REVIEW: Murder In Old Bombay by Nev March

As I migrate my blog from Tumblr to Substack, I’m featuring “reprints” of past posts which still have relevance in the moment. Nev’s second novel, Peril at the Exposition, was just released and is a follow up to Murder In Old Bombay. She was also one of our speakers during LockDownCon, an online only fan convention that we hosted during the first two years of the pandemic. I hope to share a review of Peril at the Exposition sometime soon, but in the meantime we hope you’ll go and grab her first book. It was a hellova debut.

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"In 1892, Bombay is the center of British India. Nearby, Captain Jim Agnihotri lies in 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."

--- from the Macmillan publishing website

As most of you know, I blog only sporadically. Usually, I reserve my infrequent time here to talk about me or the projects on which I've worked. Today, however, I want to take a break to recommend a truly outstanding novel: "Murder In Old Bombay," written by Nev March.

These days I read a lot of mystery and suspense fiction, more honestly than I do even of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I know that probably comes as a surprise given what I'm known for. There are a variety of reasons for this focus, but largely I do this for my own improvement as a writer. A well-written mystery novel can teach you how to balance exposition, tension, and red herrings in way that other genres don't typically handle nearly as well. Nev March delivers a masterclass in all of these along with a great deal more.

One of the first truly remarkable things about Murder in Old Bombay is just how good it is for being a first novel, like an out of the ballpark grand slam. I was flabbergasted that this was a book written by someone who just decided to quit their day job and write, and not the latest book from a professional novelist that's been doing this for years and years. The writing is confident, clean, and deftly handled.

Another thing that I appreciated was the very Arthur Conan Doyle-esque balance between the core mystery and action. Even if there wasn't a murder to be solved in the midst of this, this would be a rollicking, rollercoaster of an adventure for anyone. I think fans of the Phryne Fisher mysteries would feel particularly at home with this mix.

The setting of 19th century India was richly illuminated, and I loved learning a few new things about that culture and that world. I felt positively transported, and it was a wonderful way to get away from the typical murder in a sleepy English village trope (which I still love, but it's great to see something different).

Of course, at the heart of this are some characters that I absolutely enjoyed getting to know. I'm a sucker for romantic partners who solve mysteries together, and I love the relationship that we get to watch develop. It evokes the relationship at the core of Lindsey Davis' Falco novels, but it is most definitely its own thing, and I'm looking forward to the adventures that we are assured must be coming after the conclusion of this novel.

This is still a relatively new release - it was published in November of last year - so do yourself a favor and go snap up a 1st edition hardback while you still can. I can tell this will be treasured first entry in a terrific series from a favorite author, and I can't wait to read the next story.