The Waiter, The Cook and The detective are all good reads and the 4th in this series, The Spy, rises to an even higher level. Kamil Rahman is an excellent lead character and he doesn’t know to which of his two ladies to devote 100% of his time. The story may help him decide. After the rapid escalation from detective, to waiter, to cook to detective, his rise to MI5 spy may be enough to put his two ladies off, or does it? The Spy takes him into further danger, but it appears he enjoys the spying, so we’ll see where book five goes next. This is two thrillers at the same time. His ladies are searching for a missing boy who sends coded Harry Potter clues as to his captivity location, while Kamil goes, unknown, but suspected, into a terrorist unit, which eventually sends him back to his homeland in Kashmir. The Indian aspects of this story are very well presented and I’m guessing the author knows the land, the food and the way of life there, very well indeed - and London!. The two stories finally meet, with the help of the head chef, just to confuse the story, but add to its authenticity. I found this a thoroughly enjoyable read and I really look forward to book number 5. I have a guess where book 5 will be going, but I’ll have to wait and see.

Imam Masroor hopes to stop a bomber by talking him and his leader out of it. Next morning, the bomber is found dead, and the Imam is missing. This is devastating news for DC Kamil Rahman, who had been told of the plan by the Imam, and who was supposed to be tailing them. The meeting time had suddenly been brought forward, and he was too far from Bethnal Green to get to the rendezvous in time. However, his involvement brings him to the attention of MI5 (with whom he has history) and he agrees to go undercover and try to infiltrate the supposed cell planning the attack. However, he is not unknown within the community so “undercover” is an inappropriate description. Instead, he presents as a former police officer, unfairly fired by his Islamophobic superiors for withholding evidence. This is the second time he has been fired from a police force, because four years ago he was expelled from the Kolkata force, and essentially expelled from India, because he had evidence that the Indian (Hindu) Prime Minister, Jaideep Sanyal, was involved in murder. Sanyal has been persecuting Muslims in India, particularly Kashmir, so Kamil’s antipathy towards him is a plus from the point of view of the plotters. He rapidly gets involved but is he at risk of getting too close to their ideology, of becoming an active member? Alternatively, is he taking too many risks? Will the plotters realise he is a spy?
This is the fourth in the series but works perfectly well as a standalone, although the usual love triangle element seems a bit underpowered, lacking the depth provided by the earlier books. All the main characters are here and all are fairly well drawn and believable, although Kamil is a bit of a procrastinator which seems a shade unlikely for such a heroic character. It takes a little while to get properly in the groove, but picks up well and there are some good jeopardy scenes, especially that set in Kashmir. There is a subplot concerning Anjoli’s kidnapped nephew which feeds into the main plot but feels a bit like it is designed to keep her, and her sleuthing skills, in the reader’s mind. The nature of the plot, Islamic terrorists concerned with the persecution of Muslims by the Hindu majority party in India, requires quite a lot of detail about the political situation there; perhaps too much detail. Although this is a work of fiction, the situation it describes is very close to the actual situation pertaining in India today, which makes some sections feel more like a political statement rather than necessary background. This does provide a menacing aura to the story.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Book 4 in the Detective Kamil Rahman Series and I definitely think my favourite. I would recommend reading the previous books for context/background but it does read well as a stand-alone. Now working for the Metropolitan Police Kamil is not enjoying his job as he feels he is not being treated fairly by his bosses. After ‘falling out’ with his best friend Anjoli he is no longer living over the restaurant he previously worked in and his personal life is further complicated as his former fiancée Maliha is currently working in London.

Briefly, Kamil’s life is turned upside down when his friend and Imam goes missing and he is approached by MI5 for his help in trying to uncover a possible terrorist threat, and the Imam’s disappearance may be connected. Meanwhile Anjoli’s restaurant is doing well with a new chef in charge so when she is approached by a friend whose son has been kidnapped she is determined to help find him, but she can tell no one!

Both threads were very good but I particularly enjoyed deciphering the clues the missing boy was giving in his video messages to his parents. There is quite a lot of politics in this book around the conflict in Kashmir which I found interesting as I really wasn’t aware this was still such a sensitive issue. I did get a bit annoyed about the way Kamil was treating Anjoli and Maliha as he was trying to decide which of them he wished to have a relationship with, he seemed completely impervious to their feelings. That said this was a really good read and one I thoroughly enjoyed. A very good plot, engaging characters and all in all a very entertaining read.

