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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Twist at the end totally unnecessary. Fed up with the constant, unnatural, ‘squeezed in’ Indian references. It felt interruptive to the flow and generally wasn’t needed.
The Sam & Surrender-Not Saga meets Indian History in 1921
Review of the Vintage paperback edition (2019) of the original hardcover edition (2018)
This reading was part of my investigation of the novels nominated for the 2020 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. Smoke and Ashes is a nominee for Best Novel. The winners are expected to be announced April 30, 2020.
I've been following the Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath (Surrender-Not) Banerjee adventures since the first one [b:A Rising Man|25686321|A Rising Man (Sam Wyndham, #1)|Abir Mukherjee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460625686l/25686321._SX50_.jpg|45514378] (2016) and have enjoyed them immensely. Author Mukherjee has done his best work yet here in Smoke and Ashes which pits Sam and Surrender-Not into a serial-murder investigation set against the backdrop of a 1921 visit to India by the Prince of Wales (the later abdicating Edward VIII) in the midst of Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement.
They work to solve the case facing their usual conflicts with the diabolical Section H secret military police unit of the British Raj. Sam continues to battle his opium addiction which he uses to counter his PTSD from the First World War and is still drawn to his unrequited love of Annie Grant. Surrender-Not is put in conflict between his loyalties to family (who support the Non-Cooperation movement) and his duty to his career and his friend.
This was an excellent continuation of the series and shows how it will begin to incorporate the true-life stories of the end of the British Raj and the Indian Independence Movement into the crime mysteries of the duo. I very much look forward to the books yet to come.
Trivia and Link
If you want to get the atmosphere of the Prince of Wales visit to India in 1921 you can view some archival photographs here.
Review of the Vintage paperback edition (2019) of the original hardcover edition (2018)
This reading was part of my investigation of the novels nominated for the 2020 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. Smoke and Ashes is a nominee for Best Novel. The winners are expected to be announced April 30, 2020.
I've been following the Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath (Surrender-Not) Banerjee adventures since the first one [b:A Rising Man|25686321|A Rising Man (Sam Wyndham, #1)|Abir Mukherjee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460625686l/25686321._SX50_.jpg|45514378] (2016) and have enjoyed them immensely. Author Mukherjee has done his best work yet here in Smoke and Ashes which pits Sam and Surrender-Not into a serial-murder investigation set against the backdrop of a 1921 visit to India by the Prince of Wales (the later abdicating Edward VIII) in the midst of Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement.
They work to solve the case facing their usual conflicts with the diabolical Section H secret military police unit of the British Raj. Sam continues to battle his opium addiction which he uses to counter his PTSD from the First World War and is still drawn to his unrequited love of Annie Grant. Surrender-Not is put in conflict between his loyalties to family (who support the Non-Cooperation movement) and his duty to his career and his friend.
This was an excellent continuation of the series and shows how it will begin to incorporate the true-life stories of the end of the British Raj and the Indian Independence Movement into the crime mysteries of the duo. I very much look forward to the books yet to come.
Trivia and Link
If you want to get the atmosphere of the Prince of Wales visit to India in 1921 you can view some archival photographs here.
Murder in the Raj...
Roused from a drug-addled stupor in an opium den in the backstreets of Calcutta, Sam Wyndham, Captain in the Calcutta police, discovers the place is being raided. Discovery of his addiction will finish his career so he flees, only to stumble across the body of a horribly mutilated Chinaman. Or did he? Next day, when no report of the murder comes in, Sam is left wondering if he hallucinated the whole thing. That is, until he is called out to another murder, where the body has been mutilated in exactly the same way...
This series goes from strength to strength with each new instalment. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two, but really think this one is the best yet.
Set in the early 1920s, the dying days of the Raj when the Indian Independence movement was well under way, Mukherjee always manages to work the political situation into his stories without allowing it to overwhelm them or feeling like a history lesson. In this one, after months of Gandhi’s non-violent resistance movement, the city authorities are struggling to maintain order. Many Indians have resigned from Government positions, leaving the police short-staffed and with the extra problem that those Indians who have remained have divided loyalties. Britain has decided to send the Prince of Wales, Prince Edward (later briefly Edward VIII) over to steady the nerves and rally the loyalty of the populace to the Empire, but Gandhi’s local representative is planning a major demonstration to coincide with the Prince’s visit.
