The Dying Day
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- Create Date：2021-07-28 06:51:13
- Update Date：2025-09-13
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- Author：Vaseem Khan
- ISBN：1529341051
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Summary
A murdered man。 A missing treasure。
Persis must solve the riddle to find the killer - or die trying 。 。 。
Bombay， 1950
India's first female police detective， Persis Wadia， is summoned to the 150-year-old Bombay Royal Asiatic Society at Horniman Circle。 The society's preeminent treasure， a priceless manuscript of Dante's Divine Comedy， has vanished， as has the society's head curator， William Huxley， an Englishman with a passion for Indian history。
Tasked to recover an item for which Benito Mussolini once offered one million pounds， Persis soon uncovers a series of murders， and a trail of tantalising coded clues that lead her into the dark heart of conspiracy。。。
Persis must solve the riddle to find the killer - or die trying 。 。 。
Bombay， 1950
India's first female police detective， Persis Wadia， is summoned to the 150-year-old Bombay Royal Asiatic Society at Horniman Circle。 The society's preeminent treasure， a priceless manuscript of Dante's Divine Comedy， has vanished， as has the society's head curator， William Huxley， an Englishman with a passion for Indian history。
Tasked to recover an item for which Benito Mussolini once offered one million pounds， Persis soon uncovers a series of murders， and a trail of tantalising coded clues that lead her into the dark heart of conspiracy。。。
Reviews
Scott Vine
，
must confess to never reading any of Vaseem Khan's previous books， but the sound of a 1950s female police inspector， some Indian history and a big dollop of Da Vinci Code-esq page turning made me take the plunge with The Dying Day – and I'm glad I did。 Inspector Persis Wadia is a great protagonist。 The post second world war and Indian independence setting provides lots of scope for conflict and intrigue and it means Persis is presented as a believable person with her own battles with her persona must confess to never reading any of Vaseem Khan's previous books， but the sound of a 1950s female police inspector， some Indian history and a big dollop of Da Vinci Code-esq page turning made me take the plunge with The Dying Day – and I'm glad I did。 Inspector Persis Wadia is a great protagonist。 The post second world war and Indian independence setting provides lots of scope for conflict and intrigue and it means Persis is presented as a believable person with her own battles with her personal social standing and prejudices never far from the surface， as she fights the separate prejudices of any of those around her。 Also， any bock that has another book going missing - a six-hundred-year-old copy of Dante's The Divine Comedy in this instance， is always going to pull me in。 This is the second book in the Malabar House series， and on this evidence， I'll be back for the next。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Elite Group
，
What a glorious read！ May Persis Wadia share many more cases with us。 Inspector Persis Wadia， the first woman inspector for the Indian Police is called to the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland when a priceless copy of Dante Alighieri’s La Divina Commedia - The Divine Comedy dating back to the fourteenth century disappears along with John Healy， one of the world’s foremost Dante scholars （employed by the Society as the Curator of Manuscripts）。 Wadia is left w What a glorious read！ May Persis Wadia share many more cases with us。 Inspector Persis Wadia， the first woman inspector for the Indian Police is called to the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland when a priceless copy of Dante Alighieri’s La Divina Commedia - The Divine Comedy dating back to the fourteenth century disappears along with John Healy， one of the world’s foremost Dante scholars （employed by the Society as the Curator of Manuscripts）。 Wadia is left with nothing but riddles to track down， not just the book but also John Healy。 At the same time， the body of a foreign white woman has been found next to a railway line。 Can this be connected to the missing book？ Vaseem Khan is a brilliant author。 I first discovered his writing through the Baby Ganesh Agency series featuring Inspector Chopra。 This is the second book featuring Persis Wadia。 A “no-nonsense” female detective whose father owns a bookshop， filled with books covering every subject from very old to modern。 We get to know this bookshop thanks to Persis having to search through literature to find the clues Healy has left behind。 There’s a gentle side to Persis， which is very seldom on show， especially in front of her fellow officers， simply because they’d walk all over her – women in India in the 1950s were not supposed to have reached positions like police inspectors – not just because men viewed them as inferior beings but also people like her aunt， who advocates that all women should be married – not running around in a uniform carrying a gun。 However， now， and then， Persis will get dressed up in one of the fine garments that her aunt has purchased for her， and this is when we see the truly beautiful feminine side of her。 This novel is so much more than simply the search for a priceless book。 It is filled with riddles and history and just some of the most awesome characters I’ve ever encountered in a storyline。 RonyElite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review。 。。。more
