A very nice and sold mystery set in India. The mystery was written in Arthur Conan Doyle fashion, with complicated crimes to solve and unwind. This book reminded me of the classic English mystery, well developed characters, stable and solid plot. It was great to read a story without fluff and sensationalism, it reminded me of my early days of reading Sherlock Homes and Agatha Christie .

This cozy mystery is like an Indian Sherlock Holmes, with plenty of Arthur Conan Doyle nods to spare. It’s a unique setting, and a welcome change for those of us who have read mysteries that seem to always take place in the same few settings. It follows our protagonist working as an amateur detective in the 1890s The writing style is a bit plain, which is my only complaint. I look forward to seeing more from Nev March after this good debut.

Nev March's debut novel "Murder in Old Bombay" is an absolutely delightful trip to India circa the 1890's! Under British rule, the colonial era and its infusion of Victorian customs, manners, and rigidity are on full display against the backdrop of India's own mix of cultural and religious rules, a strict adherence to codes of behaviour, and ones acceptance (or exclusion) dependent on a centuries old, entrenched caste system linked to ethnicity and social class. March's Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award winning novel is an exciting leap into one of the most highly tumultuous time periods in recent history! Be ready to immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, scents, and flavors of old Bombay!

Central to the story is our hero Captain James Agnihotri, a proud man of mixed Anglo and Indian ancestry. While barely recuperated from wounds sustained in a horrific battle in Karachi, the Captain finds himself drawn into the murder investigation of two young Parsee women. As an aficionado of all things Conan Doyle, Captain Jim pursues both elusive facts and nefarious villains in true Sherlockian style! With an unshakable code of honor, he follows each lead to its conclusion down the back alleys of Bombay and through the privileged mansions of the wealthy. In a true homage to Sherlock Holmes, our hero uses his considerable powers of observation, the logical principles of deductive reasoning, as well as adopting a clever disguise or two in his dogged pursuit of the truth.

If you are a fan of historical novels set during the Victorian period, March's work will be an enjoyable addition and I heartily recommend its reading! If a little mystery and a dash of romance as well makes you smile, you'll find those elements engagingly presented! I am hopeful that "Murder in Old Bombay" will be but the first of many in a new series by Nev March! While reading this book, Charles Finch's excellent, long-running Inspector Charles Lennox series (set in Victorian England) often came to mind as both authors share similarities in style and substance.

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Nev March for the advanced digital copy of
"Murder in Old Bombay" in return for my honest review.

#NetGalley
#MurderInOldBombay

A wonderful blend of mystery, history and a bit of romance. James, a recently retired British officer, is asked to look into the deaths of 2 women from a wealthy family in Bombay. This well plotted mystery also manages to give us a great introduction into Imperial India and the cast system. An interesting and enjoyable book.

While recovering in a Bombay military hospital, Capt. Jim’s boredom leads him to follow the story of two sisters who fell to their deaths within moments of each other. Their deaths were ruled suicides but one of the victim’s husband is sure they were murdered. Jim gets so wrapped up in the story he approaches the Parsee family and is then hired to find out what really happened. This is a murder mystery based on real events. The story is interesting and left me wanting to know more about the real life story. While I enjoyed the book, the “big reveal” was rather lackluster, Still, overall it was a good mystery and I thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this copy.

I loved the plot but there were areas that became a bit dense. The detail was superb and it definitely was written in the vein of Sherlock Holmes; however, I feel like there were a few instances where I was lost. Still a highly entertaining read!

This is a wonderful mystery and so atmospheric! I did guess quite a few of the twists and turns, but I still quite enjoyed it. I will keep an eye on this author!

I was able to get an advanced copy of this book on Netgalley and really enjoyed this book. The characters are all well written. Captain Jim was raised at an orphanage and longed for a family. His mother was Indian and his father was English. This kept him from feeling like he fit in anywhere. While interviewing a husband about his wife's death, he is asked to investigate the death as a murder. As his investigation progresses, he becomes close to the family and is willing to risk his life to protect them. This story is set in Bombay, India. I am not familiar with the culture or the language so some of the names and words used were a little hard for me. There is a glossary in the back to help understand better. I felt like the story took off a little slowly, but it picked up speed and I didn't want to stop reading it.

