Plano Reads: Murder in Old Bombay
5 mins read

Plano Reads: Murder in Old Bombay

Read our review of Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March, a Mystery Book Club pick for March.

You can join us to discuss Murder in Old Bombay on Thursday, March 17 at 7 p.m. at Haggard Library in the Genealogy Program Room or you can attend through Zoom. If you would like to attend the meeting virtually, please register here. We will have technology set up so that virtual and in-person attendees will all be able to see and hear each other!

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March

Currently available through the catalog as well as Libby

Description from Publisher:

In 19th century Bombay, Captain Jim Agnihotri channels his idol, Sherlock Holmes, in Nev March’s Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut.

In 1892, Bombay is the center of British India. Nearby, Captain Jim Agnihotri lies in Poona military hospital recovering from a skirmish on the wild northern frontier, with little to do but re-read the tales of his idol, Sherlock Holmes, and browse the daily papers. The case that catches Captain Jim’s attention is being called the crime of the century: two women fell from the busy university’s clock tower in broad daylight. Moved by Adi, the widower of one of the victims — his certainty that his wife and sister did not commit suicide — Captain Jim approaches the Parsee family and is hired to investigate what happened that terrible afternoon.



But in a land of divided loyalties, asking questions is dangerous. Captain Jim’s investigation disturbs the shadows that seem to follow the Framji family and triggers an ominous chain of events. And when lively Lady Diana Framji joins the hunt for her sisters’ attackers, Captain Jim’s heart isn’t safe, either.

Based on a true story, and set against the vibrant backdrop of colonial India, Nev March’s Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning lyrical debut, Murder in Old Bombay, brings this tumultuous historical age to life.

book review

From Publisher’s Weekly:

Set in 1892 Bombay, March’s assured debut stars Jim Agnihotri, an Anglo-Indian army captain recuperating from an injury suffered on the frontier in Karachi. With little to distract him, he focuses on the sensational deaths of 19-year-old Bacha and 16-year-old Pilloo, members of a prominent Parsee family, who fell from a university clock tower. Rumors swirl that the pair committed suicide, but Agnihotri sees too many contradictions in reports about the deaths to believe it. When he reads an anguished letter-to-the-editor in The Chronicle of India from Bacha’s husband, he becomes determined to find out why Bacha and Pilloo died. A friend also gives Agnihotri a copy of Conan Doyle’s second Sherlock Holmes novel, The Sign of the Four, from which he often draws inspiration.

March fills the story with finely developed characters, particularly Agnihotri, who proves a zealous investigator. She also presents an authentic view of India under British rule while exploring the challenges faced by a character of mixed race. The heartfelt ending leaves plenty of room for a sequel. Readers won’t be surprised this won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award.

From the author’s website:

Author Nev March is the recent winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Award for Best First Crime Fiction.

After a long career in business analysis, in 2015 Nev returned to her passion, writing fiction and now teaches creative writing at Rutgers-Osher Institute. A Parsee Zoroastrian herself, she lives in New Jersey with her husband and sons. Murder in Old Bombay is her debut novel.

Her books deal with issues of identity, race and moral boundaries. Her sequel, Peril at the Exposition, will be launched by Macmillan Publishers in July 2022.

Read-alike titles available on Libby and through the library catalog:


You can join us to discuss Murder in Old Bombay on Thursday, March 17 at 7 p.m. at Haggard Library in the Genealogy Program Room or you can attend through Zoom. If you would like to attend the meeting virtually, please register here. We will have technology set up so that virtual and in-person attendees will all be able to see and hear each other!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *