I haven’t read earlier titles in this series, but that’s not important as this works really well as a stand alone. I’m particularly drawn by Vaseem Khan’s eye for detail. The atmosphere of post partition India, ruled by Nehru is captivating. The sounds, smells and undercurrent of unrest and agitation is so well depicted and it feels as if I’m in a different place and time listening to this. The narration is well paced ( perhaps occasionally a little more emotion could have been delivered, but that’s a minor criticism).

This is the story of a strong female lead police officer, living and working in very difficult times in a culture significantly dominated by tradition. And one where the role of women is largely perceived as that of homemaker rather than an intelligent and challenging police officer. This is a complex, well structured take that explores a murder mystery whilst also fleshing out the difficulties faced by an investigating officer who isn’t inclined to go by the book and looks beyond pd the seemingly obvious. It’s colourful and I was captivated. So much so that I’ll be looking out the earlier books to follow the character development better. I really enjoyed this.

India’s first female detective Persis Wadia is called upon, once again, when a political rally ends in a killing. A young man takes aim at Azad, the defence minister in Nehru’s government, who is a populist, stirring trouble in these fragile days so soon after Partition. Archie Finch is collateral damage in this scenario and ends up in a coma in hospital, which is of great concern to Wadia, given their personal relationship.

As the young assassin dies, he hands an amulet to Wadia, which in the aftermath gets forgotten, but when she remembers, she starts to consider the implications. She is seconded to another death, away from the bustling city along the shore – an apparent immolation but all is not what it seems.

She is a plucky and defiant young woman, who has a good sleuthing nose, and even though she is a woman, she is not inclined to follow convention. Remember, this is still a very masculine world. There are many obstacles – of course – given the political and social climate and she is not deterred as she opens avenues of investigation.

This is an engaging story with a good backdrop of time and place.

The audiobook is well read, though a little more passion when the action revs up, might prove more immersive.

The fifth installment of Vaseem Khan’s Malabar House series opens in explosive style - an assassination attempt of a political figure is foiled and Inspector Persis Wadia’s British colleague, Archie Blackfinch, is left in critical condition. But between being shot and dying, the would-be assassin whispered a message to Persis and gave her a mystery amulet. Having despatched the would-be assassin, Persis finds herself sidelined from the assassination investigation and diverted to another case where a burned body is found in a wealthy neighbourhood.

But this is Persis. She didn’t become the first female police inspector in India by giving up at the first hurdle, and she's going to tackle both cases. She’s probably one of my favourite lead fictional detectives, as she’s flawed yet tenacious and stubborn, and will not stop until she uncovers answers. And when she gets the answers she’s looking for, she continues to question until she is sure the answers are the correct ones.

This attitude puts her at odds with everyone, her colleagues, her family, and in The City of Destruction, her investigations of both cases put her in the path of the British Intelligence Services.

Vaseem Khan doesn’t sugar-coat the reality of India post-partition, tensions are high politically, society divided, but the writing makes us feel we’re really there - Bombay is loud and vibrant and busy. Khan’s attention to detail is masterful, every word counts in building atmosphere and tension as Persis follows where her investigations lead, no matter who the evidence points to.

The audiobook is an excellent listen - Maya Soroya is the perfect narrator for Persis' investigations, drawing the listener in from the start.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this audiobook.

Beginning with an assassination attempt that leaves a young man dying the arms of Detective Persis Wadia, what follows is another intricately woven mystery with a keen eye for authenticity, that delights, confounds, takes hold and leaves you reeling as it unravels before you. Expertly written and in this case eloquently narrated. City of Destruction is the next instalment of the Malabar House mysteries and if you thought the previous books couldn't be topped, think again!

The Malabar House series is so good I read it twice. Once in audiobook, because Maya Soraya’s narration is just fabulous and it is her voice I hear when I read Persis Wadia in print. I read the books again in print because there is so much richness to them, such a strong sense of India and Pakistan’s independence struggles and the sense of history in the making that I find two readings are more rewarding to take in the level of rich detail that Vaseem Khan gives us in this stunning series.