Emma
，
This was a gripping， intelligent mystery， even better than the first accomplished work of the series。 In this book， Persia truly shines as an exceptional detective， refusing to be cowed by the misogyny and male dominant culture around her。 It was also fascinating to read about WWII from an Indian perspective。 And now the long wait until the next one…。many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book。
Roshni
，
Absolutely brilliant！Takes the female detective to fantastic heights， in a beautifully written， fast paced but down to earth storyline。 Highly recommended。
Joseph
，
So fantastic I had to buy it twiceAs many have said this is better than his first entry with Persis Wadia in Midnight at Malabar House。 The story is tight the scenery is beautiful the descriptions of the characters are vivid and clear and his writing begs you to read it in one sitting which I did as usual。 Vaseem Khan is undoubtedly one of the best writers today but he has not yet caught on in the United States。 I believe if he were advertised more here there would be a great following that woul So fantastic I had to buy it twiceAs many have said this is better than his first entry with Persis Wadia in Midnight at Malabar House。 The story is tight the scenery is beautiful the descriptions of the characters are vivid and clear and his writing begs you to read it in one sitting which I did as usual。 Vaseem Khan is undoubtedly one of the best writers today but he has not yet caught on in the United States。 I believe if he were advertised more here there would be a great following that would develop due to his excellent writing As the title of my review states I have purchased this book twice， once an autographed copy from Goldsboro books and it is autographed and a second time today on Kindle。 As a digital librarian I am a strong advocate for the digitized and written word， but when it comes to Vaseem Khan you can never have too many copies of his work。Dying Day is a fantastic tale and one of his best so far。 Vaseem Khan is a wonderful mystery writer and excellent historian （subscribe to his newsletter at Vaseemkhan。com for articles） and his work reminds me of some of the greats in his field。 。。。more
Andrea
，
Persis Wadia is India’s first female police detective。 In 1950s Bombay， that means work life can be difficult。 When a rare and precious Dante manuscript disappears from the Bombay Royal Asiatic Society and a young woman is found murdered， Persis must keep her cool and solve a complex set of riddles on the trail to find the killer and recover the priceless manuscript。 Intriguing clues， interesting characters， an engaging mystery。
L Kate
，
A great read， complicated and fascinating。 A missing ancient manuscript， a missing man， an unrelated death of a woman … these are the mysteries Persis is faced with， all the while also dealing with being the first female police inspector in 1950s India， an aunt who simply must convince her to change her career and marry one of the suitable men she’s presented， and strange literary clues。
Marco Giorgini
，
A really great book。 Khan's new characters （I mean the ones in this new series） are strong， complex， and intriguing （and I say that also loving Inspector Chopra's ones）， and this second novel not only improves their backstory but it offers us a quite compelling mystery - with riddles！ - tied not only to India's history but also to Italy's/Germany's war/post-war events。You simply can't miss this book。 A really great book。 Khan's new characters （I mean the ones in this new series） are strong， complex， and intriguing （and I say that also loving Inspector Chopra's ones）， and this second novel not only improves their backstory but it offers us a quite compelling mystery - with riddles！ - tied not only to India's history but also to Italy's/Germany's war/post-war events。You simply can't miss this book。 。。。more
Annarella
，
It's great to be back to Malabar House and read another Persis Wadia's investigation。It's a multilayered， complex and fascinating story that mixes historical facts and fiction。 An excellent depiction of Indian society after the independence and the struggle of a woman to manage her own life。The plot is gripping， fast paced and full of twists。 It kept me turning pages and guessing till the end。The characters are fleshed out， Persis is a strong woman and I like how she relates to her contemporary It's great to be back to Malabar House and read another Persis Wadia's investigation。It's a multilayered， complex and fascinating story that mixes historical facts and fiction。 An excellent depiction of Indian society after the independence and the struggle of a woman to manage her own life。The plot is gripping， fast paced and full of twists。 It kept me turning pages and guessing till the end。The characters are fleshed out， Persis is a strong woman and I like how she relates to her contemporary society and what a woman is expected to be。The historical background is vivid and well researched。It's a great story that i strongly recommend。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Sheila
