The Burning Grounds by Abir Mukherjee (Book 6 of 6)
Not an Indian Cozy
Between Detective Sam Wyndham’s opium addiction and the grim depiction of British/ Indian relations in 1920’s Calcutta, I stopped reading the Wyndham & Banerjee historical mystery series a few years ago.
But the flyleaf on the most recent novel, The Burning Grounds, implied that Sam Wyndham had beaten his addiction and more importantly was reunited with his former colleague, Surendranath Banerjee, a wealthy Brahmin.
Despite being out of favor with the Imperial Police Force, Sam is assigned a high-profile case, the death of a wealthy Indian philanthropist and patron of the arts, Mr. J.P. Mullick. Sam’s investigation leads him to Mr. Mullick’s latest investment, an Indian film starring a glamorous English actress.
Suren, recently returned to India after an absence of three years, is asked by his family to discreetly locate a missing cousin, a female photographer. When it is apparent that the two cases are related, Sam and Suren work together again.
Fast moving, colorful, gritty.
Depicts a different India than the “cozies,” which I also enjoy- The Baby Ganesh Agency and Vish Puri, Private Investigator.