The Dying Day by Vaseem Khan

 

I picked up this book as a reprieve to save myself from getting overwhelmed with World War II fiction, as that is what I have been reading lately(and that is what my next few reads are going to be). After all, a girl needs a break and who doesn't love a good murder mystery. 

Setting 

The Dying Day is set in post-colonial, newly independent India in the bustling metropolis of Bombay. Port city of Bombay was India’s entertainment capital and also the city of dreams.

Storyline

Persis Wadia India’s first police detective is entrusted with the case of a missing manuscript, a 600-year-old copy of Dante Alighieri’s La Divina Commedia- The Divine Comedy from the Royal Asiatic Society. Seemingly stolen by the celebrated scholar John Healy who was working on a new English translation of the Divine Comedy. She uncovers a series of riddles left apparently by Healy. She is assigned to supervise another case, that of a dead white woman found on rail tracks. Both mysteries are neatly tied together in the end. 

 

My Thoughts

It is the second book in the Malabar House series by Vaseem Khan. Though there are references to the first book, it can be read as a stand-alone book. A whodunit with a headstrong female character at the helm is a book tailor-made for me. Persis Wadia first women inspector in a predominantly men’s world encounters biases at every turn which she tackles with her stubborn devil may care attitude. She has her flaws and I appreciate the fact that she is not depicted as a holier than thou character who could do nothing wrong. She is brash, at times rude and does not mince her words. She does not wish to be the flag bearer for all the women out there. She only wants to do her job to the best of her ability without being in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Persis reminds me of Parveen Mistry from Sujata Massey’s Parveen Mistry series. Both of them are Parsi and first in their respective field with Parveen being the first female solicitor of free India. The atmosphere of post-independence  India is well captured. I especially savoured the way the riddles were incorporated into the story, feels like a treasure hunt giving a feel of Da Vinci code. 

The only thing which was not needed was the freemason part which did not add anything to the story. Another thing that could have been avoided was the way characters broke into monologues giving long explanations. An irresistible page-turner which I was not able to put down. 

Star Rating - 4/5

Recommend - Yes if you love mysteries