，
This is the second in the Malabar House mysteries， set in 1950 Bombay and featuring Detective Inspector Persis Wadia。 Persis has much to prove and much to battle as the first woman police detective in India。 This entry in the series involves a missing， priceless copy of Dante’s Inferno and Nazi war criminals on the run。 It’s a very well done book and series。 It informs and entertains。 I like reading about a period in India， after partition， that I know very little of。 Persis is a strong characte This is the second in the Malabar House mysteries， set in 1950 Bombay and featuring Detective Inspector Persis Wadia。 Persis has much to prove and much to battle as the first woman police detective in India。 This entry in the series involves a missing， priceless copy of Dante’s Inferno and Nazi war criminals on the run。 It’s a very well done book and series。 It informs and entertains。 I like reading about a period in India， after partition， that I know very little of。 Persis is a strong character， but very conflicted， with a lot of past issues guiding her actions。 I look forward to reading more about Persis， and hopefully watching her resolve her mental and emotional conflicts as she successfully solves her cases。 。。。more
Ed
，
GoodThought the 1st in the series was brilliant， this was even better 。 A great twist half way through， which I will not spoil ， just read it and enjoy 。 Great crime novel
Matilda
，
A bit anachronistic at times but mostly as entertaining as the previous title in the series。
Paula Globerman
，
I enjoyed both books in this series。
Maryvonne Fent
，
I am no fan of riddles， or Dante， or Nazi stories， but was drawn to this novel that provided a realistic overview of the impact of European politics and WW2 upon India。 I find Vaseem Khan's novels educative in a way no history book is。 I am no fan of riddles， or Dante， or Nazi stories， but was drawn to this novel that provided a realistic overview of the impact of European politics and WW2 upon India。 I find Vaseem Khan's novels educative in a way no history book is。 。。。more
Martie
，
ExtraordinaryVaseem Khan has hit the ball out of the park with his new book， The Dying Day。 More of India’s history is disclosed to us as Persis Wadis， Bambay’s first female detective， hunts for a stolen National treasure while also trying to solve two murders。
Linda Lassman
，
This is the second book in the Persis Wadia series， which takes place in 1950s Bombay。 With both this book and the first book in the series， it took me a while to get into the story， mostly， I think， because of the time period and my unfamiliarity with India after the partition。 This series also lacks an underlying kindness and gentleness that is the hidden foundation of the Baby Ganesha series。All that being said， this is an enthralling book。 The characters， especially Persis， are beautifully r This is the second book in the Persis Wadia series， which takes place in 1950s Bombay。 With both this book and the first book in the series， it took me a while to get into the story， mostly， I think， because of the time period and my unfamiliarity with India after the partition。 This series also lacks an underlying kindness and gentleness that is the hidden foundation of the Baby Ganesha series。All that being said， this is an enthralling book。 The characters， especially Persis， are beautifully realized and if they seem stiff， are true to the characters themselves， who are fully integrated in a society that is much more formal and restrained than the today's。 The mysteries are complex and interesting， and the steps Wadia takes and the logic she uses to solve them are carefully laid out; while a reader who doesn't have the same knowledge base as Wadia may not find the solution to be obvious， the facts are nonetheless there--unlike a lot of mysteries， leaps of understanding that defy logic do not apply here， and that's one of the things I like best about Khan's books。Persis Wadia is one of my favourite detectives。 She is true to herself and stands up for herself in a society that strongly resists the role she has won for herself。 She is strong， smart， and stubborn。 She certainly isn't an easy person and might be someone who， in real life， wouldn't even be particularly likeable。 But she's perfect for the job she has in the time in which she lives。 I look forward to reading what I hope will be many more books in the series。 。。。more
Nancy
，
I hope there will be more books in this series。。。
Kelly Hodgkins
，
