A Nest of Vipers

Starred review from March 11, 2024
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. Agent: Priya Doraswamy, Lotus Lane Literary.