It is, though, the character of Persis that keeps me on tenterhooks awaiting the next in the series. Persis has tenacity in spades – though some would call it stubbornness. She is very conscious of the trailblazing role she plays as India’s first woman detective and of the role model she has become for other young women. She also understands all too clearly why so many men resent her progress and are more than happy to impede her and even work to obstruct her efforts. Misogyny and jealousy sit side by side in the newly independent Indian Police force.

City of Destruction is set after partition, though some are still railing against partition. One proponent of reunification was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Azad had been a fierce proponent of independence, but his passion was to see Hindus and Muslims working together, side by side. It’s a controversial view and as a minister in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet, he often attracts controversy when he speaks at rallies.

Persis is contemplating her future when she is present at a protest at which Azad is speaking. As she looks over the crowd, she sees a young man reaching for a gun and realises he is about to attempt an assassination. Calling out for him to stop, he whirls around, lifts the gun and fires. Persis has no choice but to fire back. The young man dies, but before he does so he whispers a few words into Persis ear and slides an amulet into her hand.

When she stands up from the body, she realises that although the bullet missed her, it hit Archie Blackfinch, the Scotland Yard criminalist, with whom she has a personal relationship that is itself the cause of turmoil.

Persis can make nothing of the words this man uttered; they make no sense. As this is a high profile assassination attempt, Persis is of course immediately sidelined, despite being the one who shot the perpetrator. As her superiors frantically seek to gather information about who this shooter was and who is behind the attempt, Persis is asked to look elsewhere; into the case of a man whose burned body has been found at a beach. Though the authorities are pretty sure this is a case of self-immolation, Persis, upon examining the scene, has her doubts. This is a man who had no reason to take his own life nor did his actions suggest that as a possibility. It’s also clear upon further investigation that he has suffered a blow to the head.

And though she pursues this case, she is not prepared to sit back and watch others deal with what should by rights, also be her case. Keeping to herself the small details she has from this young would-be assassin; she sets out to follow her own trail. Devastated by Archie’s comatose state and further complicated by a new visitor to his bedside, she finds herself strangely alone in her endeavours this time. As Persis strives to find out more about these cases, she misses having the redoubtable Archie as a stable presence by her side.

Following her instincts she travels to Delhi to identify the would-be assassin. There she is intercepted by two British Intelligence agents, Julius Barnes and David Astor. They are working with the Indian Intelligence Office in Delhi on the assassination attempt and Persis is keen to find out what information they may have, so gets close to them.

Vaseem Khan weaves a spell-binding tale which operates beautifully on one level as a complex but fascinating dual murder-mystery, taut with suspense, high on adrenalin and full of intrigue. On another level it is a fascinating glimpse of India in a state of turbulence and change. Persis is the embodiment of this new India, young, eager and in a hurry to achieve equality, but not immune from making mistakes.

The characterisation in this historical murder mystery is really good and the prose is so readable. Vaseem Khan wields his pen lightly so that although the history, culture and turbulence of India is all there, it is infused with a prose that immerses you in the time and can still delight and amuse the reader with wonderful characters, warmth and humour. Persis’ colleagues in Malabar House prove to be more than interesting and Persis’ love for her father is tempered only be her frustration with him – usually for having a more interesting social life!

Verdict: City of Destruction is a first class read. It has depth, richness and the most glorious technicolour characters. Vaseem Khan’s creation of a fantastic puzzle as the key to solving his mysteries is clever and ingenious. I loved this book as I love the series and it is on my list as one of my books of the year.

1951 India and Persis Wadia kills the gunman that was about to assassinate a political figure. Now she and her team at Malabar House to find out who else may have been involved and who was behind it all. MI6 will also be involved.

Well paced, well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Strong characters working in a time of turmoil. Another body will be found that will raise even more questions. I enjoyed this novel giving a view of women in India’s police force at this time.

