If you’re looking for a moreish detective series to add to your reading menu, then the tantalising books starring disgraced Kolkata detective Kamil Rahman could provide a tasty treat. The insidious threat of rampant technology adds extra spice in this excellent third helping, where Rahman is now a fresh new Detective Constable with the Met Police in London, after stints as a waiter, then cook, at an Indian restaurant in Brick Lane.

Ajay Chowdhury, who was himself a tech entrepreneur (the founder or CEO of some hugely successful start-ups, e.g. Shazam) before becoming a crime writer, spins an engrossing tale in The Detective where Rahman is part of a team investigating the murder of a tech CEO whose company was on the verge of a secret four billion dollar sale. But why would a company that creates algorithms for a dating site be so valuable? As cloak and dagger events hamper the investigation, and Kamil’s friend-or-more Anjoli digs into the discovery of three century-old skeletons, another murder turns up the heat.

The Detective is a rip-roaring crime novel that nicely balances humour and Kamil’s personal misadventures with serious issues, including the tension between privacy and security, and prejudices modern and ancient. A flavourful and filling slice of crime.

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson