"A gorgeous debut mystery... Harini Nagendra brilliantly shares the landscape, social customs and history of South India in this spellbinding novel."
—Sujata Massey, bestselling author of the Perveen Mistry series
"Told with real warmth and wit... an intricate and fiendish mystery with a wonderful duo of amateur sleuths at its heart. I can’t wait for the next instalment."
—Abir Mukherjee, Times bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series
Available now in the U.K., India, and the U.S.
Solving crimes isn’t easy.
Add a jealous mother-in-law and having to wear a flowing sari into the mix, and you’ve got a problem.
When clever, headstrong Kaveri moves to Bangalore to marry doctor Ramu, she’s resigned herself to a quiet life.
But that all changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she escapes to the garden for some peace – and instead spots an uninvited guest in the shadows. Half an hour later, the party turns into a murder scene.
When a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime, Kaveri becomes determined to save her and launches a private investigation to find the killer, tracing his steps from an illustrious brothel to an Englishman’s mansion. She soon finds that sleuthing in a sari isn’t as hard as it seems when you have a talent for maths, a head for logic and a doctor for a husband.
And she’s going to need them all as the case leads her deeper into a hotbed of danger, sedition and intrigue in Bangalore’s darkest alleyways…
“Effervescent… This is a treat for historical mystery lovers looking for a new series to savor (or devour).”
—New York Times Book Review
“An exceptional series launch… By placing her intelligent and clear-eyed protagonists in the multilayered and multicultural milieu of colonial India, Nagendra imbues this mystery with a rich, edifying, and authentic feel.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
U.S. retailers:
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India:
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