The Edge of Darkness 🔥

By Vaseem Khan.

The Edge of Darkness by Vaseem Khan is a richly layered historical crime book that delivers both a compelling mystery and a vivid portrait of post Independence India.

Set in 1951, Persis Wadia, India’s first female police detective, has been effectively exiled from Bombay to the remote and mountainous Naga Hills. Her posting to the crumbling Hotel Victoria feels like a professional dead end, until a prominent politician is found murdered in his locked room, his head missing.

What initially appears to be a politically convenient crime quickly reveals itself to be far more complex.

Persis and her sub inspector James are drawn into an investigation that sits at the intersection of personal motive and national unrest. With India’s first post Independence election approaching, tensions are running dangerously high, and the local militia are all too eager to blame insurgents in order to justify violence.

Persis, however, refuses to accept the easy answer, digging instead into the past where old photographs, buried histories and long held grudges begin to surface.

What makes this book stand out is how seamlessly the mystery is woven into its historical setting. The political uncertainty, colonial hangovers and fragile sense of national identity all feed directly into the plot, adding depth and weight to every suspect and decision.

The Hotel Victoria itself is a wonderfully atmospheric setting, claustrophobic and decaying, mirroring the moral rot Persis must confront.

Persis remains an excellent central character. Intelligent, principled and quietly courageous, she is willing to put herself in real danger in pursuit of the truth. Her refusal to accept official narratives at face value gives the story a strong moral core, while the increasingly tangled suspect list keeps the mystery engaging until the end.

This is a thoughtfully constructed crime book that balances intrigue with historical insight, making it as rewarding for its setting as it is for its plot. A strong entry in the Malabar House series and an excellent place to start for new readers.

Thank you to Alainna and the team at Hodder & Stoughton for running this book-tour! The book is out now and available to purchase!

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