Having caught up with the Malabar House series last year I have been looking forward to reading the latest book Death of a Lesser God to see what kind of case Persis would find herself investigating and if I am honest to also find out how her relationship with Archie Blackfinch was progressing. Whilst Archie is mostly absent this time as his work has taken him all over India, Persis has been handed an investigation that may end her career as she is tasked with re investigating a murder of an Indian lawyer where the suspect (a white Englishman) has already been convicted.
If ever there was a case that needed every ounce of tenacity and stubbornness that Persis had then this is the one. Despite being commanded to investigate to ensure that justice was done, she is 100% alone as she is not to use the rest of the team to assist her, and should word get out about what she is doing then her career is over. With only 11 days to confirm or dispute the facts of the case you could be forgiven for thinking that she is being set up to fail as a way to get her out of a job that many do not believe she deserves.
From the start it is quite evident that no one wants Persis to find anything that may prove that the wrong person is about to be executed and some will go to great lengths to show they mean business, threatening both her and her young mentee Seema who has insisted on joining Persis on her investigation. With so many secrets and lies being exposed it is evident that there is more to the whole story. Whilst I kind of hoped/expected the outcome there were still some surprises that I did not see coming and revealed past connections between several of the characters.
There were some lighter moments in the book provided by Persis’s cousin Darius and Archie Blackfinch as they vied for her attention, trying to take each other down with snippy comments and Darius deliberately calling Archie “Blackbird” to get a rise from him. Despite this however they did work together when it looked like Persis was in trouble. It will be interesting to see how the relationships between them work out going forward. As ever the descriptions of India and how the country was trying to reshape itself add that extra depth to the story and the author does not shy away from both the good and the bad of both sides. As a fan of historical fiction this is definitely one of my favourite series and I would thoroughly recommend it

Death of a Lesser God is the fourth instalment of the Persis Wadia series and this time she is tasked with investigating a murder that has already been solved but a rich white man has been arrested which complicates everything of course. Then Persis starts to find holes in the case and it might not all be a clear cut as everyone claims. This fourth instalment brings more of the same. I still have a lot of niggles with characterisation in these books Persis continues to be a awful to everyone around her, Khan tries to pass this off as a sort of charming bluntness but she’s supposed to be clever, she’s supposed to be twice as good as everyone else yet she blunders in and puts everyone’s backs up. She treats everyone terribly including Archie who is still hanging around eventhough she doesn’t want him but she doesn’t want anyone else to have home either. It’s the interesting facets of India’s history that keep me reading and the case itself was suitably twisty with a satisfying conclusion.

Death of a Lesser God is the 4th book in the Malabar House series by Vaseem Khan.
In short, Inspector Persis Wadia at the Bombay Police has been tasked to re investigate the case of James Whitby, convicted killer sentenced to death for the murder of a prominent Calcutta lawyer.
I’ve read and enjoyed all books in this series and this is another action packed adventure with the formidable Persis. This time she finds herself investigating the dangerous and murky world of corruption and menacing gangsters determined to keep her quiet. It’s crammed pack full of detail including the political climate India was experiencing during the 1950’s…Vaseem has expertly captured the sense of time & place during post Partition India.
Another great and exhausting investigation for Persis, I’m looking forward to her next riveting investigation…maybe next time with less similes, there were just too many in this book!
Big thanks to Vaseem Khan, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

My introduction to Vaseem Khan ... so good that I will be seeking out every thing else he has written. Persis Wadia, the first female detective in the Bombay police. We are in Bombay in the 50s. Persis is asked to reinvestigate a crime for which the son of a prominent man is facing the death penalty. Her investigations take her to Calcutta.

I’m a bit late to the party for this excellent historical crime series. This is the fourth book in the Malabar series which features Persis, India’s first female inspector based in Bombay. Persis investigates the murder of a prominent lawyer Fareed Mazumdar. James Whitby has been found guilty and sentenced to death but Whitby claims he is innocent. Persis is determined to get to the truth although trying to prove a white man innocent in 1950s India does t make her very popular.
An utterly absorbing thriller, well plotted with plenty of historical facts on life in post colonial India. Highly recommended and time for me to catch up with the other novels in the series.

Loving this series. Just wish Persis and Archie would get on with it, but then the series might end and I wouldn't want that. As well as good story lines and characters, the books give a good account of the politics, history etc of post-colonial India. Thanks to Netgalley.

I knew this was the fourth in a series when I was going into it, so I braced myself for some amount of confusion over the characters, settings, etc. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the book stands extremely well on its own. No doubt reading the previous books will give more context to the relationships between the characters. However, the author has crafted the story with such care that it is not strictly necessary to do so.

