The Madras Miasma

The first in The Le Fanu Mysteries series.
Madras in the 1920s.
The British are slowly losing grip on the Indian subcontinent. The end of the colonial enterprise is in sight; the city on India’s east coast is teeming with intrigue.

A grisly murder takes place against the backdrop of political tension. Superintendent Le Fanu, a man of impeccable investigative methods, is called in to find out who killed a respectable British girl and dumped her in a canal, her veins clogged with morphine.

As Le Fanu, a man forced to keep his own personal relationship secret for fear of scandal in the face of British moral standards, begins to investigate, he quickly slips into a quagmire of Raj politics, rebellion and nefarious criminal activities that threaten to bury not just his case, but the fearless detective himself.

The Madras Miasma tells a classic tale of murder, corruption and intrigue, with a sharp eye on British colonial politics and race relations. It is a story which, like its main protagonist, has its heart firmly in the right place.
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REVIEWS for BRIAN STODDART'S BOOKS

“Brian Stoddart’s Le Fanu books are one of my favourite current mystery series. Always superbly well researched and supremely witty, these books capture colonial era India’s (particularly Madras) glamour, mores, hypocrisy, racism and skullduggery with delightful aplomb. Highly recommended!”
Adrian McKinty, Ned Kelly and Edgar Awards winner

The author, who has set himself the difficult task of capturing Madras of the 1920s, has excelled himself.
Sriram V, The Hindu.

As an Indian who has lived 25 years of her life in Madras, more precisely, in Adyar, I can vouch for how beautifully and realistically the author has captured the topography, the attitude of a native Madrasi, the anti-British agitation sentiments, the ... everything! He knows being an Indian in Madras better than I do!
Deepti, Goodreads

Le Fanu is an impeccably truthful and ethical policeman and a terrific central character; the reader is with him all the way as he attempts to solve the drugs-related death of a young Englishwoman while keeping a romantic relationship with his Anglo-Indian housekeeper safe from disapproving eyes.
Susan Kurosawa, The Australian

One of the strengths of the novel is the author’s rich feel for life on the streets.
Bernard Whimpress, Newtown Review of Books