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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