Although this book is part of a series it still worked well as a standalone (although I now want to read the others!). Based in pre partition colonial India this murder mystery was certainly very different and took into account both the caste & the class system. It is beautifully written and a smashing story - I thoroughly enjoyed it & highly recommend it to other readers of all genres!

This is the third in the series that I have read featuring Sam Wyndham of the Calcutta Police and colleague Surendranath Banerjee set in the 1920’s. I liked getting immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of Calcutta although I thought the previous book was a bit too gung-ho. I found this book to be more balanced perhaps because Suren was no longer working officially beside Sam. There is still plenty of dramatic events in the book however to make it absorbing reading.
They work sort of together to investigate the murder of a very prominent Indian businessman and the whereabouts of a relative of Suren who has gone missing. Each having their own priority.
A beautiful actress adds some intrigue into the plot and into Sam’s life but is her interest genuine or for an ulterior motive. Sam and Suren interact well together and both are often reluctant to listen to the other’s sensible advice especiallly regarding their dealings with the opposite sex. I feel that I learn a bit more about Indian society with each book in the series that I read. Look forward to reading more in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for the ARC.

This is the first of this series of the author’s books I have read though I enjoyed his standalone thriller, Hunted. So the characters of Sam Wyndham and Surendranath Banerjee were new to me but I quickly grew to liking them as they investigated the murder of a prominent Calcutta businessman and the mysterious disappearance of a friend of Banerjee’s.
The story is set between the wars and the political background is the campaign for Indian independence led by Ghandi. There’s plenty of colourful descriptions of street life in Calcutta and beyond as the pair look into the two cases. Both main characters are interesting and have problematic issues in their relationships both personal and in relation to work. There’s also a great collection of secondary characters including a glamorous film star.
The plot has plenty of twists and turns and some explosive action sequences and I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more in the series.
Thanks to the Netgalley and the publisher Penguin Random House for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I requested this book and did not do due diligence and know it was book 6 of 6 so never having read the previous books I wasn’t sure how it was going to go but I managed to stick with the story and it all
Flowed and made sense even though I hadn’t had the character development and storyline running through the books. Overall a good read and I am sorry to have missed the first 5 but feel I can’t go back to them now!

A prominent man is found murdered, his throat cut from ear to ear. Captain SamWyndham sets out to investigate with the help of Surendranath Banerjee an ex policeman. At the same time Suren is looking for his cousin Dolly, who has gone missing. And what part did the glamorous Estelle Morgan a film actress play?

‘I had never met an American who wasn’t at least a couple of inches too tall, who didn’t speak too loudly, or who didn’t seem to believe himself and his nation to be God’s gift to the rest of mankind. And those were just the good ones.’ Mukherjee writes.

This is set in India in Calcutta in the 1920sand is very well written. It is number six in a series but you don’t need to have read the other five. However, this one was so good that I will go back and read from number one.

I recommend this to those who like a good detective mystery with lots of interesting background. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publishers.

I've enjoyed previous books in this series by Abir Mukherjee and his most recent certainly did not disappoint. However, the Burning Grounds works as a stand alone novel if you haven't read the previous ones. Set in 1920s India, Mukherjee draws out the tensions, attitudes and background to Calcutta with perceptive details, fleshing out the attitudes and prejudices of that era with both Indian and English narratives.. Sam, the English detective in the Imperial Police Force is as lucky/unlucky with women as ever, but his relationship with Suran has altered. Freshly back from Europe, Suran is reluctant to help his former superior, wanting to work towards India's independence, but murders involving the Indian strata of society also involve his family, so he is drawn into investigations. I loved this book for its depth, breathtaking mystery, fascinating characters and descriptions of places I have never seen. In fact, after reading the story, I feel as though I have been there and breathed in the era. Highly recommended.

1920’s Calcutta is brought to life by this murder mystery. Told from the perspective of a policeman and an ex-policeman the story is vivid and fast paced but does not exclude the occasional use of sarcastic and well timed wit.

M goodness, I absolutely couldn’t put this down. I didn’t know the author before this or that it is part of a series. It really stands up alone and I will check out other books .

Elegantly written, it really brings mid war India to life. The British Empire still exists with the edges starting to fray! Calcutta is as much a character in this as Sam and Suren. Busy, noisy, divided and yet holds all the characters and the story together.

A must read for anyone who loves fiction at its best

Another super read in this wonderful series. Sam Wyndham of the Imperial Police, in disgrace for helping his assistant flee India while under suspicion for a political murder (of which Sam knows he is innocent), is called to the site of another murder. A body with a slashed neck has been discovered at the Burning Grounds; of a local, rich and popular philanthropist and patron of the arts. Sam presumes the case will be passed on to someone else, due to his 'disgrace'...

Surendrenath, his erstwhile assistant then returns to India! After being exonerated of the political murder (actually within a month), he stayed in Europe for 3 years, where he fell in love with a French woman. Called back to India by his father he is tasked by his family to find the whereabouts of his female cousin, who has gone missing.

Sam meets a beautiful international film star, Estelle Morgan who is filming in the region, and is drawn into the world of Indian cinema. He asks for Suren's help in solving the Burning Grounds murder, but Suren, needs his help in turn with his family concerns.

I've missed Wyndham and Bannerjee, since the last book - and eagerly awaited this next instalment. The humour, their relationship, the evocative writing about 1920s India where resistance to British rule is growing - are all integral to this splendid murder/thriller/mystery. Mukherjee makes me laugh out loud (in the right places!) and the plot is electric. I need more about Annie though.

