Hi everyone! Today I’m going to be reviewing Kolkata Noir by Tom Vater. Before I get into this review, I would like to say a massive thank you to him, as well as his PR agent (Henry), for sending me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I was also lucky enough to interview Tom, which can be found here.
Rating: ✯✯✯✯
Kolkata Noir is an intriguing crime fiction following two protagonists – Becker and Madhurima, who are both detectives. The novella is split into three different parts (the past, present and future) and spans over a total of forty years. Each time they meet, there is a new crime for Becker and Madhurima to solve, which made for a compelling and fast paced read!
One of the things I enjoyed the most about this book was definitely the description of Kolkata. As someone who’s never visited before, it was incredibly interesting, and Vater painted a vivid image for the reader. The details he included were absolutely amazing and you could tell how much research had went into it. I think the fact that Vater had actually visited and spent a lot of time there definitely helped in creating such a clear picture of the setting and it was lovely to read!
I also found it extremely interesting to see the differences in time. As each part was set with twenty years in between, it was fascinating seeing the changes Kolkata had underwent, the most obvious being the name change. I really enjoyed reading about how the city was completely transformed and I also found it really interesting to see Vater’s take on what Kolkata could look like in the future. The differences in the city served really well for highlighting how much time had passed since Becker and Madhurima had last seen each other.
Speaking of Becker and Madhurima, I really liked their friendship. It was really lovely reading about the way they bounced off from each other and it was clear how much they cared for each other. I really wanted to see the two end up together, and their feelings for one another was another central aspect of the book. I really loved both of these characters separately and anyone could tell how well suited they were for each other!
Of course, my favourite character was probably Madhurima. She was such a strong female lead and it was lovely to see. Her determination was incredibly inspiring, and her struggles with living up to her uncle’s reputation (he was also an inspector) were definitely a really relatable theme. It was so nice to see a female who was so driven with her career and aspirations as this isn’t always the case in books, despite women being just as ambitious as men in real life.
I also really liked how diverse the characters were. The representation was absolutely amazing and Vater covered most bases. It was nice to see all the different characters and their beliefs and journeys, and I really appreciated this on Vater’s part. This was also highlighted in the different focuses in the past and the present, with one showing the wealthy site of Kolkata and the other showing the poverty.
Overall, I would recommend Kolkata Noir for anyone looking for a fast paced crime fiction with numerous different mysteries to solve. I would also recommend it for anyone who enjoys travel, as all of the book was set into Kolkata, and it truly gave a taste of what it was like there.
I hope you enjoyed this review!
Ceri
Great review Ceri!!! This sounds like a great read and looks intriguing!! Thank you for sharing!!
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Thank you! It definitely is, it was such a different read but I really enjoyed it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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Crime fiction and travel are two things I adore, and with a female lead, it sounds like the perfect book! Could be next on my reading list ❤
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Same, crime fiction is becoming a fast favourite of mine – and travel is always a bonus! I’m so glad to hear that, I really hope you enjoy if you end up checking it out. Thank you so much for reading and commenting ❤
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This sounds awesome!! As I like the mystery/thriller genre, I am looking forward to reading this book. Thank you for sharing this great review x
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It really is! I would definitely recommend this if you’re a fan of the genre, it was super interesting. Thank you so much for reading and commenting x
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This sounds like a great book. I love it when authors get descriptions so right that you feel like you could picture yourself right there in the scene. Great review.
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It definitely is! So do I, vivid descriptions are so amazing and definitely elevate the reading experience. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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This sounds like an amazing book, thank you so much for doing such an in-depth review. Looks very interesting Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
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It really is! I’d highly recommend it, thank you so much for reading and commenting x
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Crime fiction isn’t my genre but my aunt loves it, so I’ll have to recommend this book to her – I love the shifting time aspect though!
