Murder in Old Bombay: A Mystery

This tale is based on a true incident and has a complicated plot but lacks the degree of edginess one might expect from such a challenging mystery. A baffling concurrent double death in a family of well-heeled upper class Indians has been declared by the local authorities to be a double suicide. The family, however, especially the husband of the older "sister" (the younger was adopted into the family) is unable to accept that determination. By a series of odd occurrences, Captain James Agnihotri turns up in their lives and is hired to investigate the deaths which do turn out to be murder.The Captain's personality and character are far and away the best thing about this story. He is a recently retired young man mustered out of the British Army for medical injuries sustained during combat on the untamed northern frontier. By virtue of his history as an orphaned Anglo-Indian he is regarded as a second class citizen of the Empire, a real fish out of water, accepted neither by one side nor the other, making his life difficult as he tries to navigate the cultural prejudices and restrictions of the time period and locale. In spite of the problems he is saddled with by ethnicity and his semi-amnesiac state due to a serious head injury, what we find in Captain Jim is an honorable human being capable of great compassion and love in whom we readers cannot help but delight. While his is not a mighty intellect like his idol, Sherlock Holmes (whose inclusion here is head-scratching since there is so little reference to Holmesian methodology), the Captain is intelligent and clever enough to figure out what happened and rush to prevent a third family tragedy in the same vein.The author does a good job of creating singularly delineated and memorable characters overall, especially the young widower Adi and his one remaining sister Diana who the Captain comes to love. Several other minor characters also stick in my mind so I have to say that Ms. March has a definite talent for characterization.There is not much in the way of annoying glitches, like typos or word oopsies or other technical language misusage. This is worth mentioning since there is so much of that rampant in way too many books released these days.The author also does a credible job of weaving the political minefields of the time and place that simmer not far from the surface of polite Indian society with the sometimes open hostility towards to British Raj. Where things get a bit bogged down is in her descriptions of the ambience of colonial India in the 1890s that do not quite meet the bar of evocative lyricism found in some other mystery books I have read recently set in similar exotic locales on the sub-continent. There is also the matter of several instances of tell rather than show. This has undoubtedly been done to familiarize western readers today with certain cultural terms and historic occurrences that might have proven a different kind of mystery without explanation, but these are not always well integrated.Nonetheless, The story was better than good and I look forward to following the additional adventures of Captain Jim and his new bride as they work toward making justice prevail under difficult circumstances in the next book in the series.

Interesting but fairly predictable

This is a very well written debut novel set in the late nineteenth century India. The story has an exotic location, mystery, and romance. The novel is of medium length. The more I read this novel, the more I liked it. I ended up savoring the reading experience and took my time.The writing style is consistent with the late nineteenth century. This is a matter of taste, and it appealed to me very much. There is violence, but it is not graphically depicted. Many of the individuals conduct themselves in a very upright manner. Obviously at this time in history India was part of the British Empire.I have read a number of mystery novels, wherein a female protagonist of modest means, begins the story as a non investigator, encounters others who are rich and need the assistance of an investigator. The female ends up doing the investigation, while receiving funds and clothing of the wealthy class, and then travels in the social circles of the wealthy. That formula is followed here, but with the change that the protagonist in this situation is a male. I found that an interesting twist.The story is fairly easily comprehended as written. There are a variety of characters that did cause me to become slightly confused at times, but only temporarily. I purchased a hard back copy and an audiobook. I felt the audiobook was particularly well narrated. I listened and read simultaneously. Parts of the novel were particularly touching, and the narrator did a fine job at these moments.In summary I really liked this fine debut work. The story allows the possibility of a sequel. I fully intend to read the next novel of this author. Thank You for taking the time to read this review.

The Love Story made this Historical Mystery Special. Great read.

A kindly, highly principled Parsee family is at the heart of this novel. Two of its female members fall to their death from a university clock tower — inexplicably. James Agnihotri, a retired captain of Dragoons, is attracted to the mystery and undertakes to investigate the matter for the family. The police have dismissed the incident as suicide.James is a heroic figure badly lacking in self-esteem. He wins countless boxing matches in the army, but takes no pride in it. He rescues other soldiers from sure death and either forgets it or won’t take credit. He falls in love with a beautiful young Parsee woman, and can’t believe she returns his love. James is mixed blood, half English, half Indian, and never fully accepted in either world.Murder in Old Bombay offers a lively plot rich in dangerous adventures amidst unrest in India, sentimental moments involving children in distress, tortured emotions over forbidden love, and family secrets shockingly revealed.James is an avid fan of Sherlock Holmes. He tries to think like Holmes, and also indulges in rather amusing disguises as he gathers information and tails his suspects.The author, herself a Parsee, draws a certain plot element from her own family history. She gives us a fascinating picture of Parsee culture and religion in colonial India. Murder in Old Bombay is a charming read.

Starts off promisingly but quickly descends into a Mills and Boon type romance. Our hero is impossibly perfect - a rugged, athletic, handsome, sensitive polyglot who performs the most unlikely derring do; not to mention captivating a rich Parsee family's affections despite being Eurasian, all eating sausages (not going to happen in that period of Bombay). And, of course, against all the odds and after much mental anguish, he wins the hand of their beautiful daughter (not going to happen in that period of Bombay). And the murder mystery gets totally lost in an incredibly boring and banal ending. Historically incorrect. Utter tosh.

Nev March's award-winning book " Murder in Old Bombay" is the most gripping detective book I have read. It holds its own with Conan Doyle's famous Sherlock Holmes which is no mean feat. March's characters bring colonial India to life, from the hierarchy of the British in India at the end of the nineteenth century to the strict rules of the mercantile Parsee community to the continuation of the slave trade even after abolition and the horror of the Indian mutiny is history, all written with compelling honesty. The author ability to weave a detective love story and descriptions of people's underlying passions in compelling. The author's skill is to make her reader want to know more. I would recommend this book to readers who love a detective story. I look forward to seeing this brilliant book made into a film with all the glamour and intrigue at the height of the British Empire in India.

I read a lot of books, although mostly biographies. I usually steer clear of fiction as I always seem to be disappointed by the ending. Gave this a try as my husband is from Bombay and I adore the city. I was not disappointed on this occasion and have the 2nd book by this author on the bookshelf already.

A strong mystery story set against an interesting exotic background. Good characterisation of main protagonists and several love stories intertwined.

The characterisations are very good, the story itself is plausible, the colours are amazing and the autffhor clearly knows her stuff. What is not so good is the occasional long-winded digression that adds only a little to the unfolding tale. Overall, however, a great read.