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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think the opium addiction is a little played out (an addict detective is hardly original) but I still really like this character, this world and particularly this mystery which was very compelling. This mystery is clearer and more emotionally resonant than the two preceding books and I look forward to continuing this serious.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A thoroughly absorbing story, which I enjoyed as an audiobook on a very long car journey. The political unrest in India at the time time of Gandhi is the backdrop to this crime novel which sees Captain Sam Wyndham and his sidekick 'Surrender-not' Banerjee on the tail of a serial killer with a very particular MO.
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the third in the Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Suren ‘Surrender-not’ Bannerjee books, and so far it’s my favourite!
The story starts out with an action packed chase over the rooftops of Calcutta, involving Wyndham, a badly mutilated body and a raid on an Opium Den! It’s the best opening sequence so far in the series, Abir Mukherjee is the master of setting the scene, his detailed and descriptive prose pulls the reader in, and in Smoke and Ashes, never lets you go!
I’ve really only started to read Historical Crime Thrillers this year and I am SO glad I was recommended this series. It is now without a doubt one of my favourites. The characters of both Wyndham and Bannerjee are now fully rounded, and what started as a British Captain and an Indian Sergeant, working at arms length, has progressed to a great friendship, and with the narrative impeccably written surrounding them, the setting of Calcutta in the 1920’s, the fight for Indian Independance and the diminishing days of British Rule, Smoke and Ashes is chock full of thrills, Political Intrigue, Indian History and Wyndham’s personal struggles from fighting in the trenches of WW1.
There’s some hilarious moments that can now be enjoyed between Sam Wyndham and the ever quick witted Suren Bannerjee, and it’s easy to see that the author loves these two men, as much as I do.
Utterly superb and brilliant, my favourite of the series so far
5 ⭐️ Read
Utterly superb and brilliant, my favourite of the series so far
5 ⭐️ Read
I’m genuinely not sure what made me pick up this book, it’s an historical murder mystery, which isn’t my usual genre. Possibly that’s why? I fancied a change? Anyway, I read it and it was good.
So we start with a rooftop chase as the protagonist of the story, Policeman Sam Wyndham, tries to flee the Opium den he was using as it’s being unexpectedly raided by the vice squad. Unfortunately he also stumbles across a murder scene in the process and can’t tell anyone that he was there. That was more than enough for me to keep reading.
I really liked this aspect of the character, that he’s most definitely not perfect but he’s still doing the best he can to protect the citizens of Calcutta. The dynamic between Sam and his long-suffering sargeant, “Surrender-not” Banerjee is friendship goals, with Surrender-not just as well drawn as Wyndham.
The Indian setting is something very different for me and is spectacularly realised in this book. It wasn’t hard to picture the sprawling city and the smothering heat, even in January when the locals are complaining it’s cold and Sam is sweating in the corner.
This is actually the third book in the series, but I haven’t read the other two and I don’t feel as though I’ve missed anything. All back story is exposited again, in an easy to follow fashion. It’s obvious that there is more to the relationships and casual mentions of previous encounters but I don’t think you need to have read those to read this one. Although I may now go back and read them. It will be like an origin story.
Overall a very good summer read, full of mystery and suspense and an ending worthy of a Bond film.
So we start with a rooftop chase as the protagonist of the story, Policeman Sam Wyndham, tries to flee the Opium den he was using as it’s being unexpectedly raided by the vice squad. Unfortunately he also stumbles across a murder scene in the process and can’t tell anyone that he was there. That was more than enough for me to keep reading.
I really liked this aspect of the character, that he’s most definitely not perfect but he’s still doing the best he can to protect the citizens of Calcutta. The dynamic between Sam and his long-suffering sargeant, “Surrender-not” Banerjee is friendship goals, with Surrender-not just as well drawn as Wyndham.
The Indian setting is something very different for me and is spectacularly realised in this book. It wasn’t hard to picture the sprawling city and the smothering heat, even in January when the locals are complaining it’s cold and Sam is sweating in the corner.
This is actually the third book in the series, but I haven’t read the other two and I don’t feel as though I’ve missed anything. All back story is exposited again, in an easy to follow fashion. It’s obvious that there is more to the relationships and casual mentions of previous encounters but I don’t think you need to have read those to read this one. Although I may now go back and read them. It will be like an origin story.
Overall a very good summer read, full of mystery and suspense and an ending worthy of a Bond film.
This series in entertaining and pacy with just the right amount of history to feel I am learning a little bit about India.
I am thoroughly enjoying this series and glad to know the fourth is already published. This may be my favourite so far. Just one thing (Spoiler if you HAVE NOT read the first two, if you have no spoiler and not much of one anyway) ** I am getting very tired of the whole opium thing. ** The plot is good, tight and believable. I like the fact that there is about a year between each book and so it is easy to see how India's history is inexorably moving forward.
This series continues to be one of my favorites for a myriad of reasons.
*The setting is unique, as far as I know in fiction, early 1920's India. What I know about India in general and its history, in particular, is way too scant, to the point of embarrassment. I collect vintage Indian textiles for their beauty, I should know the history of them and the people that made them more.
*Again, the era is an often traveled one, for me, but never from this point of view. A lot of the fiction and nonfiction I gravitate toward takes place in the 20's and it is filled with postwar ennui, illegal drinking, political shenanigans and more. India, instead of drunkenly wading in the past and present is looking forward with hope and resistance.
*The main character is flawed and cynical yet respectful and aware of the plight of Indians. He's the only one that does tend to look back and how could he not with what the war left him?
*The plots highlight actual events that are often overlooked by both fiction and nonfiction..or at least popular choices. Smoke and Ashes, for example, made me think so deeply about military weapons testing. Is our collective history of using colonials as the guinea pigs for bioweapons necessary or a crime against humanity? How do other people (characters) view it? There are so many viewpoints to consider.
*Before I start writing a book, let me make it simple. One of the ways that I judge a book, no matter the genre, is by how much I learn and am desirous of learning. If a book sends me down rabbit holes multiple times, looking up more info, its a winner in my estimation. This series and this book do not fail to disappoint, ever.
*The setting is unique, as far as I know in fiction, early 1920's India. What I know about India in general and its history, in particular, is way too scant, to the point of embarrassment. I collect vintage Indian textiles for their beauty, I should know the history of them and the people that made them more.
*Again, the era is an often traveled one, for me, but never from this point of view. A lot of the fiction and nonfiction I gravitate toward takes place in the 20's and it is filled with postwar ennui, illegal drinking, political shenanigans and more. India, instead of drunkenly wading in the past and present is looking forward with hope and resistance.
*The main character is flawed and cynical yet respectful and aware of the plight of Indians. He's the only one that does tend to look back and how could he not with what the war left him?
*The plots highlight actual events that are often overlooked by both fiction and nonfiction..or at least popular choices. Smoke and Ashes, for example, made me think so deeply about military weapons testing. Is our collective history of using colonials as the guinea pigs for bioweapons necessary or a crime against humanity? How do other people (characters) view it? There are so many viewpoints to consider.
*Before I start writing a book, let me make it simple. One of the ways that I judge a book, no matter the genre, is by how much I learn and am desirous of learning. If a book sends me down rabbit holes multiple times, looking up more info, its a winner in my estimation. This series and this book do not fail to disappoint, ever.