Murder in Old Bombay

A Mystery

By: Nev March

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Minotaur Competition Winner: First Crime Novel

In 19th-century Bombay, Captain Jim Agnihotri channels his idol, Sherlock Holmes, in Nev March’s Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut.

In 1892, Bombay is the center of British India. Nearby, Captain Jim Agnihotri lies in a Poona military hospital recovering from a skirmish on the wild Northern frontier, with little to do but re-read the tales of his idol, Sherlock Holmes, and browse the daily papers. The case that catches Captain Jim's attention is being called the crime of the century: Two women fell from the busy university’s clock tower in broad daylight. Moved by Adi, the widower of one of the victims - his certainty that his wife and sister did not commit suicide - Captain Jim approaches the Parsee family and is hired to investigate what happened that terrible afternoon.

But in a land of divided loyalties, asking questions is dangerous. Captain Jim's investigation disturbs the shadows that seem to follow the Framji family and triggers an ominous chain of events. And when lively Lady Diana Framji joins the hunt for her sisters’ attackers, Captain Jim’s heart isn’t safe, either.

Based on a true story and set against the vibrant backdrop of colonial India, Nev March's Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning lyrical debut, Murder in Old Bombay, brings this tumultuous historical age to life.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books

"Bravo to Nev March for capturing late 19th century Indian history so beautifully in Murder in Old Bombay. Compelling characters, striking settings and the intricacies of social stratification shine in this talented author’s hands. I eagerly await more historic Bombay adventures narrated by sharp-eyed, open-hearted Jim Agnihotri." (Sujata Massey, Edgar finalist author of The Widows of Malabar Hill)

©2020 Nev March (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominee, 2021

A wonderful , many-faceted story

Historical fiction, romance, mystery rolled into one. Great narration, each voice is distinct and suits the character.

It’s a few hours longer than it needs to be.

It is enjoyable and had a great mystery. However it is a few knockouts and tangents longer than needed.

One of my best reads

Loved it! The story, narration and beautiful descriptive writing had me captivated. Highly recommend

Solid historical mystery and good characters

Historical mystery set in 1892 Bombay, India with a good-hearted hero with identity issues and PTSD. Great descriptions, solid whodunit, good characters, and a romance. Vikas Adam narrated the audiobook excellently.

*

Mystery=excellent
Setting=brilliant
Descriptions=amazing
Characters=I liked them all, but Diana was tiresome. 🙄
The first half of the story was fantastic and intriguing, the last half I merely endured. It was almost two different books, smashed together!

More than a Murder Mystery

This book is an unexpected treasure. What begins as a mystery, evolves at a leisurely pace into an exploration of India's late nineteenth century history, with its themes of divided loyalties, as well as a tender love story. What I loved most about this book was the manner in which it dealt with explosive topics - such as child prostitution, slavery and religious discrimination - in a sensitive and unbiased way. The narrator earns a gold medal for getting to the heart of each character and for flowing between colonial and Indian jargon and dialects. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

a story that absorbs you

mesmerizing account of love, loss, joy, and terror, interwoven with glimpses of India’s past, like a beautiful fabric with strings of glittering gold, but with a dark stain of spilled blood

Wow. Spellbinding! Breathtaking!

What a grand tale of adventure, suspense, mystery, intrigue, and a love too strong to die. Set in the 1890's Bombay and surroundings in India, a brave, principled, daring wounded half-Indian ex-soldier takes on a murder investigation with not a bit of experience, only a determination to make things right.
The family of two young women who died in strange circumstances, hires him to find the truth. And in the next 6 months he finds and follows tiny leads, faces roadblocks, and is forced into desperate side journeys to get closer to the truth. It comes, but at a great cost.
The book is very well written and the audiobook narrator is superb. I learned some history about the British rule in India, and some of the rebellions.
And I learned about a caste system that forbade the love between the half Indian-half British orphan who grew to be the investigator and a beautiful only remaining daughter in a high caste Parsi family.
A truly great book, longer than I usually read but so worth it. I could hardly put it down to sleep or work!

Would make a great Indian Downton Abbey serial

Episodic. Repeatedly retreads the same ground over and over. The reader can skip over chapters and pick up the story without having to go back to fill in. The story is stretched out and very predictable. It would’ve made a very satisfying story if the author had’ve condensed it into half the number of chapters proffered ... and nothing would’ve been sacrificed. The narrator was interesting. Some of his ‘voices’ were laudable ... and some were very irritating but on the whole he was the one thread that kept the story together.

most enjoyable!

will look for other books by this author and narrator. quite an adventure it was.