I loved how the crime sat right in the middle of the juxtaposition of the various political and social issues of the time period without being too preachy or expository about it.

Highly recommend this book, and I will definitely be purchasing it. (And maybe everything else the author has written.)

When I started reading this I didn’t realise it was the fourth part of a series featuring India’s first woman police officer Persis, I will definitely be reading the others in the series though!

Set in 1950’s Bombay, Persis is tasked with trying to prove that James Whitby, a white man who is about to be hanged for murder did not do it.

I really enjoyed this mystery featuring gangsters and tigers, and loved Vaseem’s descriptive writing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my eARC

This is the fourth book in Vaseem Khan’s Malabar House series of crime fiction. I recommend reading the previous books first but this can be enjoyed as a ‘stand alone’ story. I enjoy Khan’s mix of fact and fiction and with each book I feel that I’ve learned a bit about different aspects of post-partition India. The previous books are set in Bombay. This one starts there, when the main character, Persis Wadia, the first female detective in the Indian police force, is asked to conduct a secret investigation into the murder of a lawyer, to prove the innocence of an Englishman convicted of his killing. The action then moves to Calcutta when Persis finds links to a double murder committed a few years earlier. I would give the series as a whole four stars - it is well worth reading, especially if you enjoy historical crime fiction. I’ve given this one three as I found that Khan overused similes (like, as if) - especially in the first half of the book - which detracted from the story, and I missed the other characters that I’d got to know in the previous books. Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an advance review copy.

I have had the pleasure of hearing Vaseem Khan speak twice at Granite Noir and was familiar with and had read his Baby Ganesh Agency series, however for some reason I hadn’t got round to his Malabar House series yet.
James Whitby, sentenced to death for the murder of prominent lawyer and former Quit India activist Fareed Mazumdar, is less than two weeks from a date with the gallows. In a last-ditch attempt to save his son, Whitby's father forces a new investigation into the killing.

The investigation leads Inspector Persis Wadia of the Bombay Police to the old colonial capital of Calcutta, where, with the help of Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, she uncovers a possible link to a second case, the brutal murder of an African-American G.I. during the Calcutta Killings of 1946.
I entered the series with Death of a Lesser God, the fourth in the series. The series features Persis Wadia, India's first female police detective and I thought had a slightly different feel to the Baby Ganesh books, possibly due to the more period setting. I thought I got to know the characters quite quickly, which is a testament to how well Khan populates the world, and I also thought each character had a clear and distinct voice.
I’ll freely admit I don’t know too much about this time period, or the politics in India at the time, and have to admit that historically much of my knowledge of India before this time comes from Abir Mukherjee’s series of excellent books, but I did feel I came away with more knowledge of this time than I went in, so I worked as both an educational experience and a good read.
Persis is tasked with revisiting a case that was thought to be settled and concluded involving James Whitby, a white man born in India, whose family held significant influence during the British rule. Whitby's father believes Persis is the person to investigate and with the assistance of her long-time companion, Archie Blackfinch, a criminal investigator from Scotland Yard, Persis follows the trail to Calcutta.
Conclusion
The sights, the sounds, and the smells of the city streets of the 2 cities it’s set in are almost characters in their own right and help to draw us into the plot. Much of the novel is in first person but there were times I felt Persis felt a bit more modern than the setting implied she should be but these were minor things as the strength of the character work very well. The biggest strength of this is Khans easy writing style that means you become immersed in what is a totally different landscape and story without feeling too alienated. If you haven’t read Vaseem Khan then check him out, I don’t think it’s essential to have read the previous books in this series but that being said I will be going back and reading them but that’s more because of how much I enjoyed the character and book.

This is now the 4th in the wonderful world of Bombay's first policewoman Persis that I have read - and still the plots improve!
The author immerses us immediately in the life of Malabar House which in India's police force is perhaps known as the pit of impossibles. However since her first case the determined young Persis has shown her strong (both mental and physical) acumen and her light touch to ensure she digs out the real culprits.
So when she is sent on a bit of an underground mission by a superior officer to uncover any faults in the conviction of James Whitby (son of Charles - an influential British figure still it seems in post Partition India- she throws herself completely into the task.
We are reunited with Persis's family - her father Sam, owner of a book emporium - now married and on his honeymoon and Aunt Nussie still matchmaking! Also her past love interest Archie Blackfinch seems out of the current picture while Persis considers her own emotions about him. Now Seema, helping out in the bookshop and ambitious for a life in the police too adds some extra mentoring work for Persis as her investigation sends her to Calcutta and murkier worlds of corrupt politicians, hard nosed gang leaders to uncover where the true killer of a young lawyer can be found.
Sometimes Persis presents as a bit of a superwoman - but why not?! This is a time of change for India - aware from its colonial Raj image to a newer proud society of equality nudging ever so slightly at the doors of the establishment.
Superb images of Gods (religions play a great part) and locations (especially the ancient forested Sundarbans of which I learnt so much) add a spiritual and mystical feel to this murder mystery.
Hope to read more of Persis and pit my powers of investigative talent against the clues, symbols and relationships that Vaseem Khan once again admirably throws to us in his wonderful novels.

