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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
This third instalment was rather sad and downbeat, I think. Sam's opium addiction is ramping up. Gandhi's campaign for independence is making life difficult for Surrender-not. Sam's hopeless pining for Annie (which I find inexplicable and annoying) pops up again. The plot is more thriller than mystery, and dragged a little in places for me.
I hope the next book in this series is funnier and I want things to improve for poor Sam.
I hope the next book in this series is funnier and I want things to improve for poor Sam.
Not sure about this one.... a bit too gung ho and a bit over dramatic. It did get a tad wearying when two different police forces don’t get on it just felt too much.
Wyndham is out getting high – as he does – when the opium den he is in is raided. In his hurry to get out of what would be an unexplainable situation were he to be caught, he stumbles across a dead body. Before long, he finds himself caught up in yet another murky case, which brings him in contact with not only the dread Section H, but also Congress leaders CR Das and his young protégé Subhas Bose.
Mukherjee ups the stakes significantly, introducing major historical characters and having them interact with Wyndham and Banerjee. And while one might think that throwing Bose and CR Das into the mix of a cauldron-like late-’21 Calcutta is a way of just baiting your audience, it works. Big time.
And if that weren’t enough, Mukherjee probes the wartime practices of countries that emerged victorious, something a lot of people turn a blind eye to.
Many times darker and much more thrilling than either of its predecessors, SaA never lets up once it gets going.
Mukherjee probes the Wyndham-Annie angle yet again, and remarkably well, because it could’ve gotten quite shticky after having been discussed amply in two novels. Annie, by virtue of not being a muse, is a fascinating, almost enchanting character, more than a match for Wyndham.
Most importantly, the book further develops Wyndham and Surrender-Not’s friendship – yes, friendship, because that’s how the relationship has evolved.
I very vehemently suggest all three books for anyone interested in good murder-mysteries, and Raj-era novels.
Mukherjee ups the stakes significantly, introducing major historical characters and having them interact with Wyndham and Banerjee. And while one might think that throwing Bose and CR Das into the mix of a cauldron-like late-’21 Calcutta is a way of just baiting your audience, it works. Big time.
And if that weren’t enough, Mukherjee probes the wartime practices of countries that emerged victorious, something a lot of people turn a blind eye to.
Many times darker and much more thrilling than either of its predecessors, SaA never lets up once it gets going.
Mukherjee probes the Wyndham-Annie angle yet again, and remarkably well, because it could’ve gotten quite shticky after having been discussed amply in two novels. Annie, by virtue of not being a muse, is a fascinating, almost enchanting character, more than a match for Wyndham.
Most importantly, the book further develops Wyndham and Surrender-Not’s friendship – yes, friendship, because that’s how the relationship has evolved.
I very vehemently suggest all three books for anyone interested in good murder-mysteries, and Raj-era novels.
This series gets markedly better with every book. The author has always been brilliant at evoking the feel of the last years of the Raj and the 1920s Indian atmosphere, but the mystery plots are improving dramatically (and really deeply rooted in the history, which makes them work terrifically). Sam Wyndham is a great character, a decent and progressive Englishman of his time, yet so much unconscious racism and assumed cultural superiority revealed in his narrative. The characters, the plots and the settings could all sustain a book on their own, there's so much here, so the combination makes for a really superior read. Excellent stuff.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story begins in the haze of a shady opium den, an unseemingly mundane night for Sam (protagonist). However little does he know that he’s laying on the starting line of a murder he’s never going to forget.
Mukherjee has created another great piece of literary work. The amount of historical accuracy and attention-to-detail shows the painstaking research the author goes into. This story starts slowly but once it’s on the rails, you’re in for a really interesting ride.
Even if you’re not a fan of historical novels, if you’re a fan of detective stories, you’ll love this.
Mukherjee has created another great piece of literary work. The amount of historical accuracy and attention-to-detail shows the painstaking research the author goes into. This story starts slowly but once it’s on the rails, you’re in for a really interesting ride.
Even if you’re not a fan of historical novels, if you’re a fan of detective stories, you’ll love this.