"Political shenanigans in Bombay sets India’s first female detective Persis Wadia on a new path in this clever and dramatically fiery novel which takes place in 1951."
The Malabar House series is absolutely superb, it’s one of my favourites of any genre, and the latest book City of Destruction, shouts with fierce vibrancy as it joins the list of LoveReading Star Books. Persis finds herself on the edge of her emotions and police career as a Bombay political rally in 1951 spins out of control. As main characters go, Persis is an absolute delight, she takes me into the unknown with her determination and sharp mind. Author Vaseem Khan is able to juggle a sharply pointed plot, with absorbing historical facts, interesting characters, and emotional connectivity. I love how his wit sings through the pages, keeping you on your toes while he also captures the absolute chaos of the time, the sense of place here really is immense. Heartache kept me company, for what was happening to the country and more personally for Persis. I will admit that I’m still in free-fall shock about one strand of the story, and am likely to be there for some time. I love the way this series is developing, darkness is descending and I’m feeling fretful as to what is to come, so this novel has been chosen as one of my picks of the month. Full of piercing intensity, City of Destruction is a cleverly compelling read and comes as highly recommended by our team.
From the award-winning author of MIDNIGHT AT MALABAR HOUSE and THE LOST MAN OF BOMBAY comes a brilliant new mystery featuring the inimitable Persis Wadia.
Bombay, 1951. A political rally ends in tragedy when India's first female police detective, Persis Wadia, kills a lone gunman as he attempts to assassinate the divisive new defence minister, a man calling for war with India's new post-Independence neighbours.
With the Malabar House team tasked to hunt down the assassin's co-conspirators - aided by agents from Britain's MI6 security service - Persis is quickly relegated to the sidelines. But then she is given a second case, the burned body of an unidentified white man found on a Bombay beach. As she pursues both investigations - with and without official sanction - she soon finds herself headed to the country's capital, New Delhi, a city where ancient and modern India openly clash.
Meanwhile, Persis's colleague, Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, lies in a hospital fighting for his life as all around him the country tears itself apart in the prelude to war...
'Vaseem Khan writes with charm and wit, and an eye for detail that transports the reader entirely. I couldn't love this series more' CHRIS WHITAKER
'Historical fiction at its finest' MAIL ON SUNDAY
Author
About Vaseem Khan
Vaseem Khan first saw an elephant lumbering down the middle of the road in 1997 when he arrived in India to work as a management consultant. It was the most unusual thing he had ever encountered and served as the inspiration behind his series of crime novels. He returned to the UK in 2006 and now works at University College London for the Department of Security and Crime Science where he is astonished on a daily basis by the way modern science is being employed to tackle crime. Elephants are third on his list of passions, first and second being great literature and cricket, not always in that order.