There are so many reasons to love Vaseem Khan’s Malabar House series and they all apply to Death of a Lesser God. I learn so much from these books; so much about India and the astonishing And often dreadful things that happened during and after the British colonial occupation. These books are, as India is, so layered, with caste, religion, race and social status all playing into a complex and fascinating country.

I mean, who knew that black American soldiers came to Calcutta and showed the Indians how the white man always treated people poorly because of the colour of their skin. Yet during World War 11 150,000 American G.I.s came to Bengal and 20,000 of them were black/African American and segregated as the author describes in his notes.

It is this truly illuminating blend of fact and fiction that makes these books come alive, alongside Vaseem Khan’s ability to look at India from different perspectives.

In Death of a Lesser God, the question is whether a white man can receive justice in a newly independent India?

James Whitby was born and grew up in Bombay. He has known no other home than India and to all intents and purposes he is Indian. But James is white; the son of wealthy British colonial Charles Whitby, whose power and influence still has reach in post-colonial India. Whitby is used to being in the ascendant, living in an India where he could lord it over those whose country he had colonised. Now he finds it hard to handle the new ways of life but fortunately for him. corruption has not suddenly disappeared and there are still people in places of power who feel they owe him favours.

And so Persis yet again finds herself handling the latest political hot potato. With just eleven days until James is hanged for the murder of a prominent Indian lawyer, Fareed Mazumdar, Charles Whitby has succeeded in getting his son’s case reviewed, with the order coming directly to Persis from ADC Amit Shukla himself. Persis is told this is to be a low profile, discreet review and she is to keep it under wraps, telling no-one, not even her colleagues or her direct supervisor.

James Whitby understands that his position is cruelly ironic; even as the British made Indians feel like second class citizens in their own country, now James must await Indian justice in this India; relying on the hope that he will be treated better than his compatriots treated the Indians whose home they colonised. His fear though is that he will be the subject of a form of reverse racism.

Persis, however, is only interested in justice; she will investigate without fear or favour because she believes in principles of fairness in the law and she is strong willed enough not to let anything stand in the way of her getting to the truth, however difficult that truth may prove to be. But keeping things secret is simply not possible and soon she is at the centre of a storm of protest when her mission is known.

Vaseem Khan uses events of the time to enrich his books, including fascinating historical detail of the times and it all adds to a tremendously rich and immersive experience whilst at the same time the author ensures that there is depth of character and a lightness of touch infused with humour that all adds up to a reading experience that wears its knowledge well, but never becomes overly weighty.

When the case takes Persis and her Dalit mentee, Seema Desai, to Calcutta it seems that Persis has little idea of just how dangerous this will be, as she finds herself having to interrogate not just politicians but also prominent gangsters. When danger bites, Persis will blame herself for what transpires and her anguish is palpable, leading her to question everything she is doing.

As her search takes her to the Sundarbans mangrove forest the danger is palpable and Vaseem Khan beautifully shows us the contradictions inherent in this India; in which Indians seek to be modern and progressive and yet at the same time paying homage to Bonbibi, a goddess of the forest.

Verdict: I love this series and I enjoy learning so much as well as immersing myself in the rich, descriptive period and the vibrant characters of the time. This book, though, is special. It’s an addictive combination of Golden Age writing, cryptic puzzles and rich historical and geographic information. Vaseem Khan shows how clearly Persis embodies the contradictions of a new India. Pulled in different directions; finding comfort and attraction in the traditions of the old, whilst being intellectually inclined towards the modern. Fed up with the anachronisms of working in a man’s world where she is expendable and always handed the cases no-one else wants to touch, Persis finds herself not knowing which way to turn. She is confused where once she had certainty and now she is at a crossroads. I can’t wait to see which way she turns. An outstanding 5 star read.

