Turn a Blind Eye

DI Maya Raman’s patch is the East End, particularly the area around Tower Hamlets, where she grew up, so starts an intriguing police procedural series, with a backdrop of contemporary Great Britain.  

Born in Bangladesh, Maya has had an interesting upbringing. As if having a father who walked out on the family shortly after the family move to the U.K., burying your brother who has just committed suicide and being Muslim in a Western country wasn’t challenging enough - she must contend with contempt for her university education and racism from some of her colleagues.

Fortunately, she’s partnered up with Aussie DS, Dan Maguire, who’s also on the fast track and has an Aboriginal wife, so understands some of what she has to deal with.

When they’re called to the murder of a Head Teacher at Maya’s old school, she’s intrigued by the killer leaving a Buddhist precept at the scene but can’t see how it fits into a motive for the killing at first. When another member of the Senior Management Team at the school is murdered and a second precept discovered at the scene, Maya starts to see a pattern emerging. She feels obliged to follow her own instincts, which are diametrically opposed to her senior officers and leads to further conflict.

This is an involving, well-researched story and whilst not purporting to be a fast-moving plot, it has a steady and relentless pace, that’s much more akin to a real Police investigation.

Maya is certainly no one-dimensional tick in the ‘Let’s have racial and religious diversity’ box, as she springs fully-formed from the page. You can feel her frustration with some of her colleagues, the sadness at her mother’s creeping dementia and joy of spending time with her sister and niece. But, most of all, you really get a sense of her intelligence and determination.

This is an excellent debut from author, Vicky Newham and I’m truly glad to hear that DI Maya Rahman will be returning and urge you to get to know her.