Book 5 in the Malabar House Series set in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1951 and featuring Persis Wadia, India’s first female police detective. Persis is a complicated woman, brilliant at her job but struggles with rules and regulations and really isn’t a people person. I like her and do feel her personality a bit of a defence mechanism but you do see a softer side around former Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch. I love their relationship and that part of the story this time nearly broke me!

Briefly, at a political rally Persis notices a young man acting strangely. As he draws a gun to shoot the defence minister Persis shoots the assassin but not before he fires back at her, hitting her associate. Due to the political nature and Persis’s involvement the case is taken over by MI6 and other colleagues in Malabar House. Persis is handed another case - a badly burned body found near a beach. But Persis being Persis isn’t going to let her interest in the assassination attempt drop.

I love this series and I think this is my favourite so far. I’m fascinated by India and relish the historical aspect and have certainly learned a lot about Partition and Indian culture. There is something excellent misdirection and both cases are well paced and brilliantly intertwined with suspicion heavily leaning towards the criminal faction. An exciting and entertaining read. I loved it.

4.5* City of Destruction - Vaseem Khan. A welcome return for Persis, India’s first female police officer in 1950s Bombay as the aftershocks of Partition continue.

At a political rally, a divisive minister is almost assassinated and Persis is right at the heart of the action. Quickly moved to one side, to allow colleagues and liaison from MI6 to investigate, Persis is given another murder to look into but it doesn’t prove any less complex.

This is a welcome return to a fantastic cast of characters. Persis is superb, along with her dad Sam and colleagues in Malabar House. Vaseem Khan’s plotting is intricate, interesting and full of interesting historical nuggets. The prose is perhaps a little too heavy with quips and similes but it doesn’t detract from a hugely enjoyable read.

For me this series is a must read. Each of the books would be a fine standalone but it’s such a great story arc and I’d firmly recommend reading all five in order.

I’ve had the pleasure of reading Vaseem Khan’s amazing forthcoming standalone, The Girl In Cell A, which is 5* brilliance and I’m hugely looking forward to his James Bond books featuring Q.

Thanks to the Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I was thrilled to receive it and loved every page.

City of Destruction is the latest in the Malabar House novels starring India's first female police inspector, Persis Wadia.

I confess that I've struggled with Persis on occasion but this is probably simply that she is not Chopra (or rather Baby Ganesh). However she has grown on me over the years even though she is often quite difficult to like. I understand that she has to be harder than the men she works with but it has turned her into a loner who doesn't appear to trust anyone and that is quite often what makes her a difficult character to sympathise with.

In City of Destruction Persis puts herself on the line even more than usual. Having stopped an assassin she finds herself trying to piece together what made the would-be killer do what he did. She also has to figure out what happened to a man found burned to death. Who was he? What does the tattoo on his arm mean? Is there even a connection to the assassin? And what secrets are being hidden by all the people in her life?

City of Destruction had even more history crammed into it and the Author's Note is fascinating as it reveals which parts of the book are taken straight from fact.

I love Vaseem Khan's work and have been a fan for several years. I look forward to Persis' next case and seeing how things have changed at Malabar House as India gets used to independence and partition.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance review copy. Most appreciated.

City of Destruction is the latest book in the Malabar House series by Vaseem Khan and it is another excellent page turner that kept this reader hooked from the first page until the last.

India is on the verge of a war with its new neighbours and Persis Wadia is faced with an investigation into why someone would want to assassinate the country’s defence minister.

The book is well written and uses the ongoing political tensions to deliver a first class mystery thriller.

Definitely recommended.

Persis Wadia is Bombay's first female police detective, albeit stationed at the Malabar House station (equivalent to Slough House in Mick Herron's excellent Slow Horses series). This is the fifth book in the series, I hadn't read the others but it was fairly easy to read as a standalone.

Its 1951, only a few short years since India was partitioned and the new state of Pakistan was formed. The bloodshed and the religious unrest is still very fresh. Persis and Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch are patrolling a political rally held by the defence minister Azad who is advocating the taking back of Pakistan, against the wishes of Prime Minister Nehru. Persis spots a young man in the crowd who doesn't seem to be as enthused as the other people around him, she loses track of him for a moment and then spot shim again, just as he attempts to assassinate Azad, with only split seconds to react, Persis kills the young man, but not before he shoots Archie in the head. As the boy lies dying he presses an amulet into Persis' hand and whispers City of Destruction.

