{"title":"Arjun Gaind","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"a-very-pukka-murder-the-maharajah-mysteries-book-arjun-gaind-9781464206450","title":"A Very Pukka Murder (The Maharajah Mysteries)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSet in the tiny princely state of Rajpore, Indian comic book writer Gaind's first novel is both a satisfying locked-room mystery and a keenly observed comedy of manners. --\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the borders of icy Kashmir to the shark-infested shores of the Malabar Coast, Major William Russell, the English Resident of the small, princely state of Rajpore, is renowned as a straitlaced 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 eventually task the English Commandant of Cavalry with breaking it down. The Resident is dead in his bed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis 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 slow to rise after the night of revelry. But news of the murder galvanizes him. The fabulously wealthy Maharaja, who perforce has surrendered much of his authority to the British, is a man of indolent habit although he keeps himself thoroughly fit. A lover of luxury cars and beautiful women, his deepest passion is for mysteries. He cannot resist an enigma, relishing a riddle and the rush of resolving it. Like August Dupin and Sherlock Holmes, Sikander 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAbandoning the lavish comforts of his ornate palace, Sikander orders his massive manservant Charan Singh into his Silver Ghost and speeds to the insular English settlement. Despite the objections of the local Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police, he works the crime scene and deduces that Resident was poisoned by a massive dose of strychnine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a clock starts ticking--the British authorities dispatch their own investigator from Simla--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?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArjun Gaind's clever, fascinating debut introduces an elegant new detective in the tradition of Lord Peter Wimsey, while painting a scathing portrait of the British Raj.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49566561042705,"sku":"GOR007973565","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53006009958673,"sku":"CIN1464206457G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1464206457.jpg?v=1750859784"},{"product_id":"death-at-the-durbar-the-maharaja-mysteries-2-book-arjun-gaind-9781464209208","title":"Death at the Durbar (The Maharaja Mysteries, 2)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGolden age fans will appreciate how Sikander works his way through an array of suspects. Once again, Gaind successfully blends detection with history. --\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e STARRED review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDecember, 1911. All of India is in a tizzy. A vast tent city has sprung up outside the old walled enclave of Mughal Delhi, where the British are hosting a grand Durbar to celebrate the coronation of the new King, George V. From across India, all the Maharajas and Nawabs have gathered at the Viceroy of India's command to pay homage and swear loyalty to the King Emperor, the first monarch of England to travel out to India personally.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaharaja Sikander Singh of Rajpore is growing increasingly bored, cooling his heels at the Majestic Hotel as he awaits George V's arrival. Just as his frustration is about to peak, a pair of British officers shoulders in. They insist that he accompany them to the British Encampment. Irked, but his curiosity piqued, Sikander agrees. To his surprise, they take him to the King Emperor's quarters where Sikander's old school friend, Malik Umar Hayat Khan, the Durbar herald, awaits. Malik Umar is serving Lord Hardinge, the Viceroy and the highest-ranked Englishman in the country. Lord Hardinge, overruling several subordinates, tells Sikander that his services as a sleuth are needed by King and country. Sworn to secrecy, Sikander is ushered into George V's personal chambers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd there he finds the cause for his extraordinary summons--an exquisite \u003cem\u003enautch\u003c\/em\u003e-girl, hanged until dead. Employing techniques he has learned from studying Eugene Vidocq and Sherlock Holmes, Sikander examines the scene and demonstrates the girl was not a suicide, but murdered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer death at the very heart of the encampment could ruin the enormously costly celebration and spark deep political repercussions in India and in England. Under this pressure, the Viceroy hands Sikander both the case to solve and a ticking clock--he must complete his investigation before George V arrives. And under the surveillance of one Captain Campbell of an elite British regiment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe list of suspects and motives is too large, the number of hours for the task too few. But he gave his word and so the Maharaja must put his skills to work. In the end, Sikander wishes he had not.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Maharaja Mysteries are perfect reading for fans of Tarquin Hall, Barbara Cleverly, and the late HRF Keating--and Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Coyle.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50383869608209,"sku":"CIN1464209200A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50383872000273,"sku":"CIN1464209200G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53389523943697,"sku":"CIN1464209200VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1464209200.jpg?v=1751405267"},{"product_id":"coming-of-rage-1-5-book-arjun-gaind-9781624640087","title":"Coming of Rage 1-5","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52695966351633,"sku":"GOR014581486","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52704075546897,"sku":"GOR014587855","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781624640087.jpg?v=1762417733"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-arjun-gaind.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}