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2000s: A headmistress is found strangled in her East London school
Turn A Blind Eye
What you need to know before your trail
A headmistress is found strangled in her East London school, her death the result of a brutal and ritualistic act of violence. Found at the scene is a single piece of card, written upon which is an ancient Buddhist precept:
I shall abstain from taking the ungiven.
At first, DI Maya Rahman can’t help but hope this is a tragic but isolated murder. Then, the second body is found.
Faced with a community steeped in secrets and prejudice, and with a serial killer on her hands, Maya must untangle the cryptic messages left at the crime scenes to solve the deadly riddle behind the murders – before the killer takes another victim.
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
London
This debut crime novel is situated in Tower Hamlets, the East End of London where there is a high number of ethnic minorities living. There people from all over, living here, including many Bengalis. Names such as Londonistan and Londonis are often referenced.
“Girls, we’re sitting at the intersection of religion, bureaucracy, culture and politics.”
Enter DI Maya Rahman – who has called this place home since emigrating at the age of four. She has a difficult patch to police given that the ethnic diversity causes it own set of challenges. This crime scene proves to be a challenge from the start – ancient Buddhist wording “I shall abstain from taking the ungiven,” has been found scrawled at the scene.
Racially motivated crimes are an area of both personal and professional intrest for Maya – she works with an Australian detective sergeant Dan Maguire, who can give an insight into ethnic tensions given his knowledge of Aboriginal culture back in Australia.
The author has a lot of experience with her subject matter given that she used to be a secondary school teacher in East London. She explains in her autuhor note taht she wanted to explore these difficult subjects in her novel since she has an insight into them as well as a personal connection to the area. She has even kept in touch with some of her formerstudents and they were very helpful in writing the novel she explains.
Trail Gallery
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
A very accomplished debut novel! I’ve known Vicky and feel I’ve followed some of her publishing journey with her so it’s quite a moment to sit down with the book and to read such a treat! Totally honest review here though – does it read well and what about the setting?
It doesn’t read like a debut – it’s very assured and the writing is top notch. The subject matter – problems within ethnic minority communities and indeed outside them is a major topic in the news at the moment so it couldn’t be more timely!
I immediately liked Maya – what an interesting character she’s going to be in future books if she’s this good now! And her Australian sidekick for want of a better word. Very interesting duo. The author herself is almost a character as given her background in teaching and her insights as well as first hand research makes this a really exciting read.Puts a very unique spin on crime fiction in the city.
The locations also tell a story. The author knows them well and her research pics show the level of dedication and foresight she has crafted into a novel with grit and backbone.
London crime fiction with a modern day twist in the gut.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Turn a Blind Eye
Destination: London Author/Guide: Vicky Newham Departure Time: 2000s
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