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I really hope she enjoys it as much as I did! So did I, it definitely made it more interesting and added another element. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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What a wonderful review, this book sounds great, I like the twenty year gaps and Kolkata as the setting. Sounds like you really enjoyed this one xxx
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Thank you! It really is, the time jumps as well as the exotic setting definitely made it stand out from other books I’ve read. I’d definitely recommend it, thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment xxx
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Lovely review. I like the premise and how the author has put in the hard yards than just wing the research part. I love detective and crime fiction when the mood takes me and its been taking me recently :).
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Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that you like the sound of it, it was so well researched which definitely made my enjoyment increase. I would definitely recommend picking this up then, thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment 🙂
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This book seems really interesting! I love that it goes from the past to the present to the future. You’ve written a great review, thank you for sharing your thoughts on the book!
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It definitely is, I’d highly recommend it! So did I, it was one of my favourite parts. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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My mum would love this; as she likes crime and mystery novels, I will tell her all about it, and I’m sure she will add it to her collection.
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I really hope she enjoys it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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I am not a fan of crime fiction books but this sounds like an amazing book. I know some of my friends who love crime fiction and I would be happy to recommend this book to them. Thank you for sharing x
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It definitely is! I really hope your friends like it as much as I did. Thank you so much for reading and commenting x
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This book has me really intrigued with the multiple times periods and multiple mysteries. Great review! Thanks for sharing.
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I’m so glad to hear that – having a different mystery in each time period certainly kept things interesting! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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Thank you for this review.
It sounds like a great book & I love crime thrillers with mysteries to solve.
Will add this to my reading this 🙂
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It really is! I’d highly recommend it if you love crime thrillers, this was a really interesting one. I really hope you enjoy, thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂
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Woooow this sounds good. I might need to get this. I also think my mum might into this as well.
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It definitely is! I’d really recommend it, I hope you both enjoy. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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Ooo, I love this cover! I love that this book was able to paint a vivid picture of the setting, that’s something I always appreciate. Great review Ceri!
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The cover’s definitely really nice! So did I, as a reader it’s so important to be able to visualise things and Vater did that really well. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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sounds interesting. Will check it out
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It definitely is! I really hope you enjoy, thanks for commenting.
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I love crime fiction so this sounds right up my street! Fab review of the book x
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I’d definitely recommend it if you’re a fan of the genre! Thank you so much for reading and commenting x
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What a great review! This book sounds really interesting. I like crime fiction and I also like books with a strong female lead. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so much! It definitely is – I’d certainly recommend it if you enjoy both of those things as this had great examples of both! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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Oh I love a good crime fiction book. Thanks for sharing your review!
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So do I, they always keep me on my toes! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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Nice review! I think my husband and I would both enjoy reading this book. The travel aspect makes it even more enticing. The cover artwork is very beautiful, too.
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Sounds like a very interesting book, I like crime fiction books so i will have to give this book a read! Great review
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It definitely is! I’d really recommend it if you’re a fan of the genre, this was a really unique example of it. I really hope you enjoy, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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Great review thanks for sharing! I have not heard of this but I think I mentioned before about wanting to get into crime books so I will add this one onto the list! I do love watching crime documentaries and mysteries etc so I am hoping I will enjoy reading them too!
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Thank you! Yeah I think I remember you mentioning it on my review for We Are 100 – good luck with your ventures with the new genre! I’m the opposite haha, I want to get more into crime documentaries but I’m doing fairly well with reading them. I really hope you enjoy, thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment!
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crime fiction is one interesting genre for me as well. It seems unique and interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Lovely | thelovelymusings.com
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I’m so glad to hear that, I’d definitely recommend it if you’re a fan of the genre! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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My interest was peaked at crime fiction! This would be a great read for October. I like the idea of different parts set in different times, that would be an interesting perspective. Thank you for sharing, I’ll have check out Kolkata Noir.
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I’m so glad to hear that you like the sound of it! It definitely would – the different parts certainly kept things interesting. I really hope you enjoy, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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