I was surprised I liked this book as much as I did. I don't know much about 19th century India but it did grab my attention right away. Captain James Agnihotri is recuperating from a war injury and while convalescing spends his time reading Sherlock Holmes and newspaper accounts of the death of two women who fell from a clock tower. When he is released he goes to the home of the widower, Parsee Adi Framji, and asks to investigate the case as neither believes the women committed suicide.

Jim, who is half English and half Indian, never knew his father and after his mother died at a young age he was left in an orphanage. He is not fully accepted by the English or the Indians and never quite fit in anywhere. He knows nothing of family dynamics and when he is taken in by the Framji's becomes close to all, especially Diana. The most interesting part of the book for me was his trip to Lahore which the Army asked him to undertake in order to rescue some men one of which he needs to question for the Framji case. On the way to Lahore he ends up with five children who have been abandoned. It was wonderful to see this caring side of Jim as he protects and feeds them.

Sometimes I had a hard time following the case because of a large cast of characters but it didn't detract me too much because I enjoyed all the primary characters like Jim, Adi and Diana and their dynamic. Lots of Indian phrases but there is a glossary in the back. The mystery was good and the culprit was a surprising one. It didn't feel like a great reveal because this book wasn't a thriller although there were some thrilling moments.

I would be interested in reading more of this author. I liked the writing style and her character development. It would be a nice series with Captain Jim solving more cases.

I received a complementary copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur books. These are my thoughts.

Murder in Old Bombay, by Nev March, is set in 1890s Bombay, so slightly before The Widows of Malabar Hill. But the setting is still very similar, with British-educated Parsees living in Bombay and the rumbling of Home Rule, and a murder to solve.

Captain James Agnihotri is an Anglo-Indian, just out of the army on a medical discharge, and a Sherlock Holmes fan. He reads a newspaper story while recovering in the hospital, and learns of two young women who fell to their deaths under strange circumstances. The two women were the daughter-in-law and adopted daughter of the wealthy Framji family, and by all accounts, happy, loved, young women. Adi Framji, the widower, remains convinced that his wife had no reason to commit suicide and refuses to accept the verdict of suicide.

Something about this story intrigues Jim, and once out of the hospital, he gets himself hired by Adi and the Framjis to investigate these deaths. This can’t be an official investigation, since the case is formally closed, and too much prying will offend the investigators, lawyers and judge who oversaw the ruling. There’s a lot going on politically, with some regions of India directly under British rule, some regions under Indian rulers with tacit British backing or formal approvals, and some independent or even rebel areas. The British army is still present even in peaceful areas, able to commandeer trains or other supplies when needed. This whole situation means that there’s no easy calling the police and hauling the accused into court. Whose court? And who’ll get a fair trial in court? And what will happen to Jim and the Framjis, if this investigation begins to cast shadows on important figures?

Jim is half Indian and half British, and even without his complex Sherlock disguises, he’s able to move between both worlds. Well-dressed with a good haircut, he can name-drop at the upscale expat club or use his army pull to make demands. Once he adds his disguises and his fluency in local dialects, Jim’s investigation takes him all over, and the almost travelogue descriptions of neighborhoods and communities are such a pleasure to read.

I loved the Sherlock Holmes references throughout. Although Jim consciously emulates his literary idol in his disguises or logical methods, he doesn’t seem to see the connection between his band of young children and Holmes’ Baker Street Irregulars. It was the first sign (for me at least) that our Jim may not be the most self-aware narrator. As he becomes closer to Adi, Diana, and the rest of the Framji family, Jim’s own secrets and past begin to connect.

This is a layered mystery, involving complicated questions of loyalty and identity, with fun nods to Arthur Conan Doyle throughout.

Excellent. The publisher has already generated over 100high ratings on Goodreads, months before release, so the book should do well, and for good reason. This is well crafted, with a great setting, interesting characters, and an engaging plot. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.. Set in India in the late 1800s,Captain Agnihotri is enlisted by a family member to find out who murdered his two family members after the local police have failed. The Captain loves Sherlock Holmes and goes on to try to solve their murders using Sherlock's techniques. Not knowing India culture, this was a learning experience in their ways during that time. With some romance and intrigue, it was an interesting read.

I love these kinds of crime novels à la Agatha Christie. What I really loved was the Indian setting and the time period in which this was set.

