treatment of the country and its people when there, in critiquing the problems that the country was going through, I felt at some points, perhaps it was looking too much from a Western lens.

Still, this was an entertaining read for me, especially the themes and settings the mystery deals with and also the solution which was a nice surprise.

Reading this delightful novel, I wasn’t lost at all. The character of Persis is excellent. She deserves to become a one woman police force, or at least help make all of the other police officers as good as she is, but the world doesn’t work like that. Her link with the criminalist from the Met (London) makes a strong team. This also mixes and matches the UK/India link for a bigger reading audience.
The story starts with a man frozen in ice; he’s dead and it takes time to find out who is, how he got there and who murdered him. Next, similar murders lead the police to consider if a serial killer is busy. Their targets appear to be Europeans only.
The writing makes it easy to slip back to 1950s India when a female detective must have been extremely rare.
I’ve missed the previous two books in this series; I was given a free copy of this book, but it makes me want to find the other two, although I didn’t feel that I’d missed out by not reading the rest of the series first.

Two men climbing near Dehra Dun find the frozen body of a man. There is no way to identify him but a notebook is found with him with some pages torn out and a message written on another. The owner has asked that the notebook be returned to his wife. The case is passed to Inspector Persis Wadia at Malabar House. She starts to investigate the almost impossible case with the help of Archie Blackfinch, a forensic criminalist from the Met Police who is sweet on Persis.
Seth Roshan, Persis's superior asks her to mentor a young girl, but Persis says she doesn't have time and sends the girl away. Then there is a murder of an Italian businessman and his Indian wife. The man has been murdered in what seems a similar way to the Ice Man, as he has been dubbed, but the wife had her throat slit. The case is assigned to Oberoi, with Persis assisting. Immediately she sees that he wants to assign the murder to the Muslim security guard, who was actually miles away at the time of the murder, but Oberoi beats a confession out of him because of his religion.
This makes Persis even more determined to solve the mystery and when there is another murder, this time of a German priest, she again finds similarities.
The case takes her to Dehra Dun and to Badlapore's famous temple and back to Bombay. Coded messages and wooden soldiers are the clues to for her solve, but she is up against the perpetrator who seems determined to get to hidden booty before the police. At the same time she has a personal crisis and has to come to terms that things are changing in her life.

I love this series the writing is both intelligent and intuitive.
Persis is a female police officer and a trail blazer forging a place for women in the police force of India.
A frozen man is found high up in the mountains and Persis wants to get to the bottom of it , particularly when it becomes apparent the man has been murdered and it would seem this took place some years ago.
Persis is up against misogyny and discrimination but she doesn’t let this hold her back in fact it provokes her into working even harder to solve the case.
Before the murderer is unmasked , more murders occur and turmoil in her personal relationships both romantic and at home add pressure to her life.
The quality of the writing and the calibre of the story kept me hooked right until the end and eagerly looking forward to the next in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton.

As the third in the current series, by now we're all engaged with the characters: and it's a fascinating era, newly independent India forging ahead. Persis and her personal/family life are very well-drawn.: and we're set up for the next episode in the emotional tangle she's in, where if she gets involved with a foreigner - especially if she marries - both professional and personal lives will be very difficult. The thriller element, if anything, takes second stage to this for me. A good read: I enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this atmospheric, intriguing novel set in 1950s India. I haven’t read others in this series, which centres on a female detective in Bombay called Persis Wadia, but I can see why they’ve been such a success.

Persis is plucky and determined and great to read about. She’s got a complicated case on her hands, regarding the murder of a white man found in the mountains which uncovers a potential serial killer. Her life has its own challenges and issues – the sexism she faces by being a female police officer during that time is just one of them – but she always rises to the occasion admirably and you can trust her to unearth what really happened!

I really enjoyed the setting – Vaseem Khan writes about 1950s post-war India with such vividity, you feel like you could actually be there. There are plenty of historical details from the time period and the struggles that faced people living there at the time which feels educational but also entertaining. It feels very well researched and manages to get the blend of fiction and historical details just right.