Unsure of whether the young man was working alone, was from Pakistan, was a fifth columnist etc, the Delhi Investigation Board call in MI6 for assistance. Persis is hauled off the case, which is given to two incompetent (male) detectives while she is given the body of a man found on a beach, assumed to have immolated himself.

Despite being taken off the case, Persis cannot leave it alone, she hopes that the amulet and the dying man's words will give her some clues as to his identity and his motivation.

I enjoyed this, I have read a few books set in India, including some which give some detail of the horrific violence that surrounded Partition, but this book gave some additional colour and flavour as the backdrop to the investigations. I was also interested in how much of the plot (as opposed to the history of partition) was based on historical facts.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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.

Wholly Atmospheric..
The fifth entry into the Malabar House series and the return of the feisty and enigmatic Persis Wadia. New investigations are underway with Persis, initially related to side issues, very much front and central - although often more unofficially than officially - as her colleague fights for his own life. Pacy, edgy and wholly atmospheric with a frenetic plot populated with a cast of credible and well drawn characters and a narrative laced with a sharp wit. Another worthy addition to this superlative series.

Another fantastic book about Persia Wahdia - a great story which also spends more time on the relationships of the characters. Unexpected at times - I couldn't put it down.

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.

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.

A book that weaves complications but Persis persists.

An assassination prevented to a murder committed, with no obvious link, sets Persis on the road to her usual head on clash with authority (and her team) but with so many factors post Partition the who and the why begin to fall back to common denominators - leading to several parties with an interest in seeing Persis’s demise. A book that builds as you read and grips as you go - looking forward to the next one.

This series really is something special. I have learned more about india and its politics and culture from this series than from anything else. Vaseem takes the history and background of a country, countries at such a crux time and spins a fictional tale that really brings it all together. He has a lovely way with words and a way of telling you things whilst entertaining you and making you think at the same time.

The indomitable Persis Wadia returns! After the Partition of India and creation of the new Pakistan - and the resultant violence, Rafi Azad Indian Defence Minister holds a provocatice rally in Bombay to stir up fervour. Persis and her partner Archie Blackfinch from Bomaby's smallest police station, Malabar House are on duty monitoring the rally when she spies a suspiciously quiet and solitary man. Losing sight of him, she later sees him aiming a gun at Azad! She takes aim and kills him but his gun also goes off, severely wounding Archie.
Persis and Archie are viewed as heroes, but Persis wants to know more about the young man that committed the crime, who she has caused the death of. Things are not straightforward and her two fellow Police Inspectors are put onto the case. She is appointed a different case - that of a burned body found near the coast. Not that, that's ever stopped our Persis from pursuing her own path.
The wonderfully feisty, bolshy Persis goes her own way a bit too often for her own safety. Mr Khan delivers the story, situation and violence with his dark humour ('Dad jokes' apart - it's a lovely vintage humour!), which makes you laugh out loud as you read. You get totally swept along in the story and the outcome and finding out about other interested parties in the region is again, very sobering. Reading about Partition and the wars and death caused by this 'solution' is horrifying; finding out about England's further meddling in the region, shameful.
The 'Acknowledgements' section at the back refers to the author's love of exploring Idia's history and finding obscure facts to turn into plots. It is precisely these odd facts that make Vaseem Khan's stories and plots so fascinating. Please don't stop with this series (and your jokes) - and I need the next instalment SOON!

Detective Persis Wadia, India’s 1st female detective’s cases in tumultuous young India

Detective Persis Wadia and Archie Blackfinch attend a rally held by the Defence Minister. She is there in an official capacity to help control the crowd. By chance, she spots a young man who appears hell-bent on getting to the front of the crowds. Persis’s detective instincts kick in and she makes her way to the front just in time to see the man raise a revolver. She manages to kill him, but not before he shoots – hitting Archie.

Persis is relegated from the case because of the death of the suspect, instead being given a case of a man burnt to death on the outskirts of the city. However, Persis can never obey orders and ends up becoming involved not just with solving the murder she’s assigned to but also the case involving the assassin she shot.