City of Destruction is the fifth book in the Malabar House Series and Persis is back dealing with two cases that are testing both her detective skills and what she believes and feels. At the end of the last book Persis had wondered if her career in the police had come to an end but thankfully for fans of the series, she decided against it when she is caught up in the middle of an assassination attempt of a high ranking official. During the confusion that follows her close friend Archie is wounded and Persis must confront his family and her true feelings for him.
Persis is removed from the investigation that follows and is assigned a case of a man who is found burned to death in a remote location. If you have read the previous books, you will know that this does not sit well with her, and it is not long before she is doing her own investigations, and it may be a decision she comes to regret. Her actions put her in the path of British officials that are still operating in India and only time will tell if they are there to assist or hinder her investigations. The more digging that Persis does it becomes clear that the cases are linked and there is a lot more in play than first believed. What is less clear as who is behind it all and why. When everything is finally revealed it comes as quite a surprise, and you realise just how clever Vaseem Kahn is when it comes to planting both clues and red herrings in equal measure.
I have really come to admire the determination Persis has to get to the truth and fight against every prejudice that is put in her path, but I also wonder if that same determination is adding to the problems she faces. It is clear she does not always rate her colleague’s professionalism but at the same time she does not always come across as a team player, something that even her own father has come to notice. Her personal life is also weighing heavily on her mind as she comes face to face with Archie’s wife and even though she knows any kind of relationship with him should he survive his injuries is both unwise and unlikely this new development hits her hard. How their relationship moves forward from here is something I cant wait to see..
Having listened to the audio version of this book I can heartily recommend it to anyone who prefers this medium to more traditional methods

City of Destruction marks a very welcome return to Bombay, for the fifth book in the wonderful 'Malabar House' series by Vaseem Khan.
Our protagonist is one Inspector Persis Wadia, who has the unique distinction of being India's first female detective. Persis encounters hostility on a daily basis and I love her strength and resistance in how she constantly strives to solve her cases and not succumb to the pressure of higher authorities. She is far from perfect and indeed her flaws form part of storyline, as we see Persis choose to fight on her own, rather than trust her colleagues, as she seeks justice.
Set in 1951, post-partition India continues to undergo a turbulent time, with tensions at a critical impasse with Pakistan. The action begins from the opening paragraph as Persis foils an assassination attempt plunges her straight into a political nightmare with MI6 and local intelligence. City of Destruction is a complex story, where moralistic dilemmas and the intricate Indian politics create a unique environment and is an absolute ‘must-read’.
I absolutely loved this book when I read it earlier this year and didn't think that I could love it even more, but then I listened to the e-audiobook as narrated by Maya Saroya. Saroya brings the character of Persis to life, and adds an extra dimension of brilliance to the storyline as the reader can truly her and feel her stress and emotions over Archie. Honestly, if possible I would give this version 6 stars!
The plot is clever full of attention grabbing twists, with plenty of authentic-sounding historical detail that completely engage the reader's attention. And of course, there is the personal aspect of the novel as Persis continues to struggle with the potential of a relationship with Archie – not least of which are the issues of a mixed-race relationship and inability for a married woman to work as a detective.
If you haven’t read the previous four books in the series, then you will have no trouble diving straight into this tale. But why deny yourself that pleasure?
I would recommend that you do so, for the sheer joy of the storytelling.
I'm excited for the next adventure for Persis!

After a political rally ends with Persis killing a young man who has attempted to kill India's new defence minister, and leaves Archie Blackfinch fighting for his life, Persis is quickly relegated to the sidelines of the investigation and instead is handed the investigation into the death of a man who appears to have burned himself to death, but as always all is not as it seems. Vaseem Khan has done a great job in creating Persis, she is a great character but not a likeable one, not only is she incredibly arrogant but she also does some spectacularly stupid things, but because the author has done such a good job in creating her you do want to keep reading and you want to find out if she is right about what really happened and who was responsible, and if she will actually still be alive at the end of the book.

