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A Rising Man

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A Rising Man

By: Abir Mukherjee
Narrated by: Simon Bubb
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About this listen

The winner of the Harvill Secker/Daily Telegraph crime writing competition

Captain Sam Wyndham, former Scotland Yard detective, is a new arrival to Calcutta. Desperately seeking a fresh start after his experiences during the Great War, Wyndham has been recruited to head up a new post in the police force. But with barely a moment to acclimatise to his new life or to deal with the ghosts which still haunt him, Wyndham is caught up in a murder investigation that will take him into the dark underbelly of the British Raj.

A senior official has been murdered, and a note left in his mouth warns the British to quit India: or else. With rising political dissent and the stability of the Raj under threat, Wyndham and his two new colleagues – arrogant Inspector Digby and British-educated, but Indian-born Sergeant Banerjee, one of the few Indians to be recruited into the new CID – embark on an investigation that will take them from the luxurious parlours of wealthy British traders to the seedy opium dens of the city.

The start of an atmospheric and enticing new historical crime series.

 20th Century Crime Crime Thrillers Historical Historical Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedurals South Asian Creators Thriller & Suspense Fiction Haunted Exciting Detective

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Critic reviews

A joy to read (Susan Hill)
A journey into the dark underbelly of the British Raj... a cracking debut (Jon Coates)
Splendid...Captain Sam Wyndham is a winning creation
[A] terrific first novel...Mukherjee’s descriptions of Calcutta under the Raj are vivid, while Wyndham’s position as a newcomer with fresh eyes works brilliantly
Enthralling... The investigation sends Wyndham and his Bengali assistant on a whirlwind circuit of the city (Marilyn Stasio)
Evocative, intricate, beautifully written. A must read (Vaseem Khan, author of the Inspector Chopra mysteries)
A lip-smacking and highly entertaining mystery, set in a Calcutta so convincingly evoked that readers will find sweat bursting from their foreheads (Jake Kerridge)
This vivid murder mystery moves at breakneck speeds
An intoxicating debut… The most engaging detective since…James Runcie’s Grantchester series: utterly captivating (Geoffrey Wansell)
A Rising Man is an exceptionally good, and original, historical crime novel...Roll on book two. (C.J. Sansom, author of the Shardlake series)
All stars
Most relevant
This is one of my favourite audiobooks and indeed books ever. Excellent writing & perfect performance reading.

Excellent! Worthy of Rankin

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It is no surprise that this book has won an award; it is so much more than a crime novel, as it is set at the time of the movement for Indian independence from the British Raj and paints a clear picture of life in Calcutta in 1919.

Told from the perspective of Wyndham who is is something of an outsider, it provides observations on colonial attitudes and of the inevitable changes which would bear fruition in 1948..But, above all, it's a brilliant and intriguing story, narrated perfectly by Simon Bubb who seems to capture the essence of the character..Highly recommended

A Rising Star in Mukherjee

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A really good story, unfolding gently, without too much gore, to an excellent end. The narration was superb, and the characters were diverse and tangible. Loved it.

Loved it ...

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This was a great listen. Well written and fast moving....except for the heat of course. I felt as if I was in Calcutta, it was hot this week and so this added to the atmosphere. The Hougly river, Lalbazaar, now I want to visit India, although I probably never will. I really got excited about this story, the twists at the end, the fascinating interplay between the men. I liked it especially as it was written by a man with Indian ancestry, I wonder if this made a difference? I will never know. I am looking forward to following Surendrnot and Captain Wyndham to their next adventure. Jaldi jaldi as the good captain would say.

Listened to this during the hottest week in August

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Dull, paint by numbers, supposed thriller. It plodded along, bumbling into cardboard cut out characters speaking in tired cliches populating thinly painted scenarios.
it'll make an equally dull ITV drama one day.

Thoroughly mediocre,

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