Bombay, New Year’s Eve, 1949
As India celebrates the arrival of a momentous new decade, Inspector Persis Wadia stands vigil in the basement of Malabar House, home to the city’s most unwanted unit of police officers. Six months after joining the force she remains India’s first female police detective, mistrusted, sidelined and now consigned to the midnight shift.
And so, when the phone rings to report the murder of prominent English diplomat Sir James Herriot, the country’s most sensational case falls into her lap.
As 1950 dawns and India prepares to become the world’s largest republic, Persis, accompanied by Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, finds herself investigating a case that is becoming more political by the second. Navigating a country and society in turmoil, Persis, smart, stubborn and untested in the crucible of male hostility that surrounds her, must find a way to solve the murder – whatever the cost.
Featuring India’s first female detective, I went into this novel expecting a proud, bold, and obstinate woman, which is exactly what I got. It’s incredibly difficult to be the first anything, and so to break the mould in such a way as this takes a certain strength of character. I admired her for it – it’s very quickly apparent that she is perceived either as something approaching an abomination, or that she’s a token, evidence of how progressive the police force is. That said, while I was expecting a character with something to prove, I did find the constant reminders that Persis excelled at everything in police training a little tiresome. This will have been against all expectations, and I can fully understand how motivated she was to prove the naysayers wrong, but I don’t think it needed to be highlighted quite so much. Don’t tell me that she’s one of the best – show me. She does, quite rightly, want to be accepted on merit, but that was never going to happen in her case.
Her decision to take on such a role also gives Persis something of a personal dilemma which I thought was portrayed well. She knows that, if she were ever to get married, that she would have to give up her career. And she does seem to want someone in her life, provided that they are someone who accepts her as she is and won’t stand in the way of her ambitions and plans. Her family, or course, don’t see it in quite the same way, and – as with her colleagues – seem to think that she is simply trying to prove a point. Her father, perhaps understandably, would like to see her find someone to share her life with but puts her under no pressure to do so, while her aunt is determined to make it happen, even attempting to set up Persis with her own cousin. It seems obvious to say that one shouldn’t have to make a choice between love / marriage and a career, but that is exactly the position that Persis finds herself in.
The mystery surrounding the death of James Herriot is an interesting one, and Khan evokes the feel of a golden age mystery which seems fitting for the time in which the novel is set. There are several potential perpetrators, all of whom have a motive for wanting Herriot out of the way, and there are clues and red herrings aplenty to keep the reader on their toes. Persis investigates – given the task seemingly because someone wants to see her fail – supported by criminalist, Archie Blackfinch. He is one of the few in the novel who treats her as an equal and accepts her on merit. There’s a frisson of attraction between the two, although both are extremely awkward around each other, which doesn’t help that element of the narrative move along at all. I expect it’s something that evolves through the subsequent novels in the series.
The novel is set against a period of upheaval in India, shortly after partition and as the country became independent from the British Empire. I found this element of the text fascinating – it’s not something I know all that much about, and what I do know has a British spin on it. I enjoyed reading about the background that led to those events, the differing views of those living in India at the time, and impact that these changes had. Those Brits that remain in India seem to lament the end of their heyday, and I enjoyed seeing those views challenged by Persis as she highlights the realities of colonisation. Whether or not Herriot’s murder is politically motivated remains a question until the end of the novel, although it becomes clear that he was working on a government project that might have angered some individuals.
Midnight at Malabar House is an interesting crime novel with a bold and daring protagonist, and I enjoyed seeing the plot play out against the political upheaval of the time. There were a few minor elements to the novel that didn’t work for me personally, but overall I found this to be an enjoyable police procedural that offers the reader something a little different both in setting and character.
Jo's Book Blog 
Fab review Jo! I tried this one a while back but it didn’t grab me, I think maybe it was a bit slow
Thank you, Nicki! Agreed – it was ok, but I didn’t love it, and probably won’t read the next one x
Telling more than showing is something I find in novels by Indian authors. Amazing review!
Thank you! I do know some readers that don’t mind it, but I’d prefer a little more subtlety x
I thought this was a promising start to a series though I haven’t yet read any of the later books. Like you, the historical context was fascinating
I think there’s potential there, but there were a few things that didn’t work for me personally that mean I won’t rush out to buy the next one. I may give it a go at some point – I didn’t dislike it.