Bombay, 1950. James Whitby, the son of the influential Charles Whitby, sits on death row, waiting for his sentence to be carried out. James was found over the body of Fareed Mazumdar, a prominent lawyer and former activist, the bloody knife in his hand – an open and shut case. The public opinion is firmly against him – the newly independent India has very little sympathy for their former colonisers – but Whitby’s father begins to pull some strings.

Inspector Persis Wadia is put onto the case to re-examine the evidence and begins to see that this is a crime with its roots in the past. How does the murder of Mazumdar relate to the death of an African-American GI in 1946? As Persis heads to Calcutta, it becomes clear that some people are more than happy to keep the past buried.

Plus, it’s got a tiger in it!

So we’re on to the fourth title in the award-winning Malabar House series, preceded by Midnight At Malabar House, The Dying Day and The Lost Man Of Bombay, and if you’re a fan of the preceding books, you’ll need no persuading to pick up this book. But let’s assume that you haven’t, what have we got here?

First off, it ticks my “historical mystery” box very nicely. I’m always a bit iffy when books set in this country in the post-war period are classified as historicals. I know that they are, but I always want an historical mystery to teach me something about the past that I didn’t know, and this series certainly does that. Rather shamefully, the UK education system doesn’t have the Partition on its syllabus, presumably as it raises too many questions concerning the involvement of the UK in various atrocities, so I feel first of all, by bring India in 1950 to vivid life, Vaseem Khan is doing a brilliant job of filling in some gaps in my knowledge (and entertaining me at the same time).

Persis is a great lead character, and most of the book is from her point of view (although I should say that the occasional sections from James’ point of view are mesmerising). At this point, she has become something of a celebrity in certain circles, but her determination is proving to be a problem. Her story continues to develop here – as a hopeless romantic, I’d have liked to see a little more movement in the ongoing story with Archie, but that will just make me come back next time.

The plot is a little slow to develop, I thought, and one could possibly question Persis not following the crucial piece of evidence earlier, but it’s a satisfying build to an exciting almost-climax and an interesting reveal. I don’t think it’s clued, but I don’t think the author was trying to, which is perfectly fine – it’s not that sort of book.

So a gripping plot, an atmospheric (and informative) setting and an engaging lead character. And a tiger! And a crocodile! Definitely worth your time.

Death Of A Lesser God is out in hardback and ebook on August 10th from Hodder. Many thanks for the review e-copy via NetGalley,