“The Dying Day” is my introduction to Vaseem Khan and I am so grateful to make his acquaintance！ What a fabulous mystery！ It has everything one wants in a good whodunit and more！The setting is India in 1950 and our leading lady， Persis， is the first female inspector。 She is set a “peripheral” case which grows and become entangled with so much more。 The complexity of post-colonial Bombay and its rich history is deftly handled。Each character is multifaceted and beautifully written。 The story is im “The Dying Day” is my introduction to Vaseem Khan and I am so grateful to make his acquaintance！ What a fabulous mystery！ It has everything one wants in a good whodunit and more！The setting is India in 1950 and our leading lady， Persis， is the first female inspector。 She is set a “peripheral” case which grows and become entangled with so much more。 The complexity of post-colonial Bombay and its rich history is deftly handled。Each character is multifaceted and beautifully written。 The story is immersive and fast-paced， once begun it’s very tricky to put down！ I loved it all！If you enjoy a good historical novel， don’t miss this one！ I’ll be enjoying many more from Vaseem I’m sure！ And my first stop will be the first of this series， not necessary to appreciate this one but I’m sure I’m going to be captivated by it！ It’s a five out of five on the enJOYment scale。I received a complimentary copy of the book from Hodder & Stoughton through NetGalley。 The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Dawn Michelle
，
** I have been trying to write this for over 20 minutes - having a headache makes it nearly impossible to write coherent thoughts。 But I am already a day behind in reviewing this and so it needs to be done。 I apologize in advance for how jumbled this may seem。 When the first book in this series came out， I was happy for a new book from Mr。 Khan， but upset that he was not currently writing a new "Inspector Chopra" book。 And then I read it and all was forgiven。 With this second installment in the ** I have been trying to write this for over 20 minutes - having a headache makes it nearly impossible to write coherent thoughts。 But I am already a day behind in reviewing this and so it needs to be done。 I apologize in advance for how jumbled this may seem。 When the first book in this series came out， I was happy for a new book from Mr。 Khan， but upset that he was not currently writing a new "Inspector Chopra" book。 And then I read it and all was forgiven。 With this second installment in the "Malabar House" series， my admiration for Mr。 Khan and his writing just continues to grow， as well as my love for Persis Wadia and all things India。 It is rare for me to develop book crushes - I have never been one to swoon over Mr。 Darcy [though the actors that play him are a completely different story！ ;-） ] or anyone like that， so if I develop a real affection for a character， it means that they have to be extremely well-written。 This is where I am with Persis Wadia。 She is absolutely amazing。 Even when she is frustrating [going alone to the astronomy tower at night Persis？ R E A L L Y？？？ Sigh]， she is amazing。 Her non-existent people skills is something I strive for [someday I will be able to say exactly what I feel and not worry what people will think of me and then walk away from it as well]， and I love how she fights for herself in every way she knows how， even when she is fighting Aunt Nussy [who is formidable in her own right and who Persis is more like than she's like to admit， just in a way different way] and her campaign of making a "girl" out of Persis。 She is also a top-notch Inspector/investigator， with the kind of analytical mind that every mystery loving person both loves and wishes they had。 She is close to being the perfect character， which is really rare。 Well done Mr。 Khan。 The only negative for me with this book [aside from my continuing learning about India and Partition and wishing I knew more] was that is was centered around Dante's Inferno and I have not yet read that and I spent quite a bit of time going "what？ WHAT does that even mean" [though I admit it has made me even more intrigued about it and I know that I will have to read it in the next year or so] all while being intrigued by the poetry of Inferno and how it was used to lead Persis and her team on an extremely extravagant treasure hunt， which led to a very clever reveal and ending。 And while I guessed several things much earlier than Persis did， I didn't know the why or where and even the knowing didn't take away from the amazingness of this book and the end was very well done - and hopefully leaves it open for more books。 Because I will not be a happy camper if Persis is regulated to just two books; she deserves so many more。 Thank you to NetGalley， Vaseem Khan， and Hodder and Stoughton [UK] for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jackie
，
