The Lost Man of Bombay - (The Malabar House) by Vaseem Khan

Book Synopsis

THE THRILLING NEW MYSTERY FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF MIDNIGHT AT MALABAR HOUSE

'A delightful book, well-researched, complex and hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES

'A twisting plot and an intriguing cast of characters, together with vivid glimpses of the vibrant, complex world of post-Independence Bombay - and a narrative that thunders along with the pace and drama of an elephant on the rampage' ANDREW TAYLOR

Bombay, 1950
When the body of a white man is found frozen in the Himalayan foothills near Dehra Dun, he is christened the Ice Man by the national media. Who is he? How long has he been there? Why was he killed?

As Inspector Persis Wadia and Metropolitan Police criminalist Archie Blackfinch investigate the case in Bombay, they uncover a trail left behind by the enigmatic Ice Man - a trail leading directly into the dark heart of conspiracy.

Meanwhile, two new murders grip the city. Is there a serial killer on the loose, targeting Europeans?

Rich in atmosphere, the thrilling third chapter in the CWA Historical Dagger-winning Malabar House series pits Persis against a mystery from beyond the grave, unfolding against the backdrop of a turbulent post-colonial India, a nation struggling to redefine itself in the shadow of the Raj.

'A stunning, richly imagined and downright thrilling mystery. Vaseem Khan has that rare ability to transport you wholly to a bygone time, and he does so with such skill and charm. I loved it' CHRIS WHITAKER

'A compelling historical thriller ... Codes, crime and conspiracies collide in post-colonial India' D.V. BISHOP

'One of my top reads this year. A peerless portrait of early independent India through the eyes of new crime fiction star, India's first police detective, Persis Wadia' BARBARA NADEL

"The brilliant Persis Wadia is one of the most electrifying figures in crime fiction today. Vaseem Khan keeps getting better and better' WILLIAM SHAW

'Outstanding' IMRAN MAHMOOD

'This is historical crime fiction at its best - a compelling mix of social insight and complex plotting with a thoroughly engaging heroine. A highly promising new series' MAIL ON SUNDAY

'This is historical crime fiction at its sharpest' SUNDAY TIMES

'The Lost Man of Bombay is the latest outstanding entry in the Malabar House series. Persis Wadia is shaping up to be a giant of the scene - a detective as dogged and determined as any out there, with a point to prove and a chip on her shoulder as deep as it is justified. Her latest case is as beautifully written and evocative as you've come to expect from Vaseem Khan, a gripping and engrossing mystery that draws deeply on its setting and time period but nonetheless reads as fresh and original. This is a writer at the top of his game and a series that just keeps getting better' ROD REYNOLDS

Review Quotes

If only all period procedurals were as good as this--The Times

The best historical thriller of the year--Daily Express

His excellent Malabar House series--The Critic

Written with wit and heart, it's wonderfully entertaining--Daily Express, Books of the Year

Vivid, bracing crime writing married to a picture of a country seeking its post Raj identity--Financial Times, Books of the Year 2022

Vaseem Khan's excellent series set in post-partition India--Guardian, Best Crime & Thrillers of 2022

Vaseem Khan doesn't only spin a fast-moving, well-plotted story; he deftly illuminates the religious rivalries that beset post-colonial India. Think Mick Herron in Bombay: inventive characterisation made laugh-aloud funny by Maya Saroya's pacey, often caustic narration--The Times, Audiobook of the Week

A brilliant whodunnit mingling fascinating history, the flavours of India and a Himalayan blizzard of clues--The Sun

British writer Vaseem Khan has shown quite comprehensively that he can write historical crime fiction well--Asian Media Group

Hard, realistic and fascinatingly hard to decipher. Persis is a terrific character--On Magazine

Khan writes with a charming formality and brings his characters and their dilemmas to life in this intelligent and intriguing series--Literary Review

The hugely entertaining result is not unlike an India(na) Jones adventure: history and mystery mixed with brutal slapstick, thwarted romance and sly humour . . . Malabar House is a subcontinental version of Mick Herron's Slough House . . . If only all period procedurals were as good as this--The Times

The latest of Khan's excellent thrillers set in post-war Bombay is a vivid portrait of a society remaking itself in the new era of independence--Mail on Sunday

Vaseem Khan's friction-free ascent to pole position in historical crime is consolidated by The Lost Man of Bombay. Much to relish here--Financial Times

What should you expect from a good historical mystery? Well, a decent mystery, obviously, and interesting characters to guide you through the plot, plus some inside knowledge of a place or period in history you are unfamiliar with. The Lost Man of Bombay by Vaseem Khan ticks all those boxes, and probably more, with ease--SHOTS

About the Author

Vaseem Khan is the author of two crime series set in India: the Baby Ganesh Agency series, and the Malabar House historical crime novels. His first book, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was a Times bestseller and has been translated into 15 languages. Midnight at Malabar House won the CWA Historical Fiction Dagger in 2021.

In 2018, he was awarded the Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Award for Literature. Vaseem was born in Newham, but spent a decade working in India as a management consultant.