Oh yes. This book really hit the spot. Over the course of this series I've really taken Persis and Archie to my heart and I look forward to each new book with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Excitement because I know that Vaseem Khan can always be relied upon to deliver something very special. Trepidation because he has this nasty habit of putting my two beloved investigators in some very perilous situations. This book is now exception.

For anyone who has read the preceding book, Death of a Lesser God, will know that Persis really went through the ringer. At one stage, it felt as though her career as the first female investigator in India's police force might be over before it had a real chance to flourish. Thankfully, someone helps Persis see sense, although it's safe to say that her life is not set to get any better anytime soon. Whilst policing a political event, Persis shoots a young man who looks set to commit and assassination. In any other circumstances you would think this to be a good thing, but Persis becomes fixated on the young man and on a mysterious message he whispers to her just before he dies. As she sets out to find out the truth behind the young man's story, she finds herself facing danger once more, but this time without her trusted friend and companion, Archie, by her side.

I really love how the author brings to life post colonial India, drawing upon the rich, yet turbulent, history of the region in a way which both educates and entertains. Whilst this is all clearly fiction, it is rooted in fact, and the sense of place, and of the political machinations of Bombay are perfectly recreated. Once again, Vaseem Khan leads us away from the streets of Bombay, this time to New Delhi, and a setting which is a stark contrast to the place that Persis calls home, yet is every bit as dangerous, at least for her. This is a multi layered mystery, not just focusing on the attempted assassination, but also on the murder of a man who, from witness accounts, seems to have been a man with no enemies. Both cases were packed with intrigue, with the sense of threat a thrumming undercurrent from the start of the book to the end, creating a perfectly paced thriller that kept me completely rapt.

If there is one area that I really love this series for, aside from introducing me to a part of history that I know little of, and from which, it seems clear, we never learn, it is the characterisation. Without question, Persis, with her determination and obstinacy, is one of my favourite characters of the moment. And I love Archie Blackfinch, as so unlike Persis as you could possibly imagine, but with whom she still has such great chemistry. It's fair to say that he has a somewhat curtailed role to play in this latest investigation but, in spite of his not being physically by persis' side, his presence is felt in every single action and decision that she makes. But it is not just this enduringly addictive pair that make this a winning series. Everyone, from Persis' father, Sam, to her colleagues, Seth, Oberoi and Fernandes, adds a little something to the story in their own peculiar way, and they are so perfectly portrayed that I'm not sure the series would be the same without them.

With plenty of misdirection and surprises along the way, for Persis every bit as much as us readers, this was another absolutely fabulous mystery, but also one that felt like a bit of a pivotal moment in Persis' life. What it means for our heroine, I'm not sure, but I'm hoping Vaseem Khan has many more books in store for us to find out. And, if you are an audiobook fan, then I can highly recommend the audio narrated by Maya Soraya. I did a kind of combination of reading and listening to this and I can honestly say I was entertained from beginning to end. One of the best to date. Definitely recommended.

City of Destruction is the fifth book in the popular Malabar House series, written by Vaseem Khan. I haven’t read the earlier four books, so hoped the book would read well as a standalone.

Persis Wadia is immensely proud to be the first female Police Inspector in India. Unfortunately, not many of her colleagues share her enthusiasm and confidence in her appointment. India in 1950, just 3 years after the many horrors of Partition, is a tricky place for a strong willed, ambitious woman to thrive. An attempt on the life of the new charismatic, but divisive, defence minister, places Persis in the heart of a highly political crime, and subsequent investigation.

The book worked well as a standalone, I felt that the author provided all of the backstory I needed, to understood the relationship between the characters. Persis is so determined to succeed, to be taken seriously by the systematic patriarchy; that she behaves recklessly, and doesn’t learn from her mistakes. Her decision making in her private life is also quite questionable.

I enjoyed the narration, provided by Maya Soraya. I really felt Persis’ frequent annoyance and frustration, through Maya’s voice.

