Smoke and Ashes - Hardcover

Mukherjee, Abir

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1643130145 ISBN 13: 9781643130149

Publisher: Pegasus Crime, 2019

Synopsis

India, 1921. Haunted by his memories of World War I, Captain Sam Wyndham is battling a serious addiction to opium that he must keep secret from his superiors in the Calcutta police force.

When Sam is summoned to investigate a grisly murder, he is stunned at the sight of the body: he's seen this before. Last night, in a drug addled haze, he stumbled across a corpse with the same ritualistic injuries. It seems like there's a deranged killer on the loose. Unfortunately for Sam, the corpse was in an opium den--and revealing his presence there could cost him his career.

With the aid of his quick-witted Indian Sergeant, Surrender-Not Banerjee, Sam must try to solve the two murders, all the while keeping his personal demons secret, before somebody else turns up dead.

About this title

Review:

Smoke and Ashes is Abir Mukherjee's best book yet; a brilliantly conceived murder mystery set amidst political and social turmoil. Beautifully crafted.

It is the flamboyant evocation of 1920s Calcutta that makes this such a mesmerising read.

Lush world-building, intricate character work, and remarkable wit. Mukherjee's work is playful while also offering a serious look at colonialism and cross-culture mystery.

Mukherjee makes the most of his setting, 1921 Calcutta, in his superior third mystery featuring the all-too-human Capt. Sam Wyndham, of the British Imperial Police, and his Indian assistant, Sgt. 'Surrender-Not' Banerjee. Mukherjee, who only gets better and better with each book, has established himself as a leading historical mystery writer.

The third book in this marvelous British Raj series starts out with a bang. Abir Mukherjee is in the highest echelons of historical mystery/thriller writers.

A clever whodunit, well served by smart writing, a dry-witted narrator, and a vividly recreated, rich, and colourful setting.

Riveting. Mukherjee has a substantive grasp of colonial Indian history, and his books have the feel of a modern-day and much more progressive Kipling, full of high intrigue and derring-do, yet overlaid with the day-to-day reality of a struggle with addiction.

An enjoyable read which brilliantly mixes the political and social issues of the period with a curious murder mystery plot. Adding likable characters and the exciting setting makes this a recommended historical mystery.

Smoke and Ashes perfectly balances high suspense with its well-researched historical setting, each element masterfully supporting the other.

In Wyndham and Bannerjee, Mukherjee has created two appealing characters presenting different factions of the whole that is India, revealing what each gives up to serve king and country, and answers the question of which country each actually serves.

About the Author:

Abir Mukherjee is the Edgar Allan Poe Award-nominated author of A Rising Man, which was the first in his Captain Sam Wyndham mystery series, which followed with A Necessary Evil and Smoke and Ashes, also available from Pegasus.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pegasus Crime
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1643130145
• ISBN 13: 9781643130149
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 332