Minotaur Competition Winner: First Crime Novel

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 a 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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books

"Bravo to Nev March for capturing late 19th century Indian history so beautifully in Murder in Old Bombay. Compelling characters, striking settings and the intricacies of social stratification shine in this talented author’s hands. I eagerly await more historic Bombay adventures narrated by sharp-eyed, open-hearted Jim Agnihotri." (Sujata Massey, Edgar finalist author of The Widows of Malabar Hill)