In the Burning Ghats of Calcutta where the dead are laid to rest, a man is found murdered, his throat cut from ear to ear.
The body is that of a popular patron of the arts, a man who was, by all accounts, beloved by all: so what was the motive for his murder? Despite being out of favour with the Imperial Police Force, Detective Sam Wyndham is assigned to the case and finds himself thrust into the glamorous world of Indian cinema.
Meanwhile Surendranath Banerjee, recently returned from Europe after three years spent running from the fallout of his last case, is searching for a missing photographer; a trailblazing woman at the forefront of the profession. When Suren discovers that the vanished woman is linked to Sam's murder investigation, the two men find themselves working together once again - but will Wyndham and Banerjee be able to put their differences aside to solve the case?
From the critically-acclaimed author of HUNTED comes the next instalment in the popular Wyndham and Banerjee series.
At the end of my review for The Shadows of Men, the fifth instalment in the Wyndham and Banerjee series, I said I was intrigued to discover what the events in that book would mean for the two characters. I didn't realise at that point that it would be four years before I found out but the wait was worth it and The Burning Grounds is another exceptional novel from Abir Mukherjee. Time has moved on for Sam Wyndham and Surendranath Banerjee too and they have spent the past few years living separately from one another. Sam is still a detective with the Indian Police Force in Calcutta but has fallen out of favour with his superiors thanks to his previous actions. It's worth mentioning here that Abir Mukherjee effortlessly ensures newcomers to the series are brought up to speed with key points from the previous books being included, without burdening the narrative with heavy-handed exposition. However, returning readers will naturally have an advantage and I would recommend reading at least some of the other excellent books in the series if you can.
The novel opens at Calcutta's burning ghats where Sam looks down on the murdered corpse of Indian philanthropist J.P. Mullick. Like all Hindus in death, his body has been taken to be placed among the funeral pyres at the river's edge but with a three-inch incision across his throat, he is first destined for the city's mortuary. This might be a macabre scene but it's also redolently atmospheric as Abir Mukherjee vividly evokes its assault on the senses, while also describing the strict traditions observed there. Sam doesn't expect to keep the case but for once he's wrong and before long is drawn into the outwardly glittering world of the movies.
Meanwhile, Surendranath has returned to India after an extended stay in Europe and it's immediately clear that the circumstances that drove him away have irrevocably changed him. He's no longer the man who accepted being referred to as Surrender-not by his colleagues and notes that experience has taught him the naivety of believing he could work with the British to the benefit of his own people. His time overseas has changed him too, however and throughout the book we see him question the decision he made to return home.
The reconciliation between the pair is a particularly impressive piece of writing and Abir Mukherjee captures their complex relationship beautifully. The simmering resentment on both sides is almost palpable when they meet again but Suren has his own mystery to solve and so it's inevitable that he should turn to his old friend for help. His cousin, Sushmita – Dolly to her friends – has gone missing and her father has begged Suren to find her. Dolly is a fascinating sounding woman; she is unmarried, has a degree in chemistry and runs the first woman-owned and operated photographic studio in India. The police won't be interested in a missing woman though and her family are anxious to avoid embarrassment. In spite of the barely disguised insults they swap, Sam reluctantly agrees to help him, and they soon find themselves in danger.
The alternating first-person perspective gives us a striking insight into the contrasting experiences of a British and Indian man in colonial India but Abir Mukherjee never suggests they are representative of all their countrymen. Sam is undeniably arrogant at times but has more self-awareness than many of his compatriots, while the Oxford-educated Suren comes from a wealthy, privileged background which has afforded him many more opportunities than most people in his country . Nevertheless, they are our window onto a rapidly changing country, which, although still some years away from Independence and the horrors of Partition, is already expecting people to pick sides. Suren, in particular, is put in a situation which demands he make some difficult moral choices.
Beyond all this, there are also two mysteries that need solving and both prove to be full of intrigue and emotional revelations. J.P. Mullick was a keen patron of the arts and hugely popular with the public, so why would somebody want him dead? Sam's investigation brings him into the orbit of rising star, Estelle Morgan and they strike up a sizzling friendship but the film industry is full of secrets and in this compelling, intricately plotted novel, some of them prove to be deadly. As the death count rises, the excitement levels are also ratcheted up as Sam has to confront his own feelings and contend with a tense race against time to apprehend the killer before it’s too late.
The Burning Grounds is a love letter of sorts to Calcutta's complex, capricious soul and is filled with drama, emotion and humour from start to finish; Abir Mukherjee's multifaceted storyline is a razor-sharp character study, an honest, thoughtful exploration of a time of immense political and social change, and a cracking mystery. It's an outstanding read and one I very highly recommend.
The Burning Grounds is published by Harvill, purchasing links can be found here.
About the Author
He also co-hosts the Murder Junction podcast with Vaseem Khan, bringing to life history's most intriguing murders, real and fictional, in the company of the world's best known crime writers. Abir grew up in Scotland and now lives in Surrey with his wife and two sons.
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