Very Pukka Murder

“Set in the tiny princely state of Rajpore . . . a satisfying locked-room mystery and a keenly observed comedy of manners.” —Publishers Weekly   Major William Russell, the English Resident of the state of Rajpore, is renowned as a man of rigorous habit. When his valet knocks on his bedroom door the morning after the 1909 New Year's Ball and receives no response, he and the Resident's elderly secretary order the door to be broken down. The Resident is dead in his bed. His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia Mansur-i-Zaman Maharaja Sikander Singh, Light of Heaven, Sword of Justice, Shield of the Faithful, sole ruler of Rajpore, is galvanized by the news of the murder. The Maharaja’s deepest passion is for mysteries. He wields careful and deliberate logic to crack puzzles that leave less intelligent men confounded. Here is such an opportunity, and well timed—for the Maharaja, resigned to another year of indolence, is almost fatally bored. Abandoning the lavish comforts of his ornate palace, Sikander works the crime scene, despite the objections of the local Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police. Sikander overcomes obstacles, false trails, and the growing hostility of the English Establishment, while learning that Major Russell was not as pukka, as proper, as he liked to pretend. Will the Maharaja work through a surplus of suspects and motives before the British shut him down and cover up the truth about the Major’s death? Arjun Gaind’s clever debut introduces an elegant new detective, while painting a scathing portrait of the British Raj.   “Armchair travelers, mystery readers and history lovers are sure to enjoy this interesting twist on life in the British Empire.” —Shelf Awareness