Season of the Monsoon

George Sansi Mystery #1

by Paul Mann

A corpse has been discovered in a lake in Film City, the Hollywood of India, where film stars always guarantee fresh material for scandal. The victim has been so badly mutiliated that it is impossible to identify the body as male or female, let alone give it a name. An outsider in his own land, with a British father and a feminist mother, George Sansi, who may be the only honest policeman in Bombay, is given the case. As he painstakingly follows up every clue, a shocking portrait of evil emerges. And Sansi is pulled into a political imbroglio from which his career may never recover . . . if he lives so long.

Genres: Mystery, India, Fiction, Crime, Asia

339 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 1993

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Paul Mann started out as an office boy at The Evening Chronicle in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and from there worked his way up to being a reporter on newspapers and magazines, moving between the U.K., Canada, the U.S. and Australia, including being a founder writer of Australian Geographic.

He is the author of several books and continues to write.

Reviews

[icaro]

Una sciatteria non comune, anche per questo genere di libri

[Simona Stefani · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Un romanzo indimenticabile", "Una storia così avvincente che la vostra vita si fermerà"... Capisco che le quarte di copertina debbano far vendere i libri, ma non si può spacciare un thriller banalotto per un capolavoro sopraffino, dai.
Ambientato in India negli Anni 90, l'ispettore George Sansi, uno tra i pochi poliziotti non corrotti di Bombay, indaga su alcuni efferati omicidi che hanno come vittime giovani omosessuali che vengono torturati ed uccisi brutalmente.

Il libro è stato abbastanza lento e noioso fino alle ultime 80 pagine, quando la storia diventa avvincente e finalmente ti cattura. Oltre ad essere abbastanza noioso l'autore non manca di inserire alcuni spunti banali con cui pensa di intrigare il lettore: una scena di sesso orale descritta nei dettagli (Sidney Sheldon ha fatto di meglio eh) e qualche dettaglio splatter proprio all'inizio quando un kuli, ossia una persona non autorizzata che si occupa di cadaveri a pagamento, trova una prostituta morta ed in decomposizione e, non sapendo dove metterla per la notte, se la porta nella sua capanna. Volevo dare 2 stelle, ma le ultime 80 pagine hanno alzato leggermente l'asticella.

Letto per #ilgirodelmondoin12letture Giugno - Subcontinente indiano
Letto per la VIII gara di lettura

[Tomi-Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

These three mysteries, set in India, are somewhat greusome, but really engrossing. The main character is a blue-eyed half-English Indian guy named George Sansi, whose mother is a cool intellectual feminist. The murders to be solved are somewhat horrifying, but the books show you this fascinating, seedy, ganster side of Bombay. These books are hard to put down!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, which I read for my mystery book club, on a number of levels. I learned a bit more about Indian culture, about the relationship between India and Britain, and about the hijas (homosexuals and transgendered folks) in India. Mann presented some good moral dilemmas--what is real justice, should some people be worth more than others, where does justice end and politics take over. Considering our current political situation, this book written in the 1990s seemed quite timely. I liked the main character, George Sansi. I'm afraid there is only one other book in the series, and that's a disappointment.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A me è piaciuto, ben scritto e dotato di struttura. Un giallo ben articolato e con tante sfumature, forse un po' vecchiotto (sa un po' di polvere ogni tanto) ma sempre godibile. Un ottimo libro da sotto l'ombrellone se siete lettori di gialli

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Christine C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book I first read 15 years ago and it gripped me. It is a real page Turner and you can almost feel the humidity in the air. Gripping and exciting, I highly recommend this book.

[Andrew Mcdonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started OK then became increasingly ridiculous.

[Deon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like edgy, well written mysteries with intricate plots and interesting characters this is just the ticket! A mutilated corpse floats to the surface of a Bollywood lake. Inspector George Sansi will turn Mumbai upside down looking for the killer, from high society, to gangsters, to the film industry, to slum dwellers, the threads leading to the killer will take him down dark alleys and into the past. His search will pit him against powerful interests. India is a vast country, with a dense population. Some of them end up being throwaway people, not valued by the rest of society. It is easy for them to be preyed upon by the depraved. They disappear and their loss is investigated but what can you do if the trail goes cold or leads to uncomfortable places? Sansi is an interesting protagonist. An intelligent, Oxford educated man who cares deeply. His mother fell for a British officer in the waning days of the British Raj, not a popular move. Choosing to raise a child alone was a pretty gutsy move for the times too. She became an ardent feminist, pushing for reform in a male dominated society. Her passion for justice was passed on to her son. After spending the day supervising the retrieval of the fetid corpse, he arrives home to find his mother has guests. Not in the mood for small talk, he is still intrigued by Annie, an American journalist who has moved to Mumbai to work at an Indian newspaper. Mann writes intricate, articulate mysteries. His characters are well developed and his use of the setting makes you feel like you are walking the streets of Mumbai. The second in his series, The Ganja Coast, is even better!

[Piyush Chourasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little known book written about Mumbai I wouldn't have come across, if not for the recommendation and subsequent lending by a friend. The book is no piece of literature, but it is fast paced with enough drama to keep the reader hooked. While the book is based on the city I live in, the time frame of the story being 20 years back which makes it a bit difficult to relate the Mumbai of those times, the thus achieved historic element of the book makes up it.

[Rachel Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book helped push forward mn beloved interest in india, encouraging my goal of someday visiting there. i love the description, i love that no one knows about this author, and i dont even love most mystery books but really love this one. i found his other 2 novels that were sequels to this book and loved them just as much.

[Daelith]

I got about 68 pages into this book and decided I didn't care to continue. Too much detail into the slums and the corruption of the government, police, street gangs etc. When the little bit I read was focused on the mystery, I was okay with it. I understand we probably need some back ground info, but it was distracting me.

[Diane Clavette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a delicious read. Transported to India, having the characters become known to you quickly, helps one feel enmeshed in the culture of India and the culture of crime and corruption. Unsettles to the core. A great read.

[Pam]

rec 11/10 via pbs

[Suraj Alva · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrative is a little bit too weak when in comparison with the rich details, but overall, a tremendous work of a thriller!

[Maggie Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grisley murders; set in Bombay; great lead character and background descriptions of India