One thing to note is that there are a lot of characters to keep track of – this might be easier if you’ve read other novels in the series, as you may have already been introduced to many of them, but I did find myself losing track a little at times. The plot is complex at times too, but I found it really intriguing – and that coupled with the absorbing setting kept me focused. I’d definitely recommend this novel if you fancy a crime novel with a historical twist.

I really enjoyed this book. It was written in quite an old fashioned style which suited the setting..1940s India. Always shocking to read the way women were treated in the past! I’d recommend this book.

The Lost Man of Bombay is intriguing, page turning and well written. I love the fact that the hero is a woman and Khan is excellent and showing the reader the struggles she faces as a post colonial Indain female police officer. I love the touches of human dilemmas that arise throughout the novel as that provides a lovely balance to the investigation narrative and allows more insight into the characters, which is something I am particularly keen on in a novel.
In terms of research, I feel that i am in safe hands here as Vaseem certainly seems to live and breath the era and I feel properly transported her, which is fascinating.

The discovery of the frozen body of a long-ago murdered Englishman outside a cave up a mountain with no means of identification is a hopeless case suitable for DI Persis, being India’s first female of high rank and the need to keep her isolated. She being ambitious, sensitive to uphold women’s rights, obsessively dedicated to her job to the exclusion of friends and lovers such as to keep one such at arm’s length except when help is required, a go it alone prickly character. When some murders of important victims fall into her lap, a most complex case develops linking a past crime to present day that throws light on a little know events that took place after WWII, involving religious artifacts, secrets, betrayals, and debts of honour. How the case is solved and the DI wins through against all odds is a fascinating story

I have loved this series since reading Midnight at the Malabar Hotel last year. Persis Wadia, the only female police inspector in India in the years immediately following partition is an engaging but sometimes frustrating main character. Persis is a gifted detective who achieves great results but constantly has to battle with the prejudice of being a woman doing what is seen as a man’s job. In this book, she is forced to work with the senior detective Oberoi, who makes no secret of the fact that he sees no need for her and in fact, instructs her not to speak during the investigation. The occasions when Persis gets the better of Oberoi and other men who try to put her down provide some of the book’s lighter moments.
The investigation is an intriguing one. It begins when two mountaineers discover a dead body high in the mountains. This discovery is followed by the brutal murder of an Italian businessman and his Indian wife. Both men have their faces destroyed but nothing else seems to link them. Then a further death occurs and the links gradually appear.
I love the interweaving of Persis’ investigation and her personal life. She is feeling confused and hostile as changes are being forced upon her by her father and the criminologist Archie Blackfinch who she is developing feelings for. Her behaviour towards Archie in particular is frustrating as she certainly doesn’t treat him well due to her conviction that there can be no future for them. She is also initially hostile to the idea of being a mentor to a young girl from the slums but this again stems from her conviction that she can’t do a good job.
The historical background to this story is fully realised and the difficulties thrown up in the aftermath of the British leaving are clear. I enjoyed the greater importance placed on faith in this story too. The faith of the young girl Seema and the priests make an interesting counterpart to Persis’s own almost forgotten Parsee religion.
I loved this book and totally recommend it to anyone who loves detective fiction especially with a historical element.
I am really grateful to Net Galley and the publishers, Hodder and Stoughton, for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the solving of this case all thanks to Persis’ doggedness and perseverance against not only the people who perpetrated the crimes, but the establishment and the extreme sexism. In her department she is surrounded by jaded officers who get only the worst of cases and where little is really expected them. One of the aspects I liked most about the book was the characterisation of Persis and the fact that she certainly has ‘issues’. She behaves badly in a number of ways in this book and she has many flaws. many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book. This series is now a firm favourite.

I really do love this series. A wonderful blend of historical fact and brilliant crime fiction, with a character who you cannot help but like, even her worst moments. Persis Wadia, India's first Police Inspector, really is a fabulous creation and each new story that Vaseem Khan creates artfully combines character, mystery and a real sense of India's history to keep me thoroughly entertained. For me, this is one of those no-brainer pre-orders. The minute I know the book is coming, it's in the bag. Heck, I've had this one on order since last October/November which, as the author pointed out at the time, was pre edit, pre-blurb and pre-cover. But who needs any other those when you already know you are going to be reading another winner. It's no wonder that the series has not only won the CWA Historical Dagger.