This is a well written mystery, set in 1892 India against the backdrop of British rule. Captain Agnihotri is the lead, and a outcast from both Indian and British society. When deaths occur he feels he can solve the mystery, so begins a rip roaring, fast paced adventure. I loved this book, I really felt like I was off on an adventure and the issues of caste and race were handled very sensitively with clear knowledge.
I cant wait for more books for this author.

This was a cute mystery set in 19th century Bombay. It was an interesting modern-historical take on Sherlock Holmes, but unfortunately left me flat. At best a fluffy diversion.

It's been a while since I've read a historical mystery and I really enjoyed this. Surprisingly, more for the look in at India at a particular time and place than the actual mystery. I'm giving no spoilers. I did feel the mystery was done well and I credit a lot of that to characters. It all came together well for me and was a great way to pass a couple of pandemic summer days. I don't know if this is the first in a series but I would read another by Nev March.

A bit too slow, a bit too uneven to warrant a higher rating: the protagonist, Captain Jim Agnihotri, is all over the place. Murder in Old Bombay is set in 1892 British Colonial Bombay (now Mumbai) and revolves around Captain Jim Agnihoti's investigation into the deaths of two young Parsee women. But the idea of yet another shellshocked detective made me yawn.

For all my carping, there's some colour to the background - the complex historical setting of British Raj India was fascinating to read about but at heart this is easy-reading stuff. Good for fans of cosies wanting a little more historical substance.

Murder in Old Bombay has something enticing for every reader: history, romance, and a cross-cultural and engaging plot. This captivating book, based on real events, takes place in 1892, and as the Anglo-Indian protagonist, Captain Jim Agnihotri, examines the mysterious deaths of two Parsee women, we are drawn into a complex cast of richly developed characters. Nev March, herself a Parsee and Zoroastrian, introduces us to religious, cultural, and geographic influences of the end of the 19th century in India and the rest of the region. It has everything necessary to keep a reader's interest and to draw eager eaders into its complicated plot. One can only hope there's a sequel to this gripping novel.

An intriguing mystery set in 1892 British India, Murder in Old Bombay tells the story of amateur detective Jim Agnihotri and his attempts to solve the mystery of two murdered young women. Jim is an interesting character that loves Sherlock Holmes's novels. I enjoyed the bit of Holmes that was injected into the story. I could tell Nev March did extensive research into the period and the location as her descriptions were vivid and engaging. I became invested in finding out what happened to the ladies, however, I thought the story was meandering at times and too long. My favorite part was Jim's journey after he left Lahore and acquired his traveling companions but I also felt this section seemed disjointed from the rest of the story. I think the story could've been tightened up a bit and not had so many elements competing for space. By the end, I was struggling to care about the mystery that started the novel. I did enjoy Jim and I think there is a potential for a sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and the Book Club Girls for the ARC.

Thoroughly enjoyable historical crime novel revealing Indian society in the early 20th century. March portrays the interplay of the caste system and the mores concerning upper caste women, who were often used as pawns in power politics. I found March's book far more than crime fiction. It displays the effect of a rigid culture on an entire society. In the end, he shows one victory of humanity over stricture. Lengthy but well worth the trip!

A fun mystery that kept me guessing. Enjoyed the unusual setting. Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Historical fiction in India... this book was calling my name. What an unexpected treat, what a grandiose epic story, what a wild ride !!!

Loosely based on the real life unsolved mysterious death of two young women in Bombay, this novel will transport you to 1892 in colonial India .
The tale is a historical mystery following Conan Doyle fictional Sherlock Holmes principle of investigative process.

The heroic account is told by Anglo-Indian Captain Jim during his probe of two young Parsee women mysterious death.

The Parsees, a close group of people who fled from Persia to India following Muslim repression, are affluent connected people with strict rules of living, a high sense of justice and honesty and very influencial in the British society. Nev March does an excellent work visiting the disconnected yet adjacent bubbles of the Indian caste system, the Parsee entity, the Princely states structure and the British Raj rule, giving the reader an insight into the life of privilege in the complex turmoil of colonial times.

The plot is intricated, convoluted, well tied together and doesn't relent before the last page.
The writing style is reminiscent of the Shelock Holmes books, which are mentionned profusely throughout, as such there is not per say a climax but rather little clues accumulating towards the resolution of the mystery. At times I felt like reading YA, but all and all it is a fantastic saga.
The romance part of the story is a little predictable but does convey clearly the rules of Castes and the power of high society expectations.

The book was extremely enjoyable and engaging, with an ending suggesting a possible sequel.

