The Detective

I loved this book as much as I did ‘The Waiter’ and ‘The Chef’, especially as Kamil has succeeded in his dream to become a detective with the Met. His love life is yet to be resolved, but his skill in solving murders (with the help of Anjoli – love her t-shirts!) is spot on. Very entertaining and well crafted. Would definitely recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the arc.

‘The Detective’ is the third entry in the Detective Kamil Rahman series (following on from the award winning ‘The Waiter’ and ‘The Chef’ – if you haven’t read them, you could still read this one, but really, you should check those out first; not just for narrative clarity, but because they are so good…)
We’re post pandemic – and a lot has changed since book two: and not just the fact Kamil is able to carry out his crime investigations in an official capacity – and it’s a busy first day on the job as a tech entrepreneur is found shot dead, alongside three more bodies from a historic murder.
The Detective is a multi-layered beast of a novel: moving from the previous novels’ more personal investigation into officialdom, but also through its considerations around institutionalised racism, historical wrongs, current worries around privacy, oh – and a consideration on Israeli Palestinian conflict. All with some subtle commentary on socio-political- technology issues…
There’s a lot to take in, but it never comes at the expense of a good mystery and the polemics are expressed through three dimensional characters.
Moving from amateur sleuth to police procedural does require a few instances of belief suspension – would the police/ special branch/ parliament/ NDA wary tech companies be happy for a civilian side kick like Anjoli (Kamil’s ex-restaurant boss and will-they-won’t they-romance) to ‘tag along’: maybe not, but I was happy to go along with it.
Similarly, there’s a key plot point which involves a bit of pandemic familiar tech that to those of us who are really familiar with it might cause a ‘hmmm, not sure that would really work’ but these were the only minor nit picks I had with the book – otherwise it’s a worthy successor to the first two books in the series that manages to balance (as unlikely as this sounds) an almost cozy crime feel with some serious matters and violent acts. That’s a balancing act I haven’t seen many authors be able to pull off.
The ending suggests there are more to come in the series and I for one look forward to whatever they author comes up with next.
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the chance to read this.

I love this author and Kamil Rahman's character. I was concerned that Kamil would not be so fascinating now that he's a bona fide Met Detective Constable (well below his experience level), as his back story in Kolkata and trials and tribulations through being a waiter and a cook at Tandoori Knights were brilliant. However, this did not disappoint.
We're taken into a techie world, including AI and overly 'Big Brother' surveillance themes, the vast funding and interests around that, including Governments. The first murder occurs, the body found in the building site of an extension to the East London Mosque, the victim is the CEO of Aishtar Ltd. The story involves diverse communities and religions; Mr Choudhury does not stereotype, and puts it well when his character states that religious emnity has usually been triggered through political agendas of politicians.
Parallel to this is an historic tale of a Jewish immigrant family trying to make a life and living in Shoreditch, in the early 20th Century. Their story is tragic, and becomes important to Anjoli (who loves an investigative challenge)!
The (modern day) murders associated with the tech company keep coming and there seems to be no logic to them. Motives change, huge amounts of money are involved and beneficiaries change. The story twists and turns through to the end.
There were a couple of far-fetched moments for me - I'm not sure that having Anjoli present at certain moments wouldn't void evidence, due to procedural requirements; casual questioning in a restaurant again sounds procedurally unsound (and a possible delight to a Defence lawyer) also the historic family tree (no spoilers, no more info) could never really be proven 100%, but perhaps even the rumour would be enough for the purpose used...
Having said that, I really liked the book. I loved the description of the AI scene in Whitechapel (and will be looking up Israel Zangwill's 'Children of the Ghetto', together with other themes mentioned) - I love it when a book inspires like that. Great read!

My thoughts about Ajay Chowdhury’s The Detective dishes out plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked throughout, just like its predecessors. And the story of detective Kamil Rahman’s journey will continue to remain in readers memory. Ajay Chowdhury’s third book in the detective Kamil Rahman series doesn’t disappoint. Each chapter opens a new can of worms and goes beyond you can comprehend. Justifying the story, an equally captivating written by Ajay Chowdhury gives The Detective an edge and doesn’t let it go off track. The slo-mo and close-up well written of characters builds up the tension, and the momentum never breaks. The story of Ajay Chowdhury’s The Detective begins with when a tech entrepreneur from Shoreditch is found dead in a construction site, along with three skeletons which are discovered to be over a hundred years old, Detective Kamil Rahman sets out to prove himself on his first case for the Met Police. can Detective Kamil along with his friend Anjoli prevent another murder. Hats off to the writer Ajay Chowdhury for coming up with this mystery thriller which stitched so well with Unexpected twists , the complete build up of suspense and thrills keeping you at the edge of your seat. Ajay Chowdhury ‘s The Detective definitely exceeded my expectations. writer Ajay deserves high praise for creating a another fantastic thriller that felt like a a standalone book and the story builds tension quite effectively setting up for some brilliant twists. Ajay Chowdhury’s The Detective is well written and crafted, which should not be missed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥💥💥