The book starts out good enough, with a somewhat sympathetic main character and a somewhat interesting mystery, but before long the main character started to really bother me and the mystery didn't really captivate since I didn't care about the two girls who had died. But I was most bothered by the mystery of what happened at Karachi. The MC never stopped alluding to this horrible thing that happened but would never tell the reader what had actually happened. It drove me nuts! I think the author thought that the need to know what happened here would make me eager to keep reading, but instead it made me want to skim so I could find out sooner. Then once I finally found out what the MC's big secret was, I was astonished that this boring tale I was reading was enough to give anyone nightmares. I thought I must be mistaken, that there was something more to the story of this guy's PTSD, but it was nothing like what I expected. Definitely not interesting enough to carry an entire boring mystery novel.

And of course there is a totally predictable romance that everyone sees coming from miles away and is in no way interesting or different than every other side-story romance that can be found in other cozy mystery novels. The whole thing felt so bland, even the very cool setting couldn't keep me interested. I did like the references to Sherlock Holmes stories, as I have been reading a lot of those lately, but that's pretty much the only good thing I can say. When the MC decides he has to start saving people from slavery and poverty because his heart is just that big, I knew this book wasn't getting more than two stars from me. Haven't we all seen this character before? Someone with a dark past who cares far more for the downtrodden than people in his time and place probably would have? It felt very anachronistic, though I'm sure it did happen occasionally. My bigger issue was that this sort of thing happens SO MUCH in books like this. I guess the proper word would be derivative. Again I ask, haven't we all seen this before?!

I am so glad I was able to read and review this novel! The novel has every aspect of a Sherlock Holmes mystery and was so well thought out written in plot and character development. The story starts out with Captain Jim recuperating in the hospital after returning from war torn Karachi. He reads newspapers and comes across a story about 2 Indian women who fall to their deaths from the university tower and there has been no progress made in solving who committed the crime. Once Jim is released from the hospital he has a burning desire to find out exactly what happened to the women which leads him to contact the husband of one of the women -- Adi, who also desires to find out what happened so he hires Captain Jim.

There are many twists and turns as Captain Jim searches for the truth of what happened and relationships develop with the family. This book was a delight, leading me through historical India, the developing plot and the characters that were real and endearing. I was pulled into the story and was really sad when it ended. The author wrapped up the story at the end, but I'm still wanting more of Captain Jim and his mystery escapades. I recommend this novel for anyone who loves to ready historical fiction, romance, action and adventure or mystery thrillers. It was delightful!

Murder In Old Bombay would not be called a cozy mystery but a novel of more depth. It does have a mystery at it’s center but it takes it’s time winding it’s way to the solution. On the way it gives a history lesson of India during the time of the Raj wrapped in an adventure story with a bit of romance thrown in as well. As a lover of history and a reader drawn to exotic places, I very much enjoyed the book. I wish that the Galley had some bio of the author at the end. The detail in the book felt authentic and I wondered about the writer’s background.

Set in the 1890s Bombay, India Captain James Agnihotri, decides to help a family discover what really happened to two young females after a court declares their deaths were suicides, Will he discover what really happened. Also, will his love for Diana, forbidden by class, come to fruition? I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Learned so much about India, it’s people, customs, food, clothing, languages, and history.

a delightful read. Murder in old Bombay is based on a true story. Once i knew that it made the story even better., I already love historical reads add in the old style of literary sleuths such as Sherlock Holmes and you have a knock out novel. Set in British occupied India Captain Agnihhotre has nothing to do while he recovers in a military hospital except read newspapers where he discovers the crime of 2 women and from there are story goes. and boy does it go., I have nothing but great things to say about the author's world building, choice character development. over all word flow is fantastic. No I couldn't, didn't to want to read it on one day, it wasn't a fast paced thriller. It was a mystery with layers and depth that needs to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace in order to take in all the sights, sounds, and feelings of British India.

