The Dying Day

The Malabar House Series, Book 2

By: Vaseem Khan

Narrated by: Maya Saroya

The second brilliant novel in the highly acclaimed Malabar House series featuring Persis Wadia, India's first female police detective.

A priceless manuscript. A missing scholar. A trail of riddles.

Bombay, 1950

For more than a century, one of the world's great treasures, a 600-year-old copy of Dante's The Divine Comedy, has been safely housed at Bombay's Asiatic Society. But when it vanishes, together with the man charged with its care, British scholar and war hero John Healy, the case lands on Inspector Persis Wadia's desk.

Uncovering a series of complex riddles written in verse, Persis - together with English forensic scientist Archie Blackfinch - is soon on the trail. But then they discover the first body.

As the death toll mounts, it becomes evident that someone else is also pursuing this priceless artefact and will stop at nothing to possess it....

Harking back to an era of darkness, this second thriller in the Malabar House series pits Persis, once again, against her peers, a changing India and an evil of limitless intent.

Gripping, immersive and full of Vaseem Khan's trademark wit, this is historical fiction at its finest.

©2021 Vaseem Khan Ltd (P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Another Mystery Solved in India

Enjoyed the female police officer who helped to solve the mystery of a lost manuscript in Bombay.

A good mystery

A great listen - well-plotted mystery, excellent narration, good characters. I like Persis, but I hope in the next books of the series she evolves a bit. She’s so angry and defensive, with good reason, but it gets a bit old after awhile. But I’ll keep listening!

Gripping story marred by anachronisms

I enjoyed the story but was frustrated by such anachronisms as fax machines and televisions in 1949.

learn the history of India as you unravel crime

i give this story 5 stars
Historicall yet puzzrling all with a bit of romance thrown in. only sorty it is recent so thete cant be another one yet to follow it. if youlike strong female leads you will enjoy this one

Great sequel to the first novel

I enjoyed this story as it builds very well upon the foundations of the first novel

A well written, satisfying mystery

This is the second book in the Malabar House mystery series. In this book, Persus, the first female police detective in India, must solve the case of the stolen original manuscript of The Divine Comedy. To solve this mystery, the reader is taken on an adventure involving ancient languages, famous literature and events from WW 2.
This is a great read. The mystery to be solved is engrossing and complex. The main character is very believable and well developed. I found it difficult to take breaks in listening because I wanted to hear what would happen next.
I have listened to this author's previous work including the first installment of Malabar House and all of the books in the Baby Ganesh detective series. In addition to engaging mysteries and compelling characters, Mr Khan paints a fascinating picture of India. I have enjoyed learning about India's history and culture through these books. I would highly recommend this book as well as all of Mr Khan's previous books.
No matter how well written , when listening to a book being read, the story can be ruined by poor narration. No worries here. The narrator for this story is absolutely perfect. She provides just the right voice for every character.

An unusually intriguing mystery

I listen to a lot of mysteries and this one was uniquely interesting. It was not just a murder mystery but involved a complex puzzle and a lot of intersecting historical information. The protagonist is prickly to say the least and sometimes hard to like but you can’t help routing for her and those around her. I hope someone has tied V Khan to a chair and insisted he keep writing more in this series as well as the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency series. They can’t come to soon.

Stories revealed by amazing author

Every step seems to reveal a new path for our talented, but undervalued, detective. Great history about events of the past in WWII and free India movement. On the romance front, who will she choose-the awkward British detective or her first love that shattered her innocent heart. Only the next book will reveal the truth!

Complex

I loved this book. The main character is a complex woman making a place for herself during a time that was extremely difficult for women to be more than wives. The mystery is complex also as two separate murder investigations begin to emerge into one multifaceted case. The characters are clearly developed and I enjoy the ensemble greatly. If you like well written police procedural mysteries set in an exotic local you should enjoy this book.

Loved the first book, not so much this one

I loved the first book in the series but this one was hard work to finish. I had really been looking forward to this book but I'm afraid I was very disappointed.