The Bangalore Detectives Club
Spring is here, and with it the tease of summer – and that niggling desire to escape somewhere new. The Bangalore Detectives Club is exactly the book to escape into; set in 1920s Bangalore, this is the first in a charming, joyful cosy crime series, which (while set in the past) gives a fresh, exquisitely researched insight into its setting. Nagendra has expertly crafted a quietly scathing portrait of the British Raj, with her brilliant, clever and headstrong heroine – Kaveri – at its heart. You’ll love Kaveri. What’s more, what makes this book so exquisite is not just its gorgeous writing and compelling mystery, but how standout it is as a cosy crime novel – woven into the narrative is a subtle feminist and anti-colonial message. This is Miss Marple, if Miss Marple had to contend with a full-length sari, a jealous mother-in-law and the disapproving gaze of elite Indian society.
Chris Sturtivant
'The first in an effervescent new mystery series. . . a treat for historical mystery lovers looking for a new series to savour (or devour)' NEW YORK TIMES
'A gorgeous debut mystery with a charming and fearless sleuth . . . spellbinding' SUJATA MASSEY
'Told with real warmth and wit. . . A perfect read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Vaseem Khan' - ABIR MUKHERJEE
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2022
Murder and mayhem . . . monsoon season is coming.
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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 . . .
BOOK ONE IN THE BANGALORE DETECTIVES CLUB SERIES
*INCLUDES A BONUS CHAPTER OF DELICIOUS INDIAN RECIPES*
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If you love murder mystery series like Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Vaseem Khan's Baby Ganesh Agency and Ovidia Yu's Crown Colony series, you won't want to miss THE BANGALORE DETECTIVES CLUB, Book One in a brand new series from Harini Nagendra
'Told with real warmth and wit. . . Harini Nagendra has created an intricate and fiendish mystery with a wonderful duo of amateur sleuths Kaveri and Ramu at its heart, and capturing the atmosphere and intensity of Bangalore in the roaring twenties. I can't wait for the next instalment. A perfect read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Vaseem Khan' - ABIR MUKHERJEE
'Riveting. [Nagendra's] use of colonial history is thoroughly fascinating, with devastating depictions of the airy condescension of the British. A fine start to a promising series' BOOKLIST Starred Review
'Harini Nagendra takes us to a wonderfully unfamiliar world in this delightful debut mystery. . .I couldn't put it down' VICTORIA THOMPSON, USA Today bestselling author of Murder on Madison Square
'Absolutely charming . . . this one is a winner!' CONNIE BERRY, USA Today best-selling and Agatha-nominated author of The Kate Hamilton Mysteries.
'An enjoyable trip back in time with a spunky young woman for company.' R V RAMAN, author of Fraudster and A Will to Kill
'This lush mystery will transport you to heady 1920s Bangalore, where new bride Kaveri stumbles into sleuthing-while dragging her doctor-husband into the fray. Mouth-watering fashion and food set against simmering colonial intrigue in this delicious whodunit can be devoured in one sitting.' SUMI HAHN, author of The Mermaid from Jeju
'I loved The Bangalore Detectives Club . . . Kaveri especially is charming.' OVIDIA YU, author of The Cannonball Tree Mystery
'Nagendra makes her fiction debut with an exceptional series launch. . . rich, edifying, and authentic' Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
'Deliciously exotic' Sunday Post
