A Necessary Evil

Author/Guide: Abir Mukherjee

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1920s: An assassination leads to entanglement in a dangerous world

ISBN: 978-1784704773
Genre: Cosy crime, Historical, Mystery

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What you need to know before your trail

India, 1920. Captain Sam Wyndham is visiting the kingdom of Sambalpore, home to diamond mines and the beautiful Palace of the Sun.

But when the Maharaja’s eldest son is assassinated, Wyndham realises that the realm is riven with conflict. Prince Adhir was unpopular with religious groups, while his brother – now in line to the throne – appears to be a feckless playboy.

As Wyndham and Sergeant ‘Surrender-not’ Banerjee endeavour to unravel the mystery, they become entangled in a dangerous world. They must find the murderer, before the murderer finds them.

Locations

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Travel Guide

Calcutta

Book one was concentrated in the city where Captain Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee work. This time however they have to travel far outside of their jurisdiction when the Prince Adhir of Sambalpore no less is assassinated.

1920s India is evoked in all its hot and humid glory. An Indian prince has been murdered and so this shines a bright light o the final days of the Raj.

This takes place during the festival of the Lord Jagannath. [the festival that gave English the word juggernaut since the chariot being pulled by thousands of devotees through the streets was so huge. A devotee of the god Vishnu holds the gun.

Sambalpur

Sambalpur is located in the western part of Odisha, and is one of the largest and oldest cities in the state.

The Raj was a time where a cultural and political system still existed which pits religion, skin colour and caste system against one another. Women did not play a great role at this time unless it was to serve men.

Through the novel we are taken back to the time of the nawabs, and the excesses, eccentricities as well as the responsibilities of those who once ruled the subcontinent.

Sam Wyndham is a war-traumatised policeman, has a bad opium habit, yet is still a white man of his time. Through him we see the way mixed relationships are viewed with suspicion and even though he works with an Indian sergeant, Wyndham often gets his name wrong. It seems that officers of the Raj have trouble pronouncing Bengali names. Or is it an underhanded jibe? Surendranath becomes Surrender-Not which holds all kinds of connotations.

Booktrailer Review

Susan: @thebooktrailer

Read this and read the author’s fine debut A Rising Man as they are really worthwhile reads and this second one just strengthens the series even more.

The two main characters – Englishman Captain Sam Wyndham, and his right hand man Sergeant Surrender-not Banerjee of the Calcutta police are have to deal with an assassination no less in the kingdom of Sambalpore. A little out of their comfort zone as well as their jurisdiction so you can tell there’s lots of scope there for more trickery and mischief..

As well as the camaraderie and lightheartedness of some of their interactions, they make a great and series team, ideal to see the India of that time through their eyes. they are deep characters and richly drawn by the author so there is plenty of material that you want to explore with both of them. A good sign in only book two! I have to say that the depiction of the female characters here is very good as well – remember this was a time in history where women were ‘ not the main players on the world stage’ nor were they important in society so their inclusion here so aptly drawn by a male author no less is very well done.

It’s the time and setting that really excels here – the very uneasy era of the rule of the British in India. What a time it must have been to live through that and Abir writes as if he’s there and taking you to the chaos of Calcutta, and the palaces of Sambalpore. It’s not just the scene setting that heightens the novel’s enjoyment – Abir is keen to throw in the odd tidbit of information as as aside – or comment from a character – but leaving you in no doubt that this is the result of painstaking research and a love for what he’s writing about.

Yup – best get this book and the others in the series on your list straight away!