Amateur detective Kaveri Murthy returns with her most complex case yet: investigating a series of murders that take her from the bungalows of Bangalore to the mist-enshrouded mountains of Coorg.
Bangalore, 1922: Pregnant and confined to the house by her protective mother-in-law, Kaveri Murthy has resolved to take a break from detection. But when an elderly woman is murdered at night and dies clutching a photograph of Kaveri while asking for her help—how can she refuse? Missing the assistance of her husband Ramu, who is working in Coorg, Kaveri investigates her new case with her able assistants, milk boy Venu and housemaid Anandi. They find a trail of secrets that lead them to suspect the killer may be in Coorg.
Eager to be reunited with her husband, Kaveri sets off to Coorg to investigate. When she arrives, she encounters a thorny thicket of cases. Why does a ghost leopard prowl the forests at night, terrorizing the plantation workers? And who is trying to kill Colonel Boyd, the Coffee King of Coorg? She finds suspects in every coffee bush and estate—from Boyd’s surly plantation manager and security guard to the feuding brothers who own the neighboring plantation—and the many women the Coffee King has pursued and abandoned.
When two vulnerable children appeal for her help, Kaveri is drawn deeper into the case, becoming emotionally involved in finding the killer. Soon, one murder turns into two—and then a few days later into three. Now the killer has tasted blood and needs to be stopped. Racing against time, Kaveri must take on her most complex challenge so far, with the assistance of Anandi and Venu in Bangalore, and with Ramu and Inspector Ismail in Coorg. In this stunning new novel by an acclaimed master of the form, the Bangalore Detectives Club must find and expose a brutally intelligent killer before they strike again.
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Praise for Into the Leopard’s Den:
“Kaveri’s personality is, as always, the star of the novel. She is an educated, independent woman interacting with British colonials and Indians of all levels, and her modern social commentary is spot on… For cozy mystery lovers looking for social commentary and scrumptious culinary descriptions.”
—Library Journal
“Kaveri Murthy is resting at home while pregnant when a Bangalore woman dies holding a photograph of her. The case leads her around the city and ultimately toward a reunion with her husband in Coorg, where the mysteries only deepen. Nagendra’s series is a thoughtful crowd-pleaser and satisfyingly steeped in history.”
—Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads
“Kaveri Murthy, star of the Bangalore Detectives Club Mystery series, is one of the most fun-to-follow detectives in contemporary fiction. In this, the fourth in the series, set in 1922, Kaveri is investigating both the murder of an old woman in Bangalore and a series of murders in the region of Coorg. The book focuses here on the maltreatment of Indian workers (including children) in factories and on coffee plantations by the British empire. Nagendra also shines a light on environmental abuses. Fascinating throughout.”
—Booklist (starred review)