Murder in Old Bombay

This story is set in 1892, a time when the British crown had firmly taken hold of India after the first war of Independence was fought in 1857.. This backdrop proved to be a very important factor during the telling of the tale.

The protagonist, Jim, is a retired Captain in this British army. He is also of the lowest in the social order - half Indian and half British. He is recuperating in a military hospital in Poona after a skirmish at the Northwest frontier of the country. While reading the newspaper , he finds an article about the “Crime of the century”. Two parsee women have been found dead, fallen from the Click Tower. The husband of one of them, Adi, is convinced it is not suicide. Captain Jim is moved by his letter and wants to investigate (having been inspired by his time spent reading Arthur Conan Doyle in hospital). He is hired by the family to do so.
During the progress of the case, the Captain is aided by the sister of the bereaved husband - Diana Framji. The relationship that develops between the two while piecing together the horrible and heroic history of the Framji girls is both modern and romantic.
That said, it is not a romance. It is an intricate murder mystery deserving of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award it has received. This book was a pleasure to read and I could barely put it down. I specially loved the setting of the story, where the political atmosphere of the country came alive.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The beginning didn't grab me, but the history was interesting enough that I wanted to keep going. By the end of the book, I didn't want to leave! I can't wait to see what happens next with Jim and Diana. Jim works so hard to get to the truth and bring justice! He uses the specific society roles to get answers from people and hide himself. And he finds healing and family and love along the way. Jim is one of my favorite characters!

Imagining a 19th century Bombay and following an interesting cast of characters made this an easily addictive read. I enjoyed the historical setting of this story, especially the references to war and battles happening across the country. The crime/mystery element of the plot was quite amateur but I believed the incredulity of it given the time period. Looking forward to reading the sequel, the first book has set a good premise so far.