Abir Mukherjee’s The Pyres of Calcutta: Two Investigations in One

British novelist Abir Mukherjee has returned to his Sam Wyndham series with the release of Les Bûchers de Calcutta, the sixth installment in the historical mystery collection. The novel marks a return to the character of Sam Wyndham following a period during which Mukherjee focused on writing standalone narratives.

Set in 1926 in Calcutta, the story follows Inspector Sam Wyndham of the Imperial Police, who finds himself sidelined from active duty. This status changes when he is assigned to investigate the murder of J.P. Mullick, a respected Indian businessman whose body was discovered throat-slit near the city’s cremation pyres.

The investigation reunites Wyndham with his former collaborator, Satyendra Banerjee, who returns to India after spending three years in Europe. Their reunion is characterized by tension as they work together to locate Dolly, a young woman and photographer of prostitutes who has mysteriously vanished.

Adding to the city’s volatility is the arrival of Estelle Morgan, an English actress traveling to Hollywood who makes a surprising stop in the region to star in a film. Wyndham’s professional efforts to regain his investigative edge are complicated by his interactions with Morgan.

Beyond the central murder mystery, the narrative explores the personal grief and romantic conflicts of the protagonists. Satyendra Banerjee is mourning a young French woman named Élise, while Sam Wyndham struggles with the memory of his deceased wife and the loss of Annie Grant, who is now associated with a Russian count.

The plot further integrates political intrigue, placing the characters under the shadow of military secret services. The narrative suggests a persistent atmosphere of manipulation surrounding the official investigation.

Structurally, Mukherjee employs a dual-voice construction, alternating perspectives between Sam Wyndham and Satyendra Banerjee. This approach allows the story to shift focus between the viewpoint of a British officer and that of an Indian man navigating a similar trajectory to the character of Doctor Aziz H. Ahmed in E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India.