The Shadows of Men: A Novel

by Abir Mukherjee

Overview

Award-winning crime novelist Abir Mukherjee is back with another brilliant mystery featuring police detective Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surrender-Not Banerjee, set in 1920s Calcutta.

Calcutta, 1923

When a Hindu theologian is found murdered in his home, the city is on the brink of all-out religious war. Can the officers of the Imperial Police Force—Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant “Surrender-Not” Banerjee—track down those responsible in time to stop a bloodbath?

Set at a time of heightened political tension, beginning in atmospheric Calcutta and taking the detectives all the way to bustling Bombay, the latest instalment in this remarkable series presents Wyndham and Banerjee with an unprecedented challenge. Will this be the case that finally drives them apart?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643137445
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	11/11/2021
Series:	Wyndham & Banerjee Mysteries
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Abir Mukherjee is the author of the award-winning Wyndham & Banerjee series of crime novels set in Raj-era India. He has won the CWA Historical Dagger and the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing, and has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger, the HWA Gold Crown, and the Edgar Allan Poe Award. His novels include A Rising Man, A Necessary Evil, Smoke and Ashes, and Death in the East. Abir grew up in Scotland and now lives in Surrey, England.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/27/2021

Increasing tensions in 1923 colonial India provide the backdrop for Edgar finalist Mukherjee’s superb fifth mystery featuring Capt. Sam Wyndham and Det. Sgt. Surendranath Bannerjee of the Calcutta CID (after 2019’s Death in the East). Lord Taggart, the Calcutta commissioner of police, gives Bannerjee an assignment he’s required to keep secret, even from his friend Wyndham: keeping track of the movements and activities of Muslim politician Farid Gulmohamed. Taggart fears Gulmohamed may stoke unrest in Calcutta before the upcoming municipal elections, called by the British following Mahatma Gandhi’s incarceration. The surveillance mission goes awry, leaving Bannerjee suspected of murdering Prashant Mukherjee, a Hindu religious leader, after he was found near the corpse and took steps to conceal the homicide. Under these adverse conditions, the investigators must solve the crime while averting a cataclysm of ethnic violence should a Muslim be accused of committing it. The pacing and twists are among the author’s best work. This is a sterling example of a riveting whodunit plot coupled with a vivid portrayal of a seminal historical moment. Agent: Sam Copeland, Rogers, Coleridge & White (U.K.). (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

This fast-paced story provides both a lot of suspense and a bit of sociology to season it. The Shadows of Men is a fine addition to this addictive series, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment.

Historical Novels Review

From the first suspect to the eventual criminal reveal, few do it better than Abir Mukherjee and his Wyndham and Banerjee series.

Esquire UK

Mukherjee, as he has in previous series installments, paces this story with sure-footed ease.

The New York Times Book Review - Sarah Weinman

"Keeps readers dead center in the melee, while at the same time poised on the edges of their seats."

BookPage

"A thought-provoking rollercoaster."

Ian Rankin

"A phenomenal historical mystery. Thrilling and evocative, darkly funny and surprisingly touching. Mukherjee’s prose is so sharp that the setting feels immediate and vital.

Criminal Element

"Abir Mukherjee skillfully delivers an evocative look at the politics and culture of India in 1923 in this superb thriller."

Shelf Awareness - Oline Cogdill

"A brilliantly conceived murder mystery set amidst political and social turmoil. Beautifully crafted."

C. J. Sansom

Praise for the Wyndham & Banerjee Mystery series:

From the Publisher

"Enthralling."

The New York Times Book Review Marilyn Stasio

Mukherjee’s ongoing series is one of the most exciting things happening in the crime fiction world... Mukherjee provides another exhilarating and erudite story.

CrimeReads

Mukherjee, as he has in previous series installments, paces this story with sure-footed ease.

The New York Times Book Review Sarah Weinman