Smoke and Ashes
Book description
** A THE SUNDAY TIMES BEST 100 BEST CRIME NOVELS SINCE 1945**
'Smoke and Ashes is Abir Mukherjee's best book yet; a brilliantly conceived murder mystery set amidst political and social turmoil - beautifully crafted' C.J. Sansom
India, 1921. Captain Sam Wyndham is battling a serious addiction to opium that…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Smoke and Ashes as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This book made me laugh so many times. Hilarious!
The duo comprises a war-weary Englishman, Sam Wyndham, and Surendranath “Surrender-not” Bannerji, a small, brilliant Indian lawyer turned policeman from a very well-placed family.
Each mystery details events from the times, cryptic clues, and a wily foe. I enjoy the banter between the two, an Indian who sees the best in the Raj, and an Englishman who unflinchingly acknowledges the truth of colonialism, while fighting his own addiction.
Mukherjee’s first chapter is a masterclass on how to open a mystery-thriller.
“It’s not unusual to find a corpse in a funeral parlor. It’s just rare for them to walk door under their own steam. It was a riddle worth savoring, but I didn’t have the time, seeing as I was running for my life.” This got my interest right away. I was in!
Mukherjee’s protagonist is in an opium den at the wrong time. Beautifully bookended, opium forms the personal struggles of this worthy protagonist. With quirky lines “take me to your organ grinder” and “we’re here to see…
From Nev's list on India blending history with gripping mysteries.
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