The murders look as if they may have something to do with the heightened political tensions, especially since Section H – the secret service – are involved. But Sam is determined he won’t be sidelined from the investigation, and along with his loyal Sergeant, Surrender-not Banerjee, sets out to discover what links the victims...
I love Mukherjee’s depiction of Calcutta – it always feels entirely authentic to me. Mukherjee treats both sides with empathy – although he shows the evils of some aspects of the Raj as a form of government, he depicts his British characters largely as good people trying to do their best in difficult circumstances, and he manages to do this without making them feel anachronistic in their attitudes. Equally, while his sympathies might lie with the idea of independence, he doesn’t portray the Indians as uniformly saintly either. The Indian sergeant, Surrender-not (the nickname given to him by the Brits who can’t pronounce his real name, Surendranath), provides a kind of bridge that allows the reader to move between the two cultures, as we see him negotiate his often clashing duties to his family and his job.
The historical background too is always sound and Mukherjee brings real people into his stories in ways that feel accurate to their real lives. In this one, as well as Prince Edward, we meet Deshbandhu, a leader of the Independence movement in Bengal, and his young follower Subhas Bose, who would go on to be a major, if controversial, player in the events that finally led to the achievement of Independence.
As always, though, the plot is founded much more on human nature than on politics. I feel this is his strongest plot so far, which unfortunately I can say very little about for fear of spoilers. But it takes us into some dark episodes in the dealings between the Raj and their subjects – Mukherjee’s notes at the end show that, while he has fictionalised dates and people, the fundamental basis of the story comes from real events. There’s a good deal of moral ambiguity in there, and some excellently complex characterisation to carry it off. And it all builds to a first-rate, entirely credible thriller finale that I found fully satisfying.
I love the characters of Sam and Surrender-not, and the historical setting Mukherjee has chosen for the series. Top-quality historical crime fiction – highly recommended. But if you’re new to the series, do read them in order, starting with the excellent A Rising Man.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Harvill Secker.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Roused from a drug-addled stupor in an opium den in the backstreets of Calcutta, Sam Wyndham, Captain in the Calcutta police, discovers the place is being raided. Discovery of his addiction will finish his career so he flees, only to stumble across the body of a horribly mutilated Chinaman. Or did he? Next day, when no report of the murder comes in, Sam is left wondering if he hallucinated the whole thing. That is, until he is called out to another murder, where the body has been mutilated in exactly the same way...
This series goes from strength to strength with each new instalment. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two, but really think this one is the best yet.
Set in the early 1920s, the dying days of the Raj when the Indian Independence movement was well under way, Mukherjee always manages to work the political situation into his stories without allowing it to overwhelm them or feeling like a history lesson. In this one, after months of Gandhi’s non-violent resistance movement, the city authorities are struggling to maintain order. Many Indians have resigned from Government positions, leaving the police short-staffed and with the extra problem that those Indians who have remained have divided loyalties. Britain has decided to send the Prince of Wales, Prince Edward (later briefly Edward VIII) over to steady the nerves and rally the loyalty of the populace to the Empire, but Gandhi’s local representative is planning a major demonstration to coincide with the Prince’s visit.
The murders look as if they may have something to do with the heightened political tensions, especially since Section H – the secret service – are involved. But Sam is determined he won’t be sidelined from the investigation, and along with his loyal Sergeant, Surrender-not Banerjee, sets out to discover what links the victims...