Vaseem Khan cannot write a bad mystery and this one is excellent. This is a fast paced, action packed and gripping historical mystery featuring Persis Wadia, a great and strong female characters
Bombay and Calcutta are the setting and I'm always fascinated by the historical parts and the descriptions of everyday life.
The solid and twisty mystery kept me guessing and I read this novel in two sitting.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Death of a Lesser God is the fourth book featuring the first female police inspector in India, Persis Wadia. Bombay in 1950 is dealing with the effects of independence and partition, coming to terms with the new relationship with the British and coping with inter-religion conflict.

A celebrated Indian lawyer from Calcutta has been killed in Bombay and a white man with British heritage has been convicted of his murder. An open and shut matter seemingly, but Persis has been asked to discreetly "review" the case thanks to some political pressure applied by the convicted man's elderly (and rich) father. She has to investigate the matter in both Bombay and Calcutta, which leads her into some sticky situations which have serious consequences for herself and others.

An action-packed edition of this series - highly recommended!

I read this book not realising that it was the fourth in a series, and thus reads very well as a standalone as any previous information which the reader needs is supplied. I love history and so set in post partition India, I was enthralled by all the events happening in the background to the story along with the highly descriptive areas throughout India. It has it all........murder, love, hate, religions, wealth and poverty, injustice, racism to name but a few. I loved the whole story and certainly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

Bombay, 1950. James Whitby, the son of the influential Charles Whitby, sits on death row, waiting for his sentence to be carried out. James was found over the body of Fareed Mazumdar, a prominent lawyer and former activist, the bloody knife in his hand – an open and shut case. The public opinion is firmly against him – the newly independent India has very little sympathy for their former colonisers – but Whitby’s father begins to pull some strings.
Inspector Persis Wadia is put onto the case to re-examine the evidence and begins to see that this is a crime with its roots in the past. How does the murder of Mazumdar relate to the death of an African-American GI in 1946? As Persis heads to Calcutta, it becomes clear that some people are more than happy to keep the past buried.
Plus, it’s got a tiger in it!
So we’re on to the fourth title in the award-winning Malabar House series, preceded by Midnight At Malabar House, The Dying Hour and The Lost Man Of Bombay, and if you’re a fan of the preceding books, you’ll need no persuading to pick up this book. But let’s assume that you haven’t, what have we got here?
First off, it ticks my “historical mystery” box very nicely. I’m always a bit iffy when books set in this country in the post-war period are classified as historicals. I know that they are, but I always want an historical mystery to teach me something about the past that I didn’t know, and this series certainly does that. Rather shamefully, the UK education system doesn’t have the Partition on its syllabus, presumably as it raises too many questions concerning the involvement of the UK in various atrocities, so I feel first of all, by bring India in 1950 to vivid life, Vaseem Khan is doing a brilliant job of filling in some gaps in my knowledge (and entertaining me at the same time).
Persis is a great lead character, and most of the book is from her point of view (although I should say that the occasional sections from James’ point of view are mesmerising). At this point, she has become something of a celebrity in certain circles, but her determination is proving to be a problem. Her story continues to develop here – as a hopeless romantic, I’d have liked to see a little more movement in the ongoing story with Archie, but that will just make me come back next time.
The plot is a little slow to develop, I thought, and one could possibly question Persis not following the crucial piece of evidence earlier, but it’s a satisfying build to an exciting almost-climax and an interesting reveal. I don’t think it’s clued, but I don’t think the author was trying to, which is perfectly fine – it’s not that sort of book.
So a gripping plot, an atmospheric (and informative) setting and an engaging lead character. Definitely worth your time.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Death of a Lesser God, the fourth novel to feature Bombay’s only policewoman, Persis Wadia, set in 1950.

James Whitby has been convicted of the murder of lawyer and activist Fareed Mazumdar and is due to hang in eleven days. His father coerces a new investigation and Persis is charged with undertaking it. Her investigation takes her to Calcutta where she discovers what might be a linked case, the murders of a black American journalist and a nightclub singer in 1946 during a riot.

I thoroughly enjoyed Death of a Lesser God, which is informative as it is entertaining with a primer on post partition politics and a gripping plot with plenty of twists and turns.

The novel is mostly told from Persis’s point of view as she pursues a relentless investigation and is interspersed with the thoughts of James Whitby as he stares death in the face. He is in the invidious position of being a white Indian, unwelcome in his home country and a foreigner anywhere else, so that is included in his musings along with reflections on his life. He doesn’t touch on the racism that played its part in his conviction, but others do. Persis is unhappy about her assignment and fears rightly that she is being set up. It doesn’t stop her doing her job, if anything, it makes her hunger more for the truth and with a short timeframe she’s prepared to be aggressive about it. She’s magnificent.