I was excited to receive this book--the description sounded so compelling! Yet, I'm afraid that I can't give it a 5-star review. While the setting was fascinating (India in the late 19th century) and the mystery was interesting enough (two young women die after falling from a library tower), the characters and pacing left much to be desired. In the end, the allure of India could not overcome the writing. A story about a severely traumatized half-Indian British Army veteran should have been interesting. Yet, the author failed in the execution. The love story--though it began agreeably enough--somehow devolved into a ridiculous push-pull. Captain Jim wastes pages extolling his love interest's beauty, her delicateness, her high-pitched laugh, her sunny disposition. It would have been nice if he'd mentioned her personality or intelligence. (Admittedly, the reason for that may have been her inability to distinguish between a disguise and a Jekyll/Hyde personality disorder... a subplot that goes on for chapters.) And, if all of this isn't enough, an editor would have helped greatly. The book is unnecessarily long and not interesting enough to warrant it. I generally enjoy the books I get from NetGalley; I'm sorry to say that I can't recommend this one.

I totally got hooked by the quality of writing of Nev March, and I am now a real fan, expecting to read very soon another book about Captain Jim from this author ! Reading "Murder in Old Bombay" compares with looking a the multi fawcets of a diamond. You fall under the spell and wants to read more, and more. Fortunately, this is a long read, and it's a true immersion in India of that period. So much to learn, to feel, to know. But this is not the kind of history book where you think, all in all, it is a lecture with some added drama. The characters have their own destinies, and this is truly fascinating.
Should you put down the book for a day or two, it is easy to come back to it since multiple explanations contributes to help the reader to bear in mind what is at stake. Also, the quality of writing is perfect. For just one example, in the extraordinary vivid and clear descriptions of the city, people, and way of life, people wash with a "bar of soap" and not soap like too often written in books about the period of late 19th century.
I received a copy from NetGalley, all opinions are mine.

Late 1800s in old Bombay, Captain Jim Agnihotri leaves the British to try to become a journalist. While recovering from a war injury Jim becomes intrigued by “the crime of the century of two woman’s falling from an university clock tower in broad daylight. As a new journalist, Jim interviews the widower of one of the women and brother to the other woman. He hired the Parsee family to investigate what happened that afternoon.

Based upon real events in colonial India, asking questions leads Jim into dangers and disturbs the shadows that surround the victims’ family triggering a chain events and adventures.

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March is a delightful historical fiction mystery set in British controlled India in 1892. I enjoyed following along Captain Jim and his adventures as he traveled far and wide in order to solve the mystery of two women who died under suspicious circumstances.

The thing I enjoyed most of all were all of the wonderful literary descriptions of the landscapes, culture, people, and activities in India in the late 19th century. Of course I enjoyed the well-written characters and the murder/mystery plot, but I enjoyed the location and descriptions most of all.

A great read for anyone that enjoys historical fiction, mysteries, and of course, Sherlock Holmes.

4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St Martin’s Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

So I enjoyed "Murder in Old Bombay". I loved the setting. It reminded me of a series of murder mysteries by Sujat Massey set in the 1920's in the same neighborhood as this book takes place. I liked the characters and the idea of a former military officer getting involved in a mysterious story. The only thing I did not like about the book was the pacing. It seemed to drag in the middle a bit and wander. For a murder mystery in a foreign country, it a was an overall good read with a lot of background to give you a sense of place and time during the height of the "Raj". I hope that the author can continue this story..

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review this book.

I don't really know what to say. I enjoyed it overall and found the characters lingering in my mind days after finishing the book. But - I feel like it needed an editor to step in and clean it up. The writing style was perhaps intended to be evocative of its time in the 1890's, but it was often awkward. And there were just too many stories swirling about! I would have preferred this to be books one and two in a series so we could spend a little more time in some areas and not just leaping from episode to episode like an old action movie serial.

With that said, I certainly enjoyed the story and learning more about India in that time. I had no idea about so much of the Indian history that was presented!

Verdict: Recommended, but please be aware you're starting an epic and not just a mystery.

I received an ARC Kindle edition of this book from NetGalley.

I do like a good murder mystery and have not read a page turner in quite some time. The more you read this book, the more hooked you will become.

I enjoyed the time period and setting of India in the 1890's. After watching The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and reading this book, I would really love to travel to India some day.

The one thing I did not like about this book was Diana's character. At no point in this story could I get myself to like her. The more I got through the book, the more I wished she had less of a part in the story.

I still give this story 4 stars because I did enjoy the story overall.