Over the years, we’ve been introduced to some great writers, detectives, and private investigators. A Death in Denmark is the first book of Amulya Malladi’s that I’ve read, though she has already authored several titles. It features the private investigator Gabriel Præst, a canny ex-cop who seems to attract trouble on a daily basis.

Præst is a dedicated follower of fashion, a serious wine drinker, and seemingly very attractive to the opposite sex. In spite of his debonair, suave appearance, he is definitely not afraid of getting his hands dirty, and his investigation into the assassination of Danish politician Sanne Melgaard sees him ‘press the flesh’ with a great many unsavoury people. Malladi weaves a complex plot tapping into history, immigration policy, and corruption.

I was unsure that I’d have the time to undertake this review, but I’m now very glad I did, for Malladi’s book is excellent. While some passages initially felt heavy-handed, the unravelling of the plot and the resolution – a political and moral reckoning at the upper echelons of Danish government – is hugely enjoyable.

I’m looking forward to reading more of Malladi’s Gabriel Præst books in years to come. She is a fresh new voice for Australian readers of crime fiction, and will appeal if you love the great literary investigators like Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, Chester Himes’s jazz-age Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, and Philip Kerr’s detective Bernie Gunther.