The plot is, perhaps, a bit slow initially with Persis having little to go on except some vague hints about a seminal case in Mazumdar’s past. This takes her to Calcutta where things really take off. I was glued to the pages where she gets into all kinds of scrapes, including an implausible encounter with a tiger, before uncovering several murderers and untangling a maze of relationships and friendships. It’s all go with tension, excitement and some good twists.

Death of a Lesser God is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Have enjoyed the characters, location and atmosphere set in each book so far, along with something of an insight into the turbulent and violent transition of India during Partition and Post Colonialism. However whilst this is the back drop the story itself is of a case Persis is charged with investigating and her sheer doggedness uncovers more stones unturned from Bombay to Calcutta. She teases out a story of power and corruption and that ultimately builds to spare a white man from hanging for a murder he did not commit. The only question is - will she live to prove it. A well told tale, thrilling but not lacking a touch of humour, which is a trade mark of the author and it is a rich edition to the Malabar House series.

Inspector Persis, India’s first female detective policeman is summoned from above assigned to reexamine a sensitive case of an Englishman due to be hanged for thr murder of a prominent lawyer. India post independent f recovering from the turmoil and blood shed of partition that created Pakistan, her investigation could stir vested interests and upset political and racial sensitise. The condemned Janes Whitby has a weathy industrialist father who has pulled strings for the re investigation which needs a low profile. Persis feels she is made to take it in as being expendable if things go wrong. As she discovers, the case is linked to events in Calcutta where James father, lives as well as the lawyer new moved to Bombay where he was murdered. Her investigation reveals a complex relationships, treachery, blackmail, and murders. Events that involve the secrets of powerful individuals determined to keep their secrets, In exposing the truth at the cost of barely escaping with her life she is left wondering if she should resign.

Whenever I open up a book by Vaseem Khan I know that I am going to get two things from whatever follows - entertainment and education. Drawing on the history of pre and post partition India, Vaseem Khan has created another absolutely brilliant mystery that sees Inspector Persis Wadia facing one of the biggest challenges of her career, this time without the might or weight of the Police Force to back her up.

I love the character of Persis Wadia. Vaseem Khan has created a strong, independent and culture defying heroine for his series, and each time we meet her I know that we are in for one heck of a ride. This time around, Persis is tasked with conducting a semi-covert investigation into the murder of a prominent lawyer, for which a man, James Whitby, has been convicted and now faces the death penalty. It's a highly political case, largely because Whitby is seen to be representative of Colonialism and, the victim, is perceived to be a staunch patriot, part of the Quit India movement. Looking back over what happened, reopening wounds, is bound to ruffle more than a few feathers. Finding herself cast out from the force, suspended after her investigations come to light in order to appease the baying crowd, Persis travels to Calcutta to continue her enquiries, and to get a better understanding of the victim, hoping this will lead her to the ultimate truth.

This book is full of twists and turns, and a high level of jeopardy, especially for Persis and her young mentee, Seema, as they continue their digging. That sense of threat really keeps the pace, mystery and tension high. And that's important this time around as, despite the circumstances - man on death row who may or may not be guilty - James Whitby is not necessarily the most sympathetic of characters. He is almost placidly awaiting his fate, accepting and resigned in a way that you might not expect from someone who might be innocent. There is something there though, some spark of intrigue that made me wonder just what Persis would uncover, and this, and the mystery that is building around the whole case, kept me complete invested. There are some scenes when everything seems hopeless, others where the adrenalin is pulsing and the action coming at a particularly fast pace, all of which combine to make a thoroughly entertaining read.

Vaseem Khan is a master at scene setting, and through a beautifully descriptive narrative he transports us to 1950's Calcutta and some of the more remote and isolated areas of India. I always feel as though I am learning more about the culture and history of this vast continent the more i read, and yet it never feels as though I am being taught, the history lessons, as such, embedded in the action, driving the story forward rather than causing it to pause. And with his ability to create characters who thrill and apall, I'm always left satisfied by the story. I loved seeing Persis feeling so conflicted this time around by affairs of the heart. It is no longer her very complicated relationship with Archie Blackfinch that dominates her thoughts, her cousin Darius making a surprise return. I'm completely intrigued to see how that all plays out, especially given that any notion of romance could put paid to a career that she has fought so hard achieve in the first place.

A very welcome, pacy and menace laden addition to the series and definitely recommended.