The author’s words painted all the sights, sounds and smells of India, in the turbulent, early post Partition years. I felt it was a slow burning, solid read. I must admit I felt a little lost in the story at times. Sometimes, the historical and political scene setting, distracted me from the storyline itself. 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

Not a bad plot but very slow going and confusing in parts I had to re listen to a few chapters where I lost interest and missed bits

This was very much a take-it-or-leave-it story for me. It was an interesting insight into post-partition India; there was quite a lot of background information about India’s history and politics which was insightful, but didn’t really add to the story.
While the plot seemed solid (as far as I could tell), it also became quite convoluted. The detailed description of each new character stalled the pace a little for me, and this, along with copious analogies, regular interludes of exposition and background information (superfluous to the plot), created a feeling of detachment from the story, so I did find my attention wandering, and if I’m honest, I lost the thread quite a few times.
The main character is suitably flawed; a female police officer who’s stubborn, prone to emotional reactions and careless entanglements, who’s slow to admit her failings (at least publicly) and often fails to consider the wider consequences of her actions. If I’m honest, I found her a little irritating.
This one wasn’t really for me, but I appreciate the opportunity to listen to the audio ARC, and would like to thank NatGalley and Hodder and Stoughton audio.

n the 5th of his historical fiction mystery series set in the 195os by Vaseem Khan, we are in the midst the turbulence of an independent India, with a separate Pakistan that has many overtly seething. This includes Azad, the defence minister in Nehru's government, giving inflammatory, yet popular, pro war speeches promoting unification at protests, as the colonial legacy in the region persists. I read and listened to this on audio, ably narrated by Maya Saroya, although I did on occasions wish that she had injected a greater sense of drama to the narrative. Persis Wadia is the first woman police detective in the force, a target for many, such as misogynists and those who strongly believe it to be the sphere for men alone. She considers quitting but decides to continue at Malabar House.

Persis's attention is caught by a young man at a protest, forced to shoot him dead when he attempts to assasinate Azad, a act that results in the shooting of Scotland Yard criminalist, Archie Blackfinch, who ends up in a coma in hospital. In emotional turmoil, she keeps secret the amulet pushed into her hand and the last words he whispers, were they simply the despairing lament of a dying man or something more? There is huge pressure to identify the man, investigate motives and possible co-conspirators, but she is not on the team and is given the case of a burned man at a beach, self immolation is not uncommon, but something about this feels wrong, as she becomes convinced it is murder. Could there possibly be any connections between the 2 cases?

The determined Persis, some might say foolhardy, goes rogue, going to Delhi to identify the would be assassin, and becomes embroiled in dealings with British intelligence agents, Julius Barnes and David Astor, there to support the Delhi Intelligence Bureau. Persis mostly operates as a loner in the complex investigations, slowly joining the many pieces of the puzzle together, never losing her sense of focus, despite the challenges she faces emotionally and professionally. As usual, Khan weaves an intricate and engaging story that immerses the reader in the India and its problematic issues in this historical period. I can recommend this to readers interested in this era, and to those simply looking for a great intriguing mystery, in what is a terrific addition to a brilliant series. The audio and the book are great! Many thanks to the publisher for an ALC and ARC.

I have just finished this audiobook, the narration by Maya Saroya was excellent.

I hadn’t realised this was part of a series and read it as a standalone.

Persis is a brilliant character and I have totally enjoyed being transported to a different time and place which you can feel with every page. The story slowly unfolded and I liked the literary references used to piece the story together.

I will definitely read more in this series.

4.25⭐️

Malabar house no 5

This is my first book in this historical mystery series. In fact it’s my first book by the author. It reads well as a standalone. I had the audiobook read by Maya Saroya who is excellent

It features India’s first female detective Persis Wadia set in Bombay in 1950 where a political rally ends in disaster.

It’s a slow burn mystery with good plot complexity. It gives some flavour of the time period but doesn’t dwell heavily on the historical aspect, although it’s quite politically orientated which is eye opening. I gelled with Persis I was really rooting for her, as she doesn’t have it easy. She is one smart individual. It was interesting reading about the level of police corruption then. I really enjoyed the romantic connection.

I really enjoyed this, I’d like to catch up with the audiobooks.