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On New Year’s Eve 1949 a murder is reported to the first female detective in all of India (actually the first female detective came about a decade later but the autho It is not just the time and the place that are unusual; this fictional detective is India’s first woman police officer (some two decades before one was actually appointed). Her name is Persis Wadia and I fully intend to follow her career progress despite the high level of opposition she must navigate.
Malabar House Series by Vaseem Khan - Goodreads
Told through the teenagers’ interviews with the police, as well as from Fleet’s perspective, this is skilful and compelling. Midnight at Malabar House presents its readers with a fairly promising start to a new sleuthing series.
Persis has been a detective at Malabar House, supposedly where all the unwanted or washed-up police end up, for six months. Her father had always reasoned that if anyone was minded enough to steal books, either they were in dire need of them but could not afford them – in which case they were welcome to them – or, if they happened to be confused thieves, then it was better to have well-read thieves roaming the city than illiterate ones. A note here - if you are unfamiliar with India's history, I would highly suggest reading up on the Colonialism of India by Britain and then reading up on Partition and what happened during that time and what it meant for India and its people.
Midnight at Malabar House (Inspector Wadia series) Midnight at Malabar House (Inspector Wadia series)
As I’d already reviewed ‘Midnight at Malabar House’ on this blog – above is a copy of my previous review – as a bonus, I thought I’d suggest a few other books that you’d like if ‘Midnight at Malabar House’ sounds like your kind of thing! This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. But as Sir James was British, and powerful, the guests are wealthy and powerful and impatient; it becomes apparent the case is a political landmine, and Persis must step carefully.Vaseem Khan demonstrates an admirable ability to render specific time periods and places: from his dialogues to the way the characters comport themselves, Khan shows an understanding of the social mores existing in this period of time. But there is no happily ever after for anyone after months of unbelievably savage bloodshed with thousands of innocent civilians slaughtered for religious sectarian reasons -- and sometimes for hidden wealth. I do have to admit that there was a lot of historical information on Partition and that sometimes felt like it slowed down the narrative.
Midnight at Malabar House’ by Vaseem Khan – and other ideas! ‘Midnight at Malabar House’ by Vaseem Khan – and other ideas!
The history and legend of how they were accepted and integrated into the Gujrati society is a lovely tale which again is missing. 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. It opens with Frank, who runs a petrol station hours from the nearest town in a desolate patch of Australia “too grassy to be a desert, too ugly to mean anything to a tourist, too dry to be farming lands”.Women in India, irrespective of religion/ caste, had the same treatment : downtrodden and repressed.
Midnight at Malabar House - Goodreads Midnight at Malabar House - Goodreads
I know that we are getting to know Persis and that is the reason for a slower pace at the beginning but the constant introduction of her aunt and father was at times distracting and tedious. She is a member of a police unit that is comprised of officers who have been consigned to the scrap heap because of previous missteps in their career. Belonging to the Parsi religious group, she can view the Hindu, Moslem and Sikh majorities more dispassionately than most Indians. 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.
Slaughter and displacement of millions of people, deadly atrocities between Hindu/Sikh and Moslem population, clashes with the British army, and the loss of land and livelihood still resonate. Would they really allow a rich American woman to just walk in without the required dress code and smoke in the premises? Most notably, there is a wealth of information and history about the demise of the British Raj and the religious and secular conflicts that arose from the Partition of India. Her being the first woman is a major theme here and she's inundated with obstacles along the way but of course, she persists. This could be due to mistakes, incompetence, bad behaviour, or simply not fitting in with commanding officers.
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