The Bangalore Detectives Club, Harini Nagendra
The Bangalore Detectives Club, Harini Nagendra
64 Rating(s)
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The Bangalore Detectives Club

Author: Harini Nagendra

Narrator: Soneela Nankani

Unabridged: 9 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/03/2022

Synopsis

The first in a charming, joyful cozy crime series set in 1920s Bangalore, featuring sari-wearing detective Kaveri and her husband, Ramu. Perfect for fans of Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.When clever, headstrong Kaveri moves to Bangalore to marry handsome young doctor Ramu, she’s resigned herself to a quiet life.But that all changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she escapes to the garden for some peace and quiet—and instead spots an uninvited guest in the shadows. Half an hour later, the party turns into a murder scene.When a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime, Kaveri becomes determined to save her and launches a private investigation to find the killer, tracing his steps from an illustrious brothel to an Englishman’s mansion. She soon finds that sleuthing in a sari isn’t as hard as it seems when you have a talent for mathematics, a head for logic, and a doctor for a husband …And she’s going to need them all as the case leads her deeper into a hotbed of danger, sedition, and intrigue in Bangalore’s darkest alleyways.

About Harini Nagendra

Harini Nagendra is professor of sustainability at Azim Premji University, India. She has conducted research on the interaction between people and nature in forests and cities for over twenty-five years. She writes widely for newspapers, magazines, and blogs. She received a 2013 Elinor Ostrom Senior Scholar Award 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 novel.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer on May 04, 2022

I picked up this book, intrigued by the premise and already having loved books by Sujata Massey and Nev March featuring Indian women sleuths. Sadly, this one didn't live up to my hopes, and since I have seen nothing but glowing reviews, I'm going to explain why: 1. The characters felt underdeveloped.......more

Goodreads review by Anjali on June 07, 2022

I was sure I was going to love this new historical mystery set in 1921 Bangalore, India, featuring a headstrong, smart young woman trying to solve a murder. Unfortunately, I just couldn't buy into the characters at all. Kaveri is newly married to Ramu, and both of them have *extremely* modern thinki......more

Goodreads review by Avani ✨ on July 03, 2022

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra, first in the crime series set in 1920s Bangalore featuring sari-wearing detective Kaveri and her husband Ramu. 1920s was the time when India was still under British Rule and protests were growing with time. I loved the character development in this bo......more

Goodreads review by Abhijeet on June 07, 2022

This was a rather poor book. The language and writing style is fitting to a typical TV serial soap opera you would see on Indian TV channels. What was missing was a typical K-serial style *dun dun dun* music and special effects. The protagonist (the "detective") is a barely just out of high-school w......more

Quotes

“An effervescent new mystery…is a treat for historical mystery lovers.” New York Times Book Review

“With an engaging South Indian accent and lively characterizations, Golden Voice narrator Soneela Nankani paints a vibrant listening experience…[and] increases listeners’ appreciation. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” AudioFile

“The story is rich with the sights, sounds, tastes, and politics of southern India in the 1920s…The heavier themes are balanced by the sweetness of the relationship between Kaveri and her husband.” Oprah Daily

“Armchair travel to 1920s Bangalore, where newly married Kaveri…investigat[es] the case herself using her logical brain, talent for mathematics, and the medical expertise of her husband.” BookRiot

“[Set] in the multilayered and multicultural milieu of colonial India, Nagendra…imbues this mystery with a rich, edifying, and authentic feel.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Nagendra’s evocation of setting is riveting, and her use of colonial history is thoroughly fascinating, with devastating depictions of the airy condescension of the British.” Booklist (starred review)

“A classic whodunnit with the added appeal of a female sleuth in colonial India. For the Western reader, a fascinating glimpse into customs and a mindset very different from our own.” Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author

Awards

  • AudioFile Earphones Award
  • Amazon Editor’s Top Pick
  • BookRiot Pick
  • An Oprah Daily Pick
  • Big Thrill
  • AudioFile Best Audiobook of the Year
  • Audie Award Finalist
  • New York Times Notable Book of the Year
  • Goodreads Pick
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