Editions

A Necessary Evil

A Necessary Evil

WINNER 2018 WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 HISTORICAL AND GOLD DAGGERS
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2018 CWA STEEL DAGGER
FEATURED ON ITV'S ZOE BALL BOOK CLUB 2018

India, 1920. Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee of Calcutta Police must investigate the dramatic assassination of a Maharaja's son...

Sam Wyndham is visiting the kingdom of Sambalpore, home to diamond mines and the beautiful Palace of the Sun.

But when the Maharaja’s eldest son is assassinated, Wyndham realises that the realm is riven with conflict. Prince Adhir was unpopular with religious groups, while his brother – now in line to the throne – appears to be a feckless playboy.

As Wyndham and Sergeant ‘Surrender-not’ Banerjee endeavour to unravel the mystery, they become entangled in a dangerous world. They must find the murderer, before the murderer finds them.

Praise for the Sam Wyndham series:

‘An exceptional historical crime novel’ C.J. Sansom

‘A thought-provoking rollercoaster’ Ian Rankin

‘Confirms Abir Mukherjee as a rising star of historical crime fiction’
The Times

‘Cracking… A journey into the dark underbelly of the British Raj’ Daily Express

If you enjoyed A Necessary Evil, the third Sam Wyndham mystery, Smoke and Ashes, is available now.

Reviews

  • "Even better than his first… What is most striking about Mukherjee’s novels is his infectious enjoyment of the human oddity of the British in India… Even better is his portrayal of the mix of opulence and spirituality that characterises Sambalpore under its sybaritic but benevolent maharaja… I can’t imagine anyone failing to enjoy it"

    Daily Telegraph

  • "A year ago I welcomed the arrival of Captain Sam Wyndham and his faithful Sergeant… and I am delight to report that his return is every bit as engaging"

    Daily Mail

  • "A richly detailed period gem boasting the British Raj’s exotic setting and a gripping "whydunit" spun around an intriguing cast"

    Booklist

  • "An intriguing and enjoyable crime novel"

    Stylist

  • "He writes beautifully, bringing the colourful kingdom of Sambalpore to vivid life and taking the reader on a highly entertaining journey to unearth the dark secrets as its core, with unexpected twists on the way to a satisfying finale"

    Daily Express

More in this Series

About the Author

Abir Mukherjee

Abir Mukherjee is the bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series of crime novels set in Raj-era India. His debut, A Rising Man, won the CWA Endeavour Dagger for best historical crime novel of 2017, was shortlisted for the MWA Edgar for best novel, was a Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month, and Waterstones Thriller of the Month. His second novel, A Necessary Evil, won the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing, was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of 2018, and was featured on ITV as a Zoe Ball Book Club pick. His third novel, Smoke and Ashes, is out now. Abir grew up in Scotland and lives in London with his wife and two sons.

Abir Mukherjee

Related articles

/content/dam/prh/articles/adults/2019/june/Article card.jpg

Features

The book that changed my summer

From otter-spotting in Scotland to monsoons in Kolkata, here Ali Smith, William Boyd and nine other Penguin authors share their favourite holiday reading memories.
/content/dam/prh/company-pages/blog-images/Blog-The-author-10-things.png

Getting Published

The author: 10 things I learnt about the publishing process
/content/dam/prh/articles/archive/Abir-mukherje-article-960x450.jpg

Features

Abir Mukherjee on the history of Calcutta

Abir Mukherjee – winner of the Telegraph Harvill Secker crime writing competition and author of A Rising Man – delves into the history of Calcutta (now known as Kolkata), exploring why the city made the perfect setting for his debut novel

Our Use of Cookies

We use cookies on this site to enable certain parts of the site to function and to collect information about your use of the site so that we can improve our visitors’ experience.

For more on our cookies and changing your settings click here

Strictly Necessary

Strictly Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions. See More.

Analytics

Analytics cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. These cookies may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. See More.

Preferences & Features

Preference and Feature cookies allow our website to remember choices you make, such as your language preferences and any customisations you make to pages on our website during your visit. See More.

Targeting / Advertising

Targeting cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you and your interests. They perform functions like preventing the same content from reappearing, ensuring ads are displayed and, in some cases, selecting content based on your interests. See More.