This is the second of the Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee police detective novels set in inter-war India. Specifically, the pair represent the Calcutta Police Force of 1920 and are set to investigate the assassination of an Indian V.I.P. Their investigations take the pair from the big city to the, diamond rich, princely state and city of Sambalpore, with the action centered around the Palace of the Sun. Here the setting of the traditional court is described and the number of suspects, Indian and British, multiply as does the matrix of motives.
The characters are sketched. Wyndham is the first person narrator. In classic detective style he is fond of independent action, has a love interest in Annie Gray, a periodic opium habit and a line in dead pan observations. He is no Sherlock Holmes, but possesses a determined streak. His blind spots, he cannot pronounce Surendranath Banerjee, so calls him “Surrender-not”, are part of a depiction of the interplay between cultures and people, at this time. Wyndham pursues his belief in process and justice. It is a pity Banerjee, given his background, does not play a more active role in the crime fighting partnership, which seems somewhat dormant. Though, this could be insightful writing by the author and anachronistic thinking by me. Other characters include: the Maharaja, first and third Maharani, three princes, the Zenana occupied by wives, concubines and eunochs, the local Prime Minister or Dewan, the British Resident and his wife, a British accountant and a radical local school teacher.
This is, of course, an historical novel. As the story progresses the plot development reveals the interplay of history, culture, race, religion, economics, politics and power in this fictitious corner of India, in parallel to the whodunnit. The British Raj at the time is beginning to feel insecure and the local autonomous Indian states are manoeuvring for position in a changing environment, as ancient and modern forces meld.
Pace and action are two main features of the book, which progresses through quickly succeeding short chapters. Wyndham’s both creative and destructive initiatives keep him on the proverbial scent, but the inevitable chain of events remains just out of his reach and understanding. A metaphor for the British role at this time? While reading I could not help thinking ,will the resolution, if there is one, leave him as hero, loser, or just witness? Throughout the dialogue is brisk and informal. Formal occasions are dealt with by passages of continuing tension and an awareness of social facade. Descriptions are either wide, painting a picture of an essentially gothic Sambalpore, or detailed, usually as a prelude to action. Atmosphere is heightened by the increasing pre-monsoon heat. The pace of the final chapters really does accelerate.
Including the short and interesting historical authors note, the book contains three hundred and seventy-four pages. There should be a Radio 4 podcast available of an interview with the author by “Bookclub”, from January 2022, concerning the first novel of this series “A Rising Man”, which may be of interest (there are currently five books in the series).
“A Necessary Evil” is a tight and streamlined book, written with an analytical knowledge of the society and period. It is also an atmospheric and absorbing story. Don’t look at the epilogue until you have read the rest of the book. Do beware the epigraph, “You can’t make an omelette without breaking heads”.
Mark's Reviews 