The Dying Day by Vaseem Khan is the second book featuring Persis Wadia and although I haven’t read the first book， thankfully it didn’t really matter。 In short， Persis， the only female police inspector based in Bombay in the 1950’s， finds herself deep in a double investigation， Dante’s 600 year old missing manuscript and a dead woman…could there be a connection？ It’s a clever mystery filled with curious riddles， codes and ciphers and flooded with historical facts， which make this such an interes The Dying Day by Vaseem Khan is the second book featuring Persis Wadia and although I haven’t read the first book， thankfully it didn’t really matter。 In short， Persis， the only female police inspector based in Bombay in the 1950’s， finds herself deep in a double investigation， Dante’s 600 year old missing manuscript and a dead woman…could there be a connection？ It’s a clever mystery filled with curious riddles， codes and ciphers and flooded with historical facts， which make this such an interesting read。Vaseem is a great storyteller， alongside the drama， in Persis he has captured a strong， modern Indian woman living in challenging times during India’s post partition…the sense of place just leaps off the page。 It’s an absolute belter of a thriller and I’m hoping there will be more from Persis and her team soon。 Big thanks to Vaseem Khan， Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review。 。。。more
Simoné Eloff
，
ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for my honest reviewHappy Pub Day！As with the first book in the Malabar House series， I enjoyed this immensely， and I'm happy to report that the second installment is even better than the first！There's a wonderful experience to be had from a book that at once entertains and educates you， and Khan is an absolute master at this difficult balancing act。 Refreshingly， Khan's writing isn't didactic or pompous: instead， the wealth of knowledge on his subject matt ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for my honest reviewHappy Pub Day！As with the first book in the Malabar House series， I enjoyed this immensely， and I'm happy to report that the second installment is even better than the first！There's a wonderful experience to be had from a book that at once entertains and educates you， and Khan is an absolute master at this difficult balancing act。 Refreshingly， Khan's writing isn't didactic or pompous: instead， the wealth of knowledge on his subject matter and the seemingly endless supply of slightly obscure English words seem a gift he's eager to share with his reader， rather than tools he wields in an attempt to impress。Even accounting for my numerous pit stops along the way - whether it was looking up a newly discovered word or scouring a Wikipedia page detailing a particularly interesting means of scarification - I sped through the book in a fog of pure enjoyment and the thrill of the chase。 Riddles and intrigues and interwoven mysteries propel the book's solid characterisation and setting， and some surprising bends in the road to the conclusion keep you hooked to the last。May there be many more of Persis Wadia exploits to come！ 。。。more
Thebooktrail
，
image: Discover the literary locations of The Dying DayHead to Mumbai for some criminal investigationsA real literary treasure hunt！This is a novel which quite cleverly mixes fact and fiction to a very good effect。 A manuscript of Dante’s famous book has gone missing。 This is important as there has been tension between Italy and India regarding this for years so its loss is not just financial but political and of course， all about honour。 We are in an India that has recently experienced partiti image: Discover the literary locations of The Dying DayHead to Mumbai for some criminal investigationsA real literary treasure hunt！This is a novel which quite cleverly mixes fact and fiction to a very good effect。 A manuscript of Dante’s famous book has gone missing。 This is important as there has been tension between Italy and India regarding this for years so its loss is not just financial but political and of course， all about honour。 We are in an India that has recently experienced partition so Bombay is a divided city in more ways than one。Female police officer Persis is stuck in between two worlds and not just in a political sense。 She is the only female police officer in India and so she has more to prove than most。 Not least to her aunt who， in keeping with the literary links， seems to have read Pride and Prejudice a few too many times。 It is not a universally acknowledged truth that all women are in need of a good wife。The city and the politics of the time and place make this novel what it is。 There’s so much careful research and casual observations drip-fed throughout and this makes the novel shine。 Bombay’s post partition growth spurt for example means that the infrastructure of the city is lacking。 On top of that， there is instability in the country。 With Nehru’s political reforms and the British withdrawal， the city is a hotbed of instability。Back to the literary leaning of this novel for that is what really griped me。 Ancient texts in Greek， a missing Dante manuscript and a novel in a hidden bookcase with another clue…。。My oh my Vaseem。 I was totally engrossed in this novel from start to finish！A deliciously good literary treasure hunt and mystery。 。。。more
Lou
，
The Dying Day is the second instalment in the terrific Malabar House series， and this time it centres around a murdered man and bespoke treasure， and Persis must solve the riddle to find the killer - or die trying。 Bombay， 1950 and India's first female police detective， Persis Wadia， is summoned to the 150-year-old Bombay Royal Asiatic Society at Horniman Circle。 The society's preeminent treasure， a priceless manuscript of Dante's Divine Comedy， has vanished， as has the society's head curator， W The Dying Day is the second instalment in the terrific Malabar House series， and this time it centres around a murdered man and bespoke treasure， and Persis must solve the riddle to find the killer - or die trying。 Bombay， 1950 and India's first female police detective， Persis Wadia， is summoned to the 150-year-old Bombay Royal Asiatic Society at Horniman Circle。 The society's preeminent treasure， a priceless manuscript of Dante's Divine Comedy， has vanished， as has the society's head curator， William Huxley， an Englishman with a passion for Indian history。 Tasked to recover an item for which Benito Mussolini once offered one million pounds， Persis soon uncovers a series of murders and a trail of tantalising coded clues that lead her into the dark heart of a conspiracy。This is a scintillating， superb and compulsive mix of luscious historical fiction and absorbing mystery。 Khan has a vast historical knowledge of India which comes to the fore throughout and it's clear the country is still feeling the effects of World War II。 His extensive knowledge brings both the time and place vividly to life by touching on culture， religion and the food as well as traditions and customs consistent with the time period。 You can almost smell the spices。 Some of the views of the time are shown through our protagonist’s struggles in a male-dominated workplace which fostered a culture of misogyny， condescension and entitlement， and Persis must work twice as hard as the men to prove her worth。 This is a compelling， engrossing and richly atmospheric historical mystery。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Cathy Cole
，
After enjoying the first book in this series， Midnight at Malabar House， I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Dying Day。 All but one part of the mystery kept me guessing， and I really can't go into what part it is or my reasoning behind how I knew because it would be giving too much away。 One thing is certain: this book has a little something for all mystery lovers。 Clues， codes， and ciphers for traditional mystery lovers as well as a harder edge and post-war darkness。 All good stuff。Khan asse After enjoying the first book in this series， Midnight at Malabar House， I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Dying Day。 All but one part of the mystery kept me guessing， and I really can't go into what part it is or my reasoning behind how I knew because it would be giving too much away。 One thing is certain: this book has a little something for all mystery lovers。 Clues， codes， and ciphers for traditional mystery lovers as well as a harder edge and post-war darkness。 All good stuff。Khan assembles an interesting cast of characters which include the missing man， John Healy， various people who want the Divine Comedy manuscript for their own reasons， the president of the Asiatic Society， Neve Forrester， Archie Blackfinch， an English forensic scientist who is attracted to Persis， and Zubin Dalal， the charming man from her past。 But The Dying Day is very much Persis Wadia's show。 As Bombay's first female inspector， she is always having to prove herself， and it comes as a complete shock to her that organizations for women's rights think she is a role model。 Give a speech？ Are they nuts？ We get to see her persistence as well as her ability to decipher codes。 Her dedication as well as her temper。 And we get to glimpse inside that walled-off heart of hers。The Dying Day is a wonderful look at 1950s Bombay （Mumbai） and Persis Wadia is more than capable of holding my attention through （hopefully） many more books in this series。（Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley） 。。。more
Miki Jacobs
，
