A Nest of Vipers

'Deliciously exotic' Sunday Post 'A beautifully painted picture of a woman's life in 1920s India' M W CRAVEN ---- Death stalks the streets of Bangalore when the Circus comes to town . . . January 1922. The Bangalore Constabulary is on high alert as The Prince of Wales is scheduled to visit the city to redeem his reputation after disastrous visits marked by violent anti-British riots. Kaveri has none of these concerns on her mind, not when she has just been given VIP tickets to the famous Bangalore circus. But when a celebrity magician, shackled in an iron cage filled with deadly snakes, disappears into thin air, she is stunned to discover her friend and favourite policeman, Inspector Ismail, is telling her to leave the case well alone. After solving two murder cases, Kaveri Murthy thought she had cemented her reputation as Bangalore's favourite lady detective. But when death threats are left at her doorstep, former friends become foes, and the bodies start to pile up, Kaveri realises she has never been in this much danger . . . PRAISE FOR HARINI NAGENDRA '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 cosy mystery that warmly illuminates a time and place not often examined in fiction' VASEEM KHAN 'A beautifully painted picture of a woman's life in 1920s India' M W CRAVEN 'A delight' CATRIONA MCPHERSON 'The classic whodunnit with the added appeal of a female sleuth in Colonial India. . . fascinating' RHYS BOWEN 'Riveting . . . A fine start to a promising series' BOOKLIST Starred Review '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 . . . 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

Harini Nagendra is a Professor of Sustainability at Azim Premji University, Bangalore, India, and the author of Nature in the City: Bengaluru in the Past, Present and Future. She received a 2013 Elinor Ostrom Senior Scholar award for her research and practice on issues of the urban commons, and a 2007 Cozzarelli Prize with Elinor Ostrom from the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences for research on sustainability. The Bangalore Detectives Club, the first book in the Detective Kaveri mysteries, is her first fiction novel.