Sam and Suren are back! After a three year break where Suren was more or less banished to Europe after trumped up charges and Sam has been left alone to stew in his own sweat policing Calcutta and staying off the opium the dream team are back together again, sort off. There’s a dead body been found at the Burning Ghats of Calcutta but this one has had its throat cut and is a rich, popular philanthropist beloved by all. Sam’s given the case, his first interesting one three years of being put out to grass by his superiors. Suren meanwhile is roped in by family to look for his childhood friend who has gone missing when links to Sam’s case are discovered the pair are forced to work together. This was so good , I’ve missed these disfunctional idiots a lot I’m so glad they are back together and being weird about it. The suppressed emotion was delicious and awkward in all the best ways. The mystery was great as always and the tropes beautifully rendered. I really hope we get Sam and Suren in Paris. My only criticism is that there’s not enough Annie, never enough Annie.

4.5* The Burning Grounds - Abir Mukherjee. An absolute treat to be back with Wyndham and Banerjee in 1920s Calcutta in a series that is consistently fantastic.

Sam Wyndham is persona non-grata with his bosses in Calcutta's Imperial Police, relegated to grunt work, notably since he helped his former police partner Surendranath Banerjee escape from a the city (and a potential miscarriage of justice) three years previously. When the body of a prominent and much lauded businessman and philanthropist is found in the Burning Ghats, among the deceased who are set to be cremated, it is clear that he has died at the hand of another. As Sam is unexpectedly given the case to investigate, Banerjee makes his long awaited return to Calcutta, finding himself caught up in a crisis when a family member goes missing. It quickly becomes clear that to solve both the murder and the disappearance, Wyndham and Banerjee are best working together.

What a welcome return for this brilliant pair. The book is engaging from the get-go with an intricate plot and an atmosphere that quickly transports you to the sounds and smells of 1920s India. The tension between the British and the Indians continues to gather pace and racial tension is never far from the surface with much of the story. The plot zips along and it felt like it had some carefully crafted nods to Agatha Christie bound up in the pages. There are plenty of red herrings and dark alleys to go down, which adds to the tenson and enjoyment. It has a thoroughly satisfying ending and is one to really savour.

The characters of Sam and Surendranath very much take centre stage in this book, with some of the minor returning characters taking smaller roles. Their unlikely friendship and chemistry zings off the page and gets them out of many a scrape.

If you haven't read this series, this would work well as a standalone but it's so fantastic, I would suggest starting from the beginning ... you really won't regret it. Every book is as fantastic as the one before.

With thanks to Random House/Harvill Secker and Netgalley for an ARC.

And they're back....and on top form. If I'm honest, I enjoyed this even more than the last one in the series. Yes, I spotted the twist early on (there's a dead giveaway at one point: if you know, you know, and I'm quite sure that's deliberate) but that's not the point - and as I say, AM wouldn't have left it in there if he didn't want people to spot it. I am loving the relationship that is continually developing between the two protagonists, and the genuine dilemmas confronting Suren. More please, soon.

I was pleased to receive this book as I have enjoyed following the characters throughout the series. Happy to say, I was not disappointed with the plot presented in the novel and the development of the characters and their relationships.
The setting and time period add interest and the writing is light in tone to deliver a suspenseful plot.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.
Recommended.

I was instantly wrapped in place/time as with the previous books these factors play an essential part in the way the plot is weaved. Colonial India seems a given to the British not so for the colonised whose actions are ramping up towards a future independence.

Several years have passed since Wyndham & Banerjee have worked together and the relationship has been fractured as a result. Sam has been sidelined within the Imperial Police but suddenly finds himself in charge of a murder investigation as Suren's cousin goes missing. Inevitably the pair investigate together.

Great writing, great interplay of characters caught up in age of empire and great plotting. Really enjoyed.

With thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK for the opportunity to read and review

From the start of the book we are taken straight to the burning ghats of Calcutta where a murder victim has been found. It falls to Detective Sam Wyndham of the Imperial Police to solve the case. Sam's friend, Surendranath Banerjee, has now returned from Europe and is looking for his missing relative, a female photographer. The link between the 2 cases eventually becomes clear. Along the way we meet a number of interesting and well-drawn characters including a glamorous film star and Sam's old love interest Annie Grant with a Russian count in tow.
Mukherjee's writing is, as always, superb. He brings 1920's Calcutta to life. I also love his witty and insightful social commentary.
A wonderful addition to an exceptional series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

happily devoured the proof of Abir Mukherjee's upcoming "The Burning Grounds" featuring Sam Wyndham, detective of the English Imperial Police in Calcutta in the 1920ties and his friend and former colleage Suren Banerjee, one of my favorite historical detective series.

When Sam is called to the burning grounds to find a wealthy patron of the arts with his throat slit,  just about to be cremated, the investigation leads him surprisingly to the world of the movies and a rising film star while Suren is called in by his family to search for his missing cousin, a female photographer. 

 The writing takes you into an India still ruled by the British but with increasing  resistance by the Indian people. Sam, with his distaste for his fellow countrymen still has his own demons to squash, substituting whiskey for opium. The plot is airtight as usual although I kind of guessed correctly towards the end....  I absolutely adore this atmospheric series with its personable detective duo and its many colorful, questionable  characters.