I'm coming into this series a little late and still need to read the first book。。。。。however， I didn't feel that I missed out on vital information reading this and thoroughly enjoyed this tale。 I couldn't put it down。The story centres around the disappearance of an English scholar who is working on a new translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy。 Not only has he disappeared， but the manuscript has disappeared with him and a copy of the Bible left in it's place。 Persis Wadia is tasked with finding I'm coming into this series a little late and still need to read the first book。。。。。however， I didn't feel that I missed out on vital information reading this and thoroughly enjoyed this tale。 I couldn't put it down。The story centres around the disappearance of an English scholar who is working on a new translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy。 Not only has he disappeared， but the manuscript has disappeared with him and a copy of the Bible left in it's place。 Persis Wadia is tasked with finding both the scholar and the manuscript as soon as possible as it is a politically sensitive item。Meanwhile， the body of a white woman is found down on the railway tracks and she is asked to supervise the investigation into that being led by Fernandes， someone who has betrayed her in the past。As the story progresses， Persis has to solve puzzles to proceed with her case and the re-emergence of a face from her past throws her off kilter。I loved this story and find the historical slant extremely interesting。 I will read the previous book as soon as I can。 。。。more
Annie
，
Persis Wadia is the first female police inspector in India and in this case she is tasked with hunting down a stolen manuscript。 Of course things are not so straightforward as they seem and Persis and Malabar House are plunged into a riddle-filled case where far too many people end up dead。 I love a good historical mystery！ 4。5/5I enjoyed the historical background given in the book， though it was occasionally more information than was strictly necessary for understanding the plot and occasionall Persis Wadia is the first female police inspector in India and in this case she is tasked with hunting down a stolen manuscript。 Of course things are not so straightforward as they seem and Persis and Malabar House are plunged into a riddle-filled case where far too many people end up dead。 I love a good historical mystery！ 4。5/5I enjoyed the historical background given in the book， though it was occasionally more information than was strictly necessary for understanding the plot and occasionally took away from the storyline。 However， the story was a good one and it kept me guessing as to how it would all connect until the end， which is my favorite kind of mystery。 Not too easy that you know what is going on too early in the book， but with enough information given to the reader that we can more or less cobble things together in a way that makes us feel like we are solving the case alongside Persis。 The way things linked up made sense without the author needing to do too much exposition （though the villain’s monologue was necessary for the final pieces to come together） that revealed hidden facts only the author knew。 It was gritty without being overly grim and provided readers with a tour of Bombay and post-independence India that I haven’t often seen。I liked Persis quite a bit - actually I liked all of the characters - and really look forward to getting to know them all better。 This is the second book in the series so now I need to hunt down number one！ Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for letting me read The Dying Day early in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Mystica
，
Another book by this brilliant author which takes us into the world of post British India。 Persis Wadia is the only woman Police Inspector in Indiaand boy has she got to face discrimination， snide remarks， looks and worse。 Persis a Parsee （a small forward thinking minority community） has the support of her father but her Aunt who has looked after her since the death of her mother finds it tough to accept Persis's role in the masculine world she occupies。On the one hand Persis herself knows that Another book by this brilliant author which takes us into the world of post British India。 Persis Wadia is the only woman Police Inspector in Indiaand boy has she got to face discrimination， snide remarks， looks and worse。 Persis a Parsee （a small forward thinking minority community） has the support of her father but her Aunt who has looked after her since the death of her mother finds it tough to accept Persis's role in the masculine world she occupies。On the one hand Persis herself knows that she is going to find it singularly difficult to find a partner。 But at the same time， her career is importantto her and she is not going to allow anything to get in her way。The case of a missing book worth millions starts the case going， with the main protagonist going missing。 He is an erudite scholar and it is only throughthe sheer brilliant workings of Persis's mind that she unravels the cryptic clues he leaves behind。 A mix of detection and knowledge of the classics slowly unwinds the puzzle， and with the murder of a white woman （uncommon in post British India） the pressure is on to solve the case。When Italian diplomats also get involved in the case， it is obvious that big money is also somehow involved and it is a running battle for Persis with thereluctant help of her colleagues to prevent more murders and find out who is behind the robbery。A fascinating look at colonial India （post Colonial actually） with all the workings and administration as it were before。 I loved this story （my second read of Persis's exploits）。 With all the inhibitions and difficulties of 1950s India。 。。。more