I love Mukherjee’s depiction of Calcutta – it always feels entirely authentic to me. Mukherjee treats both sides with empathy – although he shows the evils of some aspects of the Raj as a form of government, he depicts his British characters largely as good people trying to do their best in difficult circumstances, and he manages to do this without making them feel anachronistic in their attitudes. Equally, while his sympathies might lie with the idea of independence, he doesn’t portray the Indians as uniformly saintly either. The Indian sergeant, Surrender-not (the nickname given to him by the Brits who can’t pronounce his real name, Surendranath), provides a kind of bridge that allows the reader to move between the two cultures, as we see him negotiate his often clashing duties to his family and his job.
The historical background too is always sound and Mukherjee brings real people into his stories in ways that feel accurate to their real lives. In this one, as well as Prince Edward, we meet Deshbandhu, a leader of the Independence movement in Bengal, and his young follower Subhas Bose, who would go on to be a major, if controversial, player in the events that finally led to the achievement of Independence.
As always, though, the plot is founded much more on human nature than on politics. I feel this is his strongest plot so far, which unfortunately I can say very little about for fear of spoilers. But it takes us into some dark episodes in the dealings between the Raj and their subjects – Mukherjee’s notes at the end show that, while he has fictionalised dates and people, the fundamental basis of the story comes from real events. There’s a good deal of moral ambiguity in there, and some excellently complex characterisation to carry it off. And it all builds to a first-rate, entirely credible thriller finale that I found fully satisfying.
I love the characters of Sam and Surrender-not, and the historical setting Mukherjee has chosen for the series. Top-quality historical crime fiction – highly recommended. But if you’re new to the series, do read them in order, starting with the excellent A Rising Man.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Harvill Secker.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
These are great simple mysteries. The best part is the locale and the time frame: when the raj is about to implode. The protagonist is interesting and his foil, a Bengali educated in England is a great contrast.
Now waiting for the next book as I've read the next in this series.
Now waiting for the next book as I've read the next in this series.
An entertaining thriller set against the backdrop of increasing tensions in India as the desire for independence increases. Mukherjee has taken some artistic licence on actual dates, but many of the key events mentioned in the book are real. I’ve got a soft spot for the flawed Captain Wyndham, and am a little in love with Sargeant Surendranath “Surrender-not” Banerjee.
Pretty average book in what has been a good series of books so far. Great historical basis in 1920 India concerning visit by Prince Edward, Prince of Wales at the time. Maybe not quite as much action, nor quite as much mystery, nor quite as much clever interplay between Sam and Surrender-Not as prior books, but still worth the read, which did seem to take awhile to read, which never helps for a book's rating.
I bought this book a few years ago and then realized it was the third in a series. The writing, as always, is strong with good pacing. The plot was interesting (though I suppressed a wince at some technical inaccuracies), and though I figured out where Mukherjee was taking me there were still some surprises to be had. Surrender-not is my favorite character in this series, and I wish there was a way to bring more of him out in the series--but realize that would be difficult using the first-person narrative of Sam.
First there was A Rising Man and then A Necessary Evil and akin to the sound of an angelic host the very words, “There’s a new Abir Mukherjee book out now” made my heart soar with an excitement rarely achieved, since I won a handwriting competition at the age of 10 on holiday on the Isle of Wight i.e very excited indeed. And so we are catapulted back to the inglorious days of the Raj, and to be honest, it would unwise to even countenance the thought that our dynamic duo would be experiencing anything like a straightforward investigation. There is some serious trouble afoot…
It is so gratifying to reach the third book in a series and for it to feel as fresh and vibrant as the first two. Partly, I would put this down to the developing working relationship, and growing friendship of our chalk and cheese partnership of Sam and Surrender-not, and the sheer level of engagement Mukherjee creates with the reader in how he presents the social and political unrest of this turbulent period of Indian history. With the former, I would say that each time we encounter these wonderful characters, there is always a little stretch of unchartered territory between them, little pieces of which Mukherjee brings to the narrative, giving us a different perspective of them as each investigation develops. This book is no different with Sam’s largely deniable opium habit leading to all manner of trouble, and becoming an increasingly large elephant in the room in his relationship with Surrender-Not. Equally, Surrender-not’s personal connection to some prominent political enemies of the Raj, reveals a whole new side to his character, and the very personal toll it has on him, trying to make his way in a career that puts him at odds with his family and fellow citizens. Mukherjee captures perfectly their points of similarity, as much as their points of difference, and how at the crux of their working relationship, these points of separation or conflict actually lead them to be an extremely effective working partnership. This unity of purpose becomes especially evident when pitted against other representatives of law, order and security, and some thorny encounters ensue, and, needless to say when violence comes a-knocking you can guarantee Sam will be in the way. Although, this investigation is markedly more emotive and darker in tone than the previous books, there is still time for the badinage, and affectionate leg pulling that Mukherjee affords his detecting double act, as well as to those they encounter along the way, which is, as always, entertaining.