I wish I had research the author before I read the book, as her scrapbook page present pictures that inspired her while writing the novel. Once you look, Captain Jim, Diana and all the other characters come to life.
https://www.nevmarch.com/scrapbook


Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley for this ARC.
Expected publication: November 10th 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I went in expecting a cozy mystery and was happy to find so much more- including romance and adventure. I especially enjoyed the characters and finding out what happens to them became more engaging to me than the mystery. I hope to see Captain Jim again in future books from this author. Thank you for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Murder in Old Bombay. With short chapters and a quick-moving plot, this was an easy book to read and a good summertime whodunit in the vein of Sherlock Holmes, the idol of our protagonist, Jim Agnihotri. While the time period and the location lend itself to richness, sophistication and nuance (e.g., issues related to colonialism, caste, religion, colorism, etc.), the story and characters are a bit flat and slightly predictable. Jim is likeable though clearly coping with trauma from his past and you can't help but root for many of the supporting characters, but I found the love story aspect of the book ho-hum and tedious at times (Diana and Jim seem like much more interesting people when they're not pining over each other for so many chapters). Overall enjoyable, quick and an escape to something very different than my everyday existence (especially in the covid world!).

Set in Bombay 30 odd years after the Sepoy Mutiny two women die from a fall from the clock tower. Was it suicide or murder? Either leave a lot of questions to be answered. Murder in Old Bombay is more than a Victorian era cozy mystery. This book has a solid storyline that supports the mystery plot, but would you expect less from a book that is based on a true story? Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to review #MurderinOldBombay and give my honest review. This is a book I will be recommending!

Pull up a cocktail and be swept away. A fabulously original twist on the Sherlock Holmes-style mystery, Murder on Bombay takes you a on a magic carpet ride to British Colonial India of the late 1800’s. You’ll feel utterly transported as sandalwood and jasmine perfume the air, elegant women draped in beautiful silk saris catch your eye, and scoundrels and scamps appear around every bend.

Captain Jim Agnihotri has nothing but time on his hands while recovering in the hospital from recent battle wounds. With not much more than his Sherlock Holmes novels and the newspaper for company, Jim becomes intrigued by reports of two young women who fell to their deaths from a nearby tower. Deeply moved by the widower’s letter to the paper, and with a strong conviction that there’s more to this story than it may seem, Jim makes it his personal mission to solve the mystery of the women’s deaths and bring the Framji family some peace.

The requisite puzzling clues appear, and pontificating of course ensues, along with adventurous treks across the Indian landscape, a burgeoning romance with an enchanting Persion beauty, and the ultimate prize Jim didn’t realize he was looking for – a sense of belonging – and of family.

This book is truly a treasure. Pick it up as soon as you are able – you won’t be sorry!

#MurderInOldBombay
#NevMarch
#MinotaurBooks
#NetGalley

4.5

The setting: 1892, Bombay. Captain Jim Agnihotri, son of an unknown English father and an Indian mother, is in a Poona military hospital convalescing from his injuries in a skirmish on the northern frontier that leave him with nightmares and panic attacks. He has little to do but re-read the tales of his idol, Sherlock Holmes, and browse the daily papers. A case in the papers catches Jim's attention--it is being called the crime of the century: two women fell from the busy university’s clock tower in broad daylight. Captain Jim approaches Adi Framji, a Parsee, and the widower of one of the victims. Adi is certain that his wife and sister did not commit suicide. Jim is hired to investigate what happened. But asking questions in colonial India is dangerous.

An orphan, Jim is much taken by the Framjis and especially Adi's sister, Diana. And so it begins.

I was entranced by this book from the start. I loved the cadence of the language, the pacing, the setting, the descriptions.

"a thick-set man with a ballooning waistline"
"his large, deft hands dwarfing his silverware"
"The man was so composed I disliked and admired him at the same time"'
"thunderous eyebrows"
and so on,

What I especially enjoyed: the section where Jim acquires five young travelling companions--and the aftermath of this new unit.

As the story unfolds, one becomes more informed about caste, class, religion, customs, the culture of colonialism and the lifestyle of wealthy Indians. The gradual reveal of the complexities of the mystery kept me going. I could not wait to return to reading this tome--until perhaps the last 10% of the book. This is when warning signals increasingly flared telling me that the culmination of the novel would be somewhat predictable and not to my liking [correct--no spoiler but a little too neat and tidy]. This weakened the book for me so not rounding up.

A debut novel--kudos--and perhaps a sequel due to the ending.

First of all my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book. I really enjoyed it, well written, interesting and very entertaining. One of my favorites during the last few months. I highly recommend reading it