Verity Halliday
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A thoroughly enjoyable second outing for Inspector Persis Wadia， the first Indian woman police detective in 1950s post-partition Bombay。 There’s a priceless missing manuscript， a treasure hunt of clues， mysterious dead bodies and dastardly Nazis - an absolute page-turner！ We get to know Persis better in this book and she’s a great character。 I’d really love her to be happy in love， but settling down and becoming a housewife really wouldn’t suit her personality。Five stars and I’m already looking A thoroughly enjoyable second outing for Inspector Persis Wadia， the first Indian woman police detective in 1950s post-partition Bombay。 There’s a priceless missing manuscript， a treasure hunt of clues， mysterious dead bodies and dastardly Nazis - an absolute page-turner！ We get to know Persis better in this book and she’s a great character。 I’d really love her to be happy in love， but settling down and becoming a housewife really wouldn’t suit her personality。Five stars and I’m already looking forward to Book Three。Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback。 。。。more
Emma
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Set in1950 Bombay after the ‘Quit India Movement’ a priceless six-hundred-year-old copy of Dante’s ‘The Divine Comedy’ goes missing from Bombay’s Asiatic Society。 It had been left in the care of British scholar and War hero， John Healy but to make matters worse， he is missing too。 Bombays first female Police Detective， Persis Wadia， is assigned the case。 However， with dead bodies appearing， a series of riddles to decipher and to top it off having her own life in danger， it is not an easy case to Set in1950 Bombay after the ‘Quit India Movement’ a priceless six-hundred-year-old copy of Dante’s ‘The Divine Comedy’ goes missing from Bombay’s Asiatic Society。 It had been left in the care of British scholar and War hero， John Healy but to make matters worse， he is missing too。 Bombays first female Police Detective， Persis Wadia， is assigned the case。 However， with dead bodies appearing， a series of riddles to decipher and to top it off having her own life in danger， it is not an easy case to solve， and it becomes apparent that she is not the only one looking for this priceless artefact。 I loved the premise of this story and although I have not read any other in this series， I was really looking forward to reading this book。 Within the first couple of chapters I was intrigued， who wouldn’t be when an artefact goes missing and an unknown dead body appears？ However， as much as I love reading historical fiction， the historical aspects of this story felt a bit stoic。 I prefer history being woven into a story， whereas with this novel， as it is formally written， think Agatha Christie， they came across as rigid and didactic for me。 Overall， it is a great story and filled with fun riddles to decipher， it just wasn’t quite right for me。 However， if you are an Agatha Christie fan， then I would say give this a go！ 。。。more
Gulnaz
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Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc。 I highly enjoyed the first Persia Wadia novel， so was super excited to delve into this。 This touches upon feminism in a newly Partition India， effects of colonialism， and life in Bombay。This opens with a robbery。 One of the oldest editions of Dante’s Inferno， in Bombay， has been stolen。 This leads Persia on a series of clues scattered over Bombay as she tries to track the supposed thief， an academic who’s gone missing。 Along the way we ha Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc。 I highly enjoyed the first Persia Wadia novel， so was super excited to delve into this。 This touches upon feminism in a newly Partition India， effects of colonialism， and life in Bombay。This opens with a robbery。 One of the oldest editions of Dante’s Inferno， in Bombay， has been stolen。 This leads Persia on a series of clues scattered over Bombay as she tries to track the supposed thief， an academic who’s gone missing。 Along the way we have another murder case， that may or may not be linked。I highly enjoyed this。 I loved Persia’s relationship with Blackfinch， and the commentary on a newly formed India。 I did find at times all the descriptions， especially about the buildings， started to wear me down and the revelation of the villain and the resolution wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped it’d be。 Nonetheless this was a compulsive read and our protagonist is so engaging， I’m completed invested in her and want to know what’s going to happen to her in the series， so I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the next instalment。 4/5。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dying Day
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dying Day&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dying Day&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0