Mrs D'Silva's Detective Instincts and the Shaitan of Calcutta by Glen Peters
| Mrs D'Silva's Detective Instincts and the Shaitan of Calcutta by Glen Peters | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Fiona Thompson
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| Summary: A competent murder mystery in the political turmoil of post- independence Calcutta. A great read packed with fascinating cultural insight. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 330 | Date: June 2009 |
| Publisher: Parthian Books | |
| ISBN: 978-1906998011 | |
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During a picnic excursion with his mother Joan and other families from Calcutta's Anglo Indian community, ten year old Errol makes a gruesome discovery – the partly decomposed body of a young woman. The victim turns out to be Agnes, brought up by nuns and lately married to a much older man. As witnesses, Joan and Errol are required to attend the inquest at which a verdict of suicide is implied. After the inquest, Anil, a former pupil at the school where Joan teaches, and Philomena, both friends of the dead girl, confide in Joan that they believe that Agnes was murdered and ask for Joan's help in finding out who was responsible.
So Joan, with the assistance of her charming new colleague, Philip, is drawn into the affair which quickly becomes more complicated when Anil is arrested for the murder of a local factory manager and Joan learns that Anil, Agnes and Philomena have been involved in a growing revolutionary movement which threatens to destabilise the whole country. As Joan gets more involved she finds herself in the path of a dangerous Shaitan – a malevolent force that will stop at nothing.
The story is set during a turbulent time in India's history, thirteen years after independence was granted. One of the groups most affected during this period were Anglo Indians who had long considered themselves superior to other groups of the population and who had been able to get the best jobs and enjoy a better standard of education for their children. With independence, many Anglo Indians found that they had lost this advantage. Students were becoming radicalised and frequent demonstrations took place against foreign owned businesses. In part influenced by events in neighbouring China, revolutionary communist parties began to gain strength and many of their members were persuaded to favour violence as a means to further their cause.
The insight into political situation is just one of the fascinating elements that plant this story firmly in 1960s India. Nicely woven-in references to the music and fashions help to give a sense of time but Glen Peters' real success is in the overall evocation of time and place that only comes with personal experience. The murder mystery element is rather average but it is elevated by the rich descriptions of Calcutta life and the wonderful characters encountered there.
I had prepared myself for a No 1 Ladies Detective Agency style novel and had Joan D'Silva down as the Indian version of Precious Ramotswe but McCall Smith's now almost legendary sleuth pales into insignificance against our Anglo Indian heroine and Peters brings the setting to life in a way that is sadly lacking in the McCall Smith portraits of Botswana. Joan is a wonderfully drawn character; she is widowed but fiercely independent, perhaps more so than women in her situation in the UK might have been at the time, and she is certainly inspiring.
Joan is credited with producing the finest fish molu in Calcutta and, if the mouth-watering descriptions of the food she rustles up are anything to go by, Joan D'Silva is a woman blessed with considerable culinary skill. Reading the blurb, and enjoying the opening chapter I was looking forward to a novel peppered with titbits of culinary delights to savour but I had to wait until well into the story for the next morsels which I found a little disappointing. However, this aspect was only one of a host of fascinating insights into Indian culture at a time when the Anglo-Indian community was feeling under particular threat; I wonder whether the author's memories are heightened because they come from a time of great change?
Another aspect I found really enjoyable and enlightening was the learning of new words and also learning the true definition of some I'd heard but wasn't sure of. Fortunately a useful glossary provides definitions for these unusual words which appear in italics in the text. The dialogue is, I'm sure, very authentic and does take some getting used to but it doesn't take too long to become attuned to.
This is a really competent novel and Peters must be praised for the way in which he blends these diverse elements to make a cohesive story. Here we have a murder mystery, romance, political history and cultural insight; it could have been messy but it sits together beautifully. In Joan D'Silva readers have been presented with a thoroughly engaging character whom I hope we haven't heard the last of. It's often a challenging read – some of the scenes of police brutality are painful in their honesty – but it's a rewarding one guaranteed to enlighten and entertain in equal measure.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
A Durable Fire by Barbara and Stephanie Keating is an enthralling insight into life in post-independence Kenya and like Glen Peter's novel, combines elements of history, mystery and romance.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Mrs D'Silva's Detective Instincts and the Shaitan of Calcutta by Glen Peters at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Mrs D'Silva's Detective Instincts and the Shaitan of Calcutta by Glen Peters at Amazon.com.
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