Ready for a debut police procedural? T.L. Haseeb’s Framed for Murder introduces a new series set in England featuring a woman who has fought for her place in the police force. She’s really had to fight, not only as a woman, but as the daughter of Indian immigrants, and a widow.
After twelve years, Detective Inspector Amber Kash has written her retirement letter. She wanted to make a difference when she joined the West Hartlands Police. She was an older female when she joined, “just the right shade of brown”. She’s heard all the insults, and is ready to quit. But, when a hysterical famous witness shows up, they need a senior officer to interview her. That woman, who swears she witnessed a murder, throws Kash into a case that brings back too many secrets from her own past.
Joanna Merrick, a crime psychologist famous for her TV appearances, Joanna spins a story of attending a memorial. All four people invited to a shabby cottage worked on a true crime documentary, “The Portrait Maker”, about the murder of an artist whose husband was convicted of killing her. Then, one of the owners of Dreamcatcher Productions died, and her widower invited the four guests. Instead of a memorial, they all saw a self portrait of Tara Thornhill, the dead artist. Joanna swears the portrait came to life, saying the documentary was cursed and everyone who worked on the movie would die. Although DI Kash assured her that she would investigate, Joanna went crazy and jumped to her death right there at the police station.
Given a small team for the case, despite the high-profile people involved, Kash finds her resources reduced even more so that she had one officer. She’s cynical about the story she heard, but decides to see “Just this one last case” before retiring. There are only a few people still living and involved, but someone is picking them off one by one. And, before her death, Joanna had brought up a superstition from DI Kash’s own past, the story of a churail, a woman from South Asia stories, who is determined to get revenge. The singular feature of a churail? Her backwards feet. And, Joanna isn’t the only one who swore Tara Thornhill came back as a churail. Even Tara’s mother shares that story.
Framed for Murder is a complex story that blends Kash’s case with her own memories of Indian stories, and the tragic death of her husband. Is a churail responsible for current murders? Are women determined to get revenge against men in their lives? Kash’s own worries about her career collide with the stories of the documentary about Tara Thornhill’s murder. Kash’s hands may be tied at times at work, but she and Wilson, her assistant, continue to investigate. Her advice to Wilson, “justice not law”, doesn’t always please the young officer. However, they both struggle to find justice in this compelling book, with fascinating characters.
I’ll watch for the next in this intriguing series.
Framed for Murder by T.L. Haseeb. Joffe Books, 2026. 328p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from the publisher, through NetGalley, with no expectations of a positive review.