This is the fourth book starring Detective-Waiter-Cook-Detective, and now Spy Kamil Rahman... And I would suggest that you do play catch up and read the first three books before this one (and in order obviously) as you will benefit from the backstory and character development that has already occurred...
So, Kamil is in trouble again after the events of the previous book and is sacked from the Police Force (again). But this time, it is all for show as he has been asked by MI5 to help them infiltrate a cell. This invitation coming about after he is asked by his Imam to help with his concerns regarding extremism and terrorism that he has learned about. Kamil agrees to help the Imam, only to be scuppered on his surveillance, the Imam disappearing. Although reluctant, Kamil agrees to assist and starts to worm his way in, aided by the news of his sacking.
And so begins a rather convoluted, and also quite politically heavy, tale which has Kamil travelling to Kashmir, getting in more trouble than in any previous book, and that's saying something. It also has him, once again, pitting his wits against his old nemesis! Meanwhile, outwith all the terrorist infiltration, he still has a personal choice to make... Anjoli or Maliha? An aside that on occasion lends humour to the overall story, assuring that it never becomes over the top too heavy. We also have Anjoli who is conducting her own investigation into a missing boy.
This book is heavier than those that came before. I expect you'd easily guess this yourself given the main topic, but also gave me food for thought as to what is happening in Kashmir, something I had no idea about before I read this book. But something I feel I need to know more about after finishing it.
But that said, it is balanced and the political side of things drives the narrative rather than being preachy. A narrative that had me hooked from the start and held captive throughout. It's extremely well and imaginatively plotted and that plot ably executed with assistance from some cracking characters. Spitting me out at the end, wholly satisfied at what had gone before, and also, with the way it ended, very excited to see what happens next time in book 5.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Book 4 in the series and although it may be read as a standalone - as my husband did - I feel that to get the full impact and enjoyment, it is best to read the series in order. What I enjoy about these books is the history of both India but also London and how they have changed over the years. This book highlights the differences between the Muslims and the Hindus especially in Kashmir which I found very informative.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review

The Spy while part of a series does well as a standalone. Despite several references to the earlier books it manages to catch up the reader and hold attention. The action starts from page 1 of the book and hooked me right away.

There are 2 mysteries at play here as the leads race to solve them. The book also managed to use the location and setting to its advantage. It also manages to use geo politics to its advantage while being a complete thriller. Which is something that makes the book interesting. Found it an exciting read and looking forward to the next in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

The Spy (Kamil Rahman 4) by Ajay Chowdhury

The Spy is Ajay Chowdhury's 4th book, featuring Kamil Rahman. Having read the previous books and loved every one of them, it saddens me to report that The Spy is just okay.
The Spy can be read as a stand-alone, but it references things that have taken part in the other three books.
Kamil is now working for MI5 undercover to infiltrate a suspected cell in his local mosque while Anjoli concentrates on building up Tandoori Knights and gets involved in the kidnapping of her nephew, This is where the book falls short, as the chemistry between the two main characters is what made the previous books sizzle, but in Spy they are basically apart, dealing with individual stories until the final few chapters.
It's an okay read, and I shall look out for the fifth book, but overall, for myself, I find it disappointing if you compare it to the previous three books. 
I think that if you come to the Spy without having read the previous books, you will have a good time.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

"Made of red brick, with two slim minarets and large arched windows on both sides, it looks distinctly exotic amongst the rows of identikit terraced Victorian houses. How did the residents react when it was built forty-odd years ago? Their alienation must have been extreme. I suspect most of those families have moved out and been replaced by Muslims. Where have they gone? Suburbs further out? Another city? In one way, it's sad, but the East End is a tapestry in constant change. The Cockneys gave way to the Chinese and Africans; they to the Christian Huguenots; the Huguenots to the Jews; the Jews to the Bengali and Pakistani Muslims. And so it goes, layer on layer of strata that forms the bedrock of this tiny part of London that has become my home."

Book 4 for the Detective Kamil Rahman Anglo-Indian crime series sees Kamil recruited to MI5 to stop a suspected terror plot. Kamil finds himself in an unenviable position, trying to do the right thing as ever, but being pulled this way and that - politically and romantically - in this powerful, espionage thriller.