With the war for Indian independence raging on, and the upcoming visit of the Prince of Wales, there is a tinderbox atmosphere in Calcutta, and Mukherjee completely immerses the reader in the stifling heat, social unrest, and the simmering violence that regularly explodes. Peppered with figures in the fight for independence, and their differing attitudes in how to achieve this aim of liberation from suffocating British rule, the book positively throbs with suppressed and overt rebellion, from the average citizen on the street, to those who would keep order, to those who seek to overturn the status quo, and the increasingly less confident smug satisfaction of the British themselves. All this tension and turbulence is delivered in a measured, informative and entertaining style, underscored by the sights and sounds of the city streets, and the building heat, both meteorological and political, sucking you in and ramping up the tension to the nth degree. Brilliant.
I think this just proves, if further proof were needed, that this is a remarkably good book in a remarkably good series, and I cannot find a bad word to say about it.
Which is lovely.
And why you should all seek out these books for yourselves.
Which would be lovely too.
It is so gratifying to reach the third book in a series and for it to feel as fresh and vibrant as the first two. Partly, I would put this down to the developing working relationship, and growing friendship of our chalk and cheese partnership of Sam and Surrender-not, and the sheer level of engagement Mukherjee creates with the reader in how he presents the social and political unrest of this turbulent period of Indian history. With the former, I would say that each time we encounter these wonderful characters, there is always a little stretch of unchartered territory between them, little pieces of which Mukherjee brings to the narrative, giving us a different perspective of them as each investigation develops. This book is no different with Sam’s largely deniable opium habit leading to all manner of trouble, and becoming an increasingly large elephant in the room in his relationship with Surrender-Not. Equally, Surrender-not’s personal connection to some prominent political enemies of the Raj, reveals a whole new side to his character, and the very personal toll it has on him, trying to make his way in a career that puts him at odds with his family and fellow citizens. Mukherjee captures perfectly their points of similarity, as much as their points of difference, and how at the crux of their working relationship, these points of separation or conflict actually lead them to be an extremely effective working partnership. This unity of purpose becomes especially evident when pitted against other representatives of law, order and security, and some thorny encounters ensue, and, needless to say when violence comes a-knocking you can guarantee Sam will be in the way. Although, this investigation is markedly more emotive and darker in tone than the previous books, there is still time for the badinage, and affectionate leg pulling that Mukherjee affords his detecting double act, as well as to those they encounter along the way, which is, as always, entertaining.
With the war for Indian independence raging on, and the upcoming visit of the Prince of Wales, there is a tinderbox atmosphere in Calcutta, and Mukherjee completely immerses the reader in the stifling heat, social unrest, and the simmering violence that regularly explodes. Peppered with figures in the fight for independence, and their differing attitudes in how to achieve this aim of liberation from suffocating British rule, the book positively throbs with suppressed and overt rebellion, from the average citizen on the street, to those who would keep order, to those who seek to overturn the status quo, and the increasingly less confident smug satisfaction of the British themselves. All this tension and turbulence is delivered in a measured, informative and entertaining style, underscored by the sights and sounds of the city streets, and the building heat, both meteorological and political, sucking you in and ramping up the tension to the nth degree. Brilliant.
I think this just proves, if further proof were needed, that this is a remarkably good book in a remarkably good series, and I cannot find a bad word to say about it.
Which is lovely.
And why you should all seek out these books for yourselves.
Which would be lovely too.