A Nest of Vipers
A Bangalore Detectives Mystery
-
-
3.7 • 7 Ratings
-
-
- $18.99
-
- $18.99
Publisher Description
The latest novel in the award-winning Bangalore Detectives Club series finds amateur sleuth Kaveri Murthy involved in a dangerous plot that endangers the life of the visiting Prince of Wales.
This latest novel in the Bangalore Detectives Club mystery series takes the reader deep into the historical era surrounding the visit by Edward, Prince of Wales, to Bangalore in 1921. When the prince begins a tour of a number of Indian cities, he encounters passionate crowds demanding independence from Britain, with rioting on the streets of Bombay in November 1921.
The mood of the prince's subsequent trip to Bangalore and Mysore in January 1922 appears, at first glance, very different and is made to large, welcoming crowds. But perhaps all is not what it seems to be. While exploring another (seemingly unrelated) crime scene, Kaveri and Ramu become tangled in a complex web of intrigue, getting pulled into a potentially dangerous plan that could endanger the life of the visiting prince.
This new novel also takes us into the world of jadoo—Indian street magic—with sleight-of-hand magicians, snake charmers, and rope tricks. Kaveri and Ramu continue their sleuthing, with help from the Bangalore Detectives Club, amidst the growing rumblings of Indian independence and the backdrop of female emancipation.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nagendra masterfully melds character, plot, and period detail in her transporting third historical mystery featuring amateur detective Kaveri Murthy (after Murder Under a Red Moon). It's 1922, and the city of Bangalore is preparing for a visit from the Prince of Wales. Given that royal visits to Bombay and Calcutta during the previous year were "marked with riots and arson," British authorities have already begun cracking down on activists advocating for Indian independence. Amid that tension, Kaveri attends a street magic show with her friend, Anandi. When a man in the crowd locks eyes with Anandi and mimes slitting his throat, she refuses to acknowledge that she knows the man. After the performance is over, Kaveri and Anandi find him dead from a broken neck, and Anandi admits he's her estranged husband, Pawan. With Anandi arrested as the most obvious suspect, Kaveri and her husband, Ramu, set out to clear their friend's name. As they dig deeper into the dysfunctional couple's past, they stumble on a plot that could pose greater danger to the visiting prince than any political protest. Nagendra is in peak form here, expertly mining the era's political frisson for top-shelf suspense. Fans of Abir Mukherjee's Wyndham and Banerjee series will devour this.
Customer Reviews
Learn So Much More About India with Each Book
There is nothing I don’t enjoy, revel in, laugh with and learn from each of these major additions to historical fiction. My first introduction to both non-fiction and historical fiction based in India began with Targuin Hall, a master story teller in both realms. From the Vaseem Khan, Sujata Massey, and Abir Mukherjee, all of whom I highly recommend for hours of great reading, picking you up and setting you down in the largely unknown or misunderstood history of India.