Depicting returning, well-draw characters alongside some new ones, all set against a background of extremism made understandable and the search for identity. I always enjoy the Kamil / Anjoli / Maliha triangle (although would like to see Kamil and Anjoli together!) and can see there is more to come for them. I found this a darker and more powerful novel than the earlier books in the series. Perhaps this was as a result of the parallels of the imperialist and racist situation in Kashmir, eloquently and evocatively described by the author, to that in Palestine, which is at the forefront of my mind at the moment; perhaps it is the natural progression for Kamil as he learns and his character develops further. Being agnostic with a Church of England upbringing, I always find fascinating the different languages, foods (from Anjoli's restaurant) and Islamic terms that contribute to the unique identity of this series. A very dangerous mission that Kamil manages to survive by using his wits. I look forward to the next installment.

The story is very gripping and wow the ending is a big surprise. I thoroughly recommend this book, another thrilling read by this talented author

Ajay Chowdhury’s Kamil Rahman series is only four books old but has managed to constantly reinvent itself. The book in the series The Waiter was a hard edged cosy crime story in which a disgraced Kolkata detective working in his family’s London restaurant helps solve a crime. By book 3, The Detective, Rahman found himself back in the police force and delivered an interesting but slightly underwhelming procedural. With The Spy, Chowdhury reinvents his premise again, having Rahman go undercover for MI5, with much better effect.
When The Spy opens, Rahman is still, doing penance in the police force for the unorthodox way he dealt with the crimes in The Detective. He is approached by his Imam, who believes that one of his parishioners has fallen in with Islamic extremists. Soon the Imam and is missing and Rahman is approached by MI5 to go undercover at a local mosque to try and find out what has happened to the Imam and uncover the plot. In order to do so he has to be drummed out of the police force. Meanwhile his on-again, off-again girlfriend Anjoli, finds herself trying to help a couple whose son has been kidnapped.
The Spy is a definitely a change of pace for Chowdhury and his characters. More thriller than whodunnit or procedural with secret identifies, kidnapping, torture and more than one ticking clock. But baked into this new formula are the same issues Rahman has been dealing with since book one – racism and Islamaphobia in both Inda and the UK, and the use of these in the service of greed and power. In The Spy Chowdhury also explores the siren song of fundamentalism, and how good ethical people can be slowly turned to do things that might not otherwise contemplate. But as always the focus is on the central characters of Kamil and Anjoli and their relationship complicated further by the presence of Kamil’s ex-fiancé Mahlina in London.
For a series that started strongly, The Spy feels like a return to form for Chowdhury. It is tense, deals with real world issues, and remains anchored around two engaging characters. And it feels by the end that Chowdhury may well pivot again should Kamil and Anjoli return for a fifth time.

I was somewhat underwhelmed by this book since a friend had raved about the first three in the series. Perhaps I just chanced on the one different one since it was much less about solving a crime in an amateur fashion rather than a political manifesto about the shocking things happening in Kashmir.

The story has a few strands - the kidnapping of the teenage son of Anjoli's friends is investigated by Anjoli while Kamil (having burned his bridges with Anjoli) is back in the Police Force and his own flat. But not for long as he is poached by MI5 to investigate a possible terrorist plot which will take him all over London and back to India.

The plot isn't complicated. However the kidnap of the teenager involves many references to Harry Potter and, after a while, it began to feel like I was reading a JK Rowling book. The whole feel of the novel is quite juvenile and it would probably appeal to a YA audience.

The characters felt quite flat too. Perhaps that is because I haven't read the first three books but Kamil really got on my nerves with his vacillating between whether he wanted to be with Maliha or Anjoli. If I were either of the women I'd tell him to sling his hook. It became a very irritating part of the narrative.

The plot itself becomes rather fantastical towards the end and I fear that if half of the things that happened to Kamil had happened to an actual person they'd have been locked up in their own best interests. It certainly wandered into that Potter/James Bond vibe at times.

So I was, on the whole, not blown away by the plot although it did make for some sickening further reading about Kashmir's current state.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Random House, Vintage for the advance review copy.

Our Muslim detective is persuaded to be seconded to MI5 to work under cover to replace s predecessor who had been exposed and murdered. His job is to infiltrate an embryo group working for an independent Kashmir for Muslims, to be achieved by some terrorist act against Indian rule. Gives a detailed insight into the politics of the region with all the different vested interests involved and the atrocities committed to its peoples. A most hairy mission with danger a risk of death from all sides and no one to fully trust while being torn between the two young women in his life.