This time around we see Persis Wadia being handed a most perplexing case, one which the powers that be are pressuring to resolve but that there is seemingly little hope of bringing to a successful conclusion. The body of a man has been discovered in a remote cave in the Himalayas, the only identifying item a notebook which contains the word, Bombay. The eponymous 'Lost Man Of Bombay' is truly intriguing to Persis, and a little infuriating too. There are no clues to his identity, and no possible witnesses coming forward to assist, and as it appears he has been in the cave for some years, you have to wonder just how she can possibly solve this, quite literally, cold case. To make matters worse, she is paired up with her nemesis in the department, Oberoi, to investigate the murder of a wealthy businessman and his wife. Oberoi is certain he has quickly found his man, Persis less sure, and when another body is found with strikingly similar facial wounds (no pun intended), she is absolutely certain that there is still more to learn about all three of the victims she is seeking justice for.

This really is a brilliant mystery, one that kept me guessing right until the end. The story is very slowly and carefully revealed to readers, and each new discovery sheds a little more light on the case. It is perhaps as cler to us as it seems to Persis that there must be something that connects the three men, but other than their confirmed or suspected nationality, there is nothing obvious to link them. In fact, the two known victims could not be more different, one an Italian businessman who has made a killing in the motor industry, the other a German priest who take repentance to a whole new level. But the author as planted the seed of doubt very early and, alongside Persis, we follow the clues to reveal a killer with the most surprising of motives.

I really love the character of Persis Wadia and Vaseem Khan has done a brilliant job of capturing her heart, spirit, determination and vulnerability in each and every story. She is a woman in a man's world, fighting to every moment of recognition and acceptance and whilst she has it from some of her peers, others, like Oberoi, delight in undermining her and dismissing her without a second thought. It adds conflict to an already challenging role, but also serves to highlight her tenacity and strength in a way which brings out a smile from me. There is one scene in particular in this book which had me chortling, as just desserts are well and truly served. But there is the more vulnerable side to Persis too which is highlighted in her dealings with the two key men in her life - her father, Seth, and criminalist, Archie Blackfinch. Her relationship with her father is changing, something Persis is not ready for, and the uncertainty and the reluctance to accept the change have a real sense of authenticity about them, showing that beneath the hard exterior, Peris is as insecure as the next person. When it comes to her friendship with Archie, whilst he plays a bit of a backstage role in most of this book, the scenes where they do interact are key and see a step change in relationship. I can understand her reservations, her reluctance to give Archie a chance - it is a sign of the times in which they live. But there is an undeniable chemistry there, and each scene they are together is always a winner.

If there is an area in which this series really excels, outside of the first class mysteries that the author infuses in the stories, it is in the depiction of 1950s India. Set post World War 2 and almost immediately following on from partition, you can really feel the sense of change that is starting to eclipse the country. Vaseem Khan really brings to life the struggle for power and the clash between the vision of a new India that preceded partition and those early days of independence. From the expectations of the role of women, even in a modern India, to the overwhelming importance of religion to the region, and the way in which beliefs inform the actions of many in this book, all carry an air of truth about them. You can tell that the story is well researched without feeling that the story is well researched, and often I wondered just where the facts ended and the fiction began. Certainly, through reading this series, I have learned more about India and its history than I even knew before, but in a way that balances the need to historical accuracy with entertainment and that thrill of deciphering the mysteries contained within.

This book once again hits all the right notes for me, keeping me absolutely focused and turning the pages, devouring the whole thing in just one afternoon. The more I read, the more I love Persis and Archie and, in-spite of Persis' understandable reservations about their closeness and the impact that any relationship may have on her standing or her career, I cannot wait to see where the author takes them, and us, next. Absolutely recommended.

Well that was a brilliant read. Book 3 in The Malabar House Series featuring Inspector Persis Wadia and Metropolitan Police criminalist Archie Blackfinch and I enjoyed every single page. I’ve been to India a number of times and I adore everything about it so this book was right up my street. Set in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1950, after Partition and the year that the Indian constitution recognised the Republic of India it gave you a fascinating glimpse into life in India at that time. My favourite genres to read are police procedural, crime and historical crime and this encompasses them all. It was brilliantly written with a great plot and I wasted way too much time trying to break the code!

