Unabridged Audiobook
The detective story is set in post-WW1 Raj. The main characters, Sam Wyndham and his assistance Banerjee are well-developed characters, and the plot is decent. The writing is quite good, and the story engaging enough that I was happy to keep listening and am keen to continue the series. I know (from an interview I read) that one of the author's motives in writing these books is to present a view of the Raj not taught (according to him) in British schools. I believe him, that the injustices of the colonial rule are glossed over, at best, in English schools, though perhaps given his age, things have changed a bit since he was in school, but I found that this theme became a bit too heavy and preachy. I don’t know about other readers, but I’m certainly aware of the injustices of colonial rule and the white supremacy with which the system was infused. In the interview, he claims that books like A Passage to India and the Raj Quartet romanticize the period from the English point of view, and I loved those books and thought that the injustices in the system are pretty plain to any astute reader. But, I’m willing to take his preachiness if the stories are good.
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