Another winner by Ajay Chowdhury, I realise have come to quite miss Kamil and his dilemmas between books!
This feels like the most political of recent ones, although possibly it is just that subject of extremism is making more headlines at present in the UK, maybe at the cost of reporting on wider international issues in India and Kashmir for example.
The human stories manage to ground the book including the eternal love triangle and general day to day life of people living in the area. Also some fabulous descriptions of food.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

Kahmil Rahman is back and he’s now a fully fledged police Constable in this 4th book from Ajay Chowdury.

As with any series, it always helps to read them all, and with these being so good I would recommend doing just that.

This 4th book feels much more personal and serious than it’s predecessors as Ajay Chowdhury brings a very real and live political situation in real life firmly to the forefront this new thriller. He maybe does bring the political Angle a little too heavily.

Kamil continues to be the most indecisive character in the world as he battles many inner demos but first and foremost he always does what’s right.

So an intriguing, powerful and politically charged thriller this time around ticks many boxes and whilst the love triangle of earlier books is still there it’s been very much toned down in favour of a new character into the series.

Chowdhury is a fine crime writer and I am thoroughly invested in this superb series

Loving this series and this instalment was definitely the grittiest to date. Terrorism, spies, bombs and take aways, it’s all going on! Fast paced and clever with characters that are familiar and worth rooting for this book was a good read. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me an advance reader copy.

As always, this another triumph from a great writer who seemlessly marries the current political/social issues with the old characters we’ve come to love through previous books. However don’t be put off - this, like all previous books, can be read as a stand alone story but then you’d be missing out on Kamil’s journey both physically and emotionally to see how he’s ended up where he is at the start of The Spy. I really enjoy the dilemmas he faces, work wise and love interest. I found myself routing for him to just come to a decision. I also found the background of how Indian politics and current treatment of Kashmiris especially interesting, which has sparked a decision to investigate more about the situation to which hitherto I knew very little. I have raved about these books to many friends and family and genuinely can’t wait for the next one.

This was an excellent thriller, with a lot going on. I enjoyed the interaction between the 3 main characters and the social backdrop within India and London mosques were detailed and very interesting.

I quite enjoyed this book, even when I realised there were prequals the where constantly referenced. The soul-searching from Kamil was quite endearing and felt real. It was good to see the Kashmir problems being introduced as a plot line. An intriguing read until the final chapter.

But two big cons – 1) the main leader Sanyal was just a parody of another Indian leader- why note just call him out?
2) the ending – it felt like a mash-up of what was happening in Kashmir, other Indian states and other Asian countries.

Last year, I was fortunate to receive an ARC for 'The Detective', the third novel in the highly enjoyable Detective Kamil Rahman Mystery series by Ajay Chowdhury. It was my first time reading one of the Kamil Rahman novels, and afterwards, I decided to catchup my reading the first two novels in the series.
If you are a newcomer, then do not hesitate to dive straight into the series because as always the author has carefully crafted the storyline to provide sufficient information re the characters background to peak the reader's interest in reading the previous novels, and not too much information to overload the reader.
As the story begins, Kamil is continuing to work
as a Detective constable in the London Metropolitan police, though he faces a daily struggle in the face of the balant racism of his boss. He also is caught trying to decide where his heart truly lies - with the funny Anjoli, or his long ago love Maliha.
The storyline here is a complex one, and as in previous novels, gives the reader pause for thought, when the thorny issues of religion, identity and politics collide.
I did struggle on occasion to keep track of the storyline and this is not down to the writing but (and I'm embarrassed to admit this) but to my lack of knowledge about the topics covered so although a work of fiction, the issues covered and the history of Kashmir is indeed true and has encouraged me to read more non-fiction about this region. And that can only be a good thing.
Of and before I forget, can Anjoli please start producing those fab t-shirts as I would certainly be a customer!
This is another intelligent and well written thriller in the series that I can't recommend highly enough and I'm looking forward to more adventures with Kamil, Anjoli and Maliha.

The fourth Detective Kamil Rahman, now working as a detective with the Met. I haven’t read the other books in the series and while this works well as a stand-alone I wish I had a bit more background in the characters.

Central to this book is the Kashmir situation. Good to read a book that also educates. Ironic that an item on the morning news was Modi and inauguration of the Hindu temple at Ayodhya.

Thanks to Netgallery for the ARC