Profile". Vaseem Khan. May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016 . Retrieved 11 April 2016. Khan keeps the narrative simple. He does not want to rush the readers towards the murderer; there is no sense of urgency to the plot. Wadia’s perspective of looking at details keep the readers engaged. Also due out on 20th August is the brilliant ‘Midnight at Malabar House’ by Vaseem Khan – the final book in my week of 20th August releases. I really hope this book marks the start of a new series by Vaseem Khan. It's a great story and one book featuring the indefatigable and charming Inspector Wadia is simply not enough! This was a very enjoyable historical mystery/police procedural. Set in the first days of 1950 with the consequences of Partition still churning, Persis, the first woman police officer in her country is tasked with a complicated and politically sensitive murder investigation. Her being the first woman is a major theme here and she's inundated with obstacles along the way but of course, she persists. Her colleagues, all male, were an interesting bunch and had surprises to the very end. I liked Persis and also the insight into her personal relationships with her family. She was determined and cared to find the truth, not just any answer served up to her for expedience. I adored the family bookstore her father maintained and her deep love for him. Even her Aunt Nussie was a good character with her overbearing ways. The leading character is the deftly drawn Persis Wadia, the country’s first female detective. She’s a wonderful creation and this is a hugely enjoyable book’ ANN CLEEVES

Midnight at Malabar House: Winner of the CWA Historical Midnight at Malabar House: Winner of the CWA Historical

A compelling mystery set in a fascinating period in India's tumultuous history. Inspector Persis Wadia, the India's first female detective, is gutsy, stubborn and ideally suited to navigate both the complexities of a murder in Bombay's high society and the politics of a police force that want to see her fail. A stunning start to brand new series from one of the UK's finest writers." - M W Craven Khan, Vaseem (14 January 2016). The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9781473612280. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. I am looking forward to watching Persis Wadia mature as a human and as a police officer, and I look forward to Vaseem Khan's next book in the series with a great deal of anticipation. For those of you who are familiar with Sujatta Massey's excellent Perveen Mistry historical series, give Midnight at Malabar House a try. I think you're going to like it. In an India still adjusting to independence, a junior female detective is assigned to investigate the murder of a prominent English diplomat. Flushing, she cursed herself for not having considered this. The idea of appearing incompetent bothered her far more than being murdered or assaulted in the line of duty, a gruesome eventuality that Aunt Nussie predicted on a daily basis.

The historical tidbit he's given and that's exactly how much of facts he's presented are irrelevant to the plot. Bibi ghar massacre and the info on Haji Ali have no relevance to the plot. it really makes no difference, whether it's included in the story or not. Haji Ali was off limits to women till as late as the 70's. Would they really allow a rich American woman to just walk in without the required dress code and smoke in the premises?? Any religion would take offence at the disrespect shown. Wadia is a very relatable, real character. The only woman among male colleagues and bosses who tell her that she does not deserve to be among them, she is plagued with doubt. Khan describes her style of investigation with an intimacy that makes the novel charming: A compelling mystery set in a fascinating period in India's tumultuous history. Inspector Persis Wadia, the India's first female detective, is gutsy, stubborn and ideally suited to navigate both the complexities of a murder in Bombay's high society and the politics of a police force that want to see her fail. A stunning start to brand new series from one of the UK's finest writers * M.W. Craven *

Midnight at Malabar House” by Vaseem Khan “Midnight at Malabar House” by Vaseem Khan

The decade that Khan spent in India led to him writing The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra. Khan was offered a four-book contract by Mullholland Books, an imprint of publishers Hodder & Stoughton, for the first books in this series, referred to as the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency series. Vaseem Khan's new book is an absolute treat from start to finish. A satisfying murder mystery and a fascinating evocation of India just after Partition, it also introduces the clever, endearing (and somewhat stubborn) Detective Persis Wadia to the world. I'm already looking forward to her next case * Antonia Hodgson * The second novel in the series is The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown. [12] The plot of the novel revolves around the theft of the world's most famous diamond – the Koh-i-Noor, originally mined in India before being appropriated by the British and handed to Queen Victoria during the Raj. In the novel the Crown Jewels are brought to India for a special exhibition. A daring robbery sees the Koh-i-Noor stolen and Chopra and Ganesha called in to try and recover the great diamond. I do like a gritty crime novel and modern forensics, but sometimes a slightly gentler approach is desirable, as in ‘Midnight at Malabar House’. Oh my gosh I love how this man writes. He could write brochures and I would read them because they'd be the best brochures out there. So when I saw that he has a new series out [after being wildly disappointed that it wasn't a new Inspector Chopra book, as I ADORE that series and have learned so much about India by reading them], I decided to request the ARC and was thrilled to receive it. And boy was I NOT disappointed. THIS is going to be a great series, I can just feel it.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes historical crime fiction with plenty of heart. The setting is interesting, the characters are engaging and the plot is well-constructed. You - like me - will end the book wondering what is next for Inspector Wadia and very much looking forward to finding out. As with Khan’s established Ganesh series, however, the crime under investigation provides a basis for the author to explore wider issues, and there is plenty of material here of interest: the continuing resentment against the British Raj for withholding independence for so long; the mixture of religions and beliefs thrown into a new environment after Partition; and the development of a truly home-grown culture. The cast do not perhaps have the immediate appeal of Ganesh and his human family which gives that series so much charm, but the interaction between Wadia and Archie seems to have plenty of potential for future adventures. I enjoy the author's Baby Ganesh series, although it's lost a bit of its luster for me. (Seriously, how many books can you write starring a baby elephant?) So I was delighted to find this new series by Khan, and even happier to discover that Midnight at Malabar House is a gem of a book.

Malabar House Series by Vaseem Khan - Goodreads

A most enjoyable, complex mid century crime thriller set in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Having lived there myself I found the telling of the history fascinating. Vaseem grew up in England but spent many years working in India.It is painful to read about the sectarian violence of Partition and the typically ham-fisted solutions of the British (how many of the world's cultures have been carved up with straight edges and have wallowed in violence since the Empire left?). But since Partition happened several years before the action of the novel, I felt I could handle it.