Briefly, Persis is investigating the death of a man found battered in a cave in the foothill of the Himalayas but it’s not straightforward as he has clearly been there for a number of years. When an Italian resident and his wife are murdered, followed shortly thereafter by a German priest Persis thinks there is a connection. But she is a woman and no one pays her much heed apart from Archie. Can they find the killer before anymore lives are lost?

I can’t believe I haven’t read this author before. I’ve just added the previous books in this series to my wish list - it was that good. I love the characters, Persis is a very strong woman although she can be a bit rude and abrupt at times but I think things happening in her private life are making her realise she isn’t quite as independent as she thinks she is. Most of her colleagues don’t accept her as a woman police officer is not the norm but the one I really wanted to slap was Oberoi. Just a great read from start to finish and definitely will be in my top reads this year ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 stars A body in found on a remote mountain pass frozen solid, with little clothing and only a note book for company. Persis Wadia the only female police person in the joint is tasked with finding out who he is and what happened to him. An impossible task but then some white dudes get murdered in the same way and Persis spots a pattern could all these deaths be connected?
This was solid but by god Persis was slow to make connections that were staring the reader in the face. Persis is really off for this whole book, she acted like a toddler throughout and at times was really unpleasant. There’s some family drama which is handled really oddly on all sides. Her reaction to getting a little sidekick is irrationally hostile for reasons that aren’t really apparent and she continues to treat Archie like shit and he continues to take it for no discernible reason. I don’t think they had an entire conversation in this whole book but he decides he loves her anyway. It’s so weird. Relationship drama aside I liked the history and the mystery and they were strong enough to hold it all together but Persis really needs to get a grip or a boot up the backside.

This is the latest in Vaseem Khan's historical Malabar House mystery series featuring an Indian woman police detective, Persis Wadia, set in post-colonial India in 1950, experiencing all the teething difficulties and complexities of the largest fledgling democracy. Persis's personal life is a mess, she feels she cannot act on her feelings for police criminalist, Archie Blackfinch, over issues of race, societal hostility, and the fact that a married woman can no longer serve as a police officer in India. Her usual unusually close relationship with her wheelchair bound father, Sam, becomes a veritable quagmire as she struggles to accept his desire to get married. Then there is her boss, Superintendent of Police, Roshan Seth, insisting that she serve as a mentee to the young Seema Desai who wishes to become a police officer under the Bombay Slum Rehabilitation Programme, an idea she is hostile to, certain she lacks the skills to be a mentor.

Amidst this background of personal turmoil that she is not handling well, Persis finds herself working on 3 separate cases that are to prove to be dangerous and push her to her limits. In a Himalayan mountain cave near Dehra Dun, the frozen body of a murdered white man, aka The Ice Man, is discovered, it is not clear how long he has been there, but he is a white man and there is pressure to identify and find out who killed him. A prominent couple are found dead in bed at their home, Italian Stephen Renzi is bludgeoned to death, and his Indian wife, Leela Sinha, has her throat slit and then a German Catholic priest, Peter Grunewald, is killed with a similar MO to Renzi. The investigation is lent a sense of urgency when Persis's incompetent police colleague, Hemant Oberoi, arrests and extracts a confession from a man she is certain is innocent, but unless justice prevails, he will hang.

Persis follows all leads, and once again finds herself having to break a code in a story where it begins to emerge that all her cases appear to be connected. On a personal level, the flawed Persis is off kilter, she is an able, courageous and competent police officer, but she has none of the social and emotional skills that can oil life's everyday interactions, professional and personal. It makes me wonder if she is on the spectrum, because of this and her inability to accept and process changes in her father's life, so much so she comes across as unpleasant and irritating. This is a wonderfully plotted, complex, tense and suspenseful and twisty historical crime read with a great sense of location, the time period, the culture, and the social norms and expectations in India, particular with regard to women. This will appeal to those readers interested in the early days of India after independence, nicely blended with some intriguing mysteries. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.