Persis is the most stubborn, complicated woman and I find myself feeling so irritated with her at times and yet, without her, the killers would never be found. However, this series is so much more than the story of Persis Wadia, first female detective in India, they take us back to the 1950s just after the split of India and Pakistan and the terrible turmoil in the country.

This series of books involving Persis Wadia would make a fantastic television series. Vaseem Khan has a way with words that draw pictures in one’s mind while reading. I have learnt so much about India’s history thanks to these novels.

Rony
Elite Reviewing Group

As usual in my reviews I will not spoil the book by rehashing the plot (there are plenty of reviews like that out there already!) Instead, I recommend that you read it for yourself!

This is the latest book in Vaseem Khan's "Malabar House" series; as I've read and enjoyed the previous novels, I was delighted to be invited to read this instalment.

Persis Wadia is once again the main character. She's a strong and determined young woman, who - despite her previous successes - still faces hostility as India's first female detective. Her determined character is needed more than ever in this novel as Persis strives to track down a murderer, plus (despite being told NOT to investigate!) those behind an assassination attempt that leaves Archie Blackfinch in hospital.

As in the previous novels, there is plenty of historical detail - most of which I was totally unaware of. There's an interesting cast of characters, and the action moves between various beautifully described locations. The writing is so evocative at times that you can picture the settings and characters.

Looking forward to the next in this excellent series.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

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’.
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!

The Malabar House series is really starting to come into its own and develop a clear and distinctive voice. Vaseem Khan is very good at finding fascinating little historical titbits and weaving them into multi-layered plots, and Persis is an increasingly interesting, if flawed, central character.
An assassination attempt plunges Persis into the murky world of Indian politics as tensions increase with Pakistan. Despite being assigned to investigate the burnt remains of a man found by the sea, she cannot step away from chasing up leads in the assassination case. This leads her to Delhi and a run in with MI6, gangsters and agitators.
The plot is exciting and had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing to the last few chapters. The political and historical information was fascinating and dealt with a complex period in Indian history that I knew little about. Khan has eased back on the endless slightly dodgy similes and manages a more consistent tone of voice. His descriptions of Bombay and Delhi were rich and vivid and there were some great new characters.
Persis herself is still a difficult character to like. Although she is showing signs of personal growth after the tough lessons from the previous book, she still excludes colleagues, takes stupid risks and fails to understand her own heart. I liked the way she started to confront her feelings for Archie but it's hard to develop a love story when the couple have barely had any time together in the last two books. I would have liked to see a little more of Malabar House - a little more team work and a little less dashing off alone, but I'm also starting to like her flaws and the way she grows as the series progresses.
Can't wait for the next in the series!

An excellent addition to this series. Persis, the only female police inspector in post-Partition India, confronts and shoots a would-be assassin. This leads to her being side-lined by her colleagues and British Intelligence. Without giving anything away she investigates, and uncovers crimes, injustices and continues to prove her worth to Malabar House.

With thanks to NetGalley and Holder & Stoughton

In 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.

4 stars. The fifth instalment in the Malabar House series, sees Persis investigate an attempted assassination - she shot the assassin, but not before his bullet bad hit Archie Blackfinch, Persis’ on/off love interest… and so we’re into investigating that and also the case of a man who was found burned on nearby scrub land…

This is another great instalment in the series - though I do sometimes worry about Persis’ aggression, there are several times she imagines hitting or shooting people who frustrate her. Perhaps some yoga might help calm her 😉. We have a little intrigue in the form of someone from Archie’s past who shows up, and a few scrapes Persis gets into (and usually out of herself, sometimes with help). I did spot a few of the reveals, but to balance that out, I did get a bit lost in the final explanation of how they all tied together 😆. All in all, I’m already looking forward to the next book!

I received a free ARC copy of this book via NetGalley and the publishers, in return for an unbiased review.

City of Destruction is the 5th book in the Malabar House series set in 1950s India. Persis is investigating the attempted assassination of the defense minister and trying to identify a body found on the beach. Her investigations take her from Bombay to Delhi. Khan's evocative prose brings both cities to life and the well-researched historical background adds depth to the plot. Persis has some narrow escapes as she links the 2 seemingly separate cases. A twisty plot full of religious factions and political intrigues including the involvement of MI6 make this a thrilling read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange of an unbiased review.