Fannish Fifty: Malabar House Series
Sep. 14th, 2023 04:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitThis is another series of books written by Vaseem Khan. (I wrote about the Baby Ganesh Agency mysteries here). This time the stories are set right at the beginning of the 1950s but once again set in Bombay. The police protagonist is Inspector Persis Wadia, the first, and only, female detective on the Bombay police force. As such she has a battle to prove herself to her male colleagues, as well as her father and aunt, the latter believing that what women should really do is marry.
There are currently four books in the series: Midnight at Malabar House, The Dying Day, The Lost Man of Bombay and the most recently published Death of a Lesser God. It's best to read the books in order, as certain previous events are referred to in later books. This is one of the series where, as soon as I notice our library has a copy on order, I reserve it and wait until the book is available.
The descriptions of the Bombay of that period are excellent, reflecting the effect of partition and also Gandhi's assassination. The latest book also visits Calcutta and provides an interesting description as it is mostly seen through Persis' eyes, so she's comparing the city to her own home city. Death of a Lesser God has some wonderfully descriptive similes, my favourite being 'the heat clung to her like an amorous octopus'.
Vaseem Khan is the new Chair of the UK Crime Writers' Association, and the first non-white Chair in its 70 year history. He also writes an occasional blog (vaseemkhan.com) and if you are interested in the history and culture of India, it includes a set of 50 articles under the heading 'Inside India' which covers a wide variety of topics.
There are currently four books in the series: Midnight at Malabar House, The Dying Day, The Lost Man of Bombay and the most recently published Death of a Lesser God. It's best to read the books in order, as certain previous events are referred to in later books. This is one of the series where, as soon as I notice our library has a copy on order, I reserve it and wait until the book is available.
The descriptions of the Bombay of that period are excellent, reflecting the effect of partition and also Gandhi's assassination. The latest book also visits Calcutta and provides an interesting description as it is mostly seen through Persis' eyes, so she's comparing the city to her own home city. Death of a Lesser God has some wonderfully descriptive similes, my favourite being 'the heat clung to her like an amorous octopus'.
Vaseem Khan is the new Chair of the UK Crime Writers' Association, and the first non-white Chair in its 70 year history. He also writes an occasional blog (vaseemkhan.com) and if you are interested in the history and culture of India, it includes a set of 50 articles under the heading 'Inside India' which covers a wide variety of topics.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-23 08:15 pm (UTC)That's great news about Vaseem Khan becoming the new Chair of the UK Crime Writers' Association. It's good to see someone who isn't white being nominated to this position.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-23 10:10 pm (UTC)