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India, 1920. Captain Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee of the Calcutta Police Force investigate the dramatic assassination of a Maharajah ´ s son

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WINNER 2018 WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 HISTORICAL AND GOLD DAGGERS
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2018 CWA STEEL DAGGER
FEATURED ON ITV´S ZOE BALL BOOK CLUB 2018

India, 1920. Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee of Calcutta Police must investigate the dramatic assassination of a Maharaja´s son...

Sam Wyndham is visiting the kingdom of Sambalpore, home to diamond mines and the beautiful Palace of the Sun.

But when the Maharaja´s eldest son is assassinated, Wyndham realises that the realm is riven with conflict. Prince Adhir was unpopular with religious groups, while his brother - now in line to the throne - appears to be a feckless playboy.

As Wyndham and Sergeant ´Surrender-not´ Banerjee endeavour to unravel the mystery, they become entangled in a dangerous world. They must find the murderer, before the murderer finds them.

Praise for the Sam Wyndham series:

´An exceptional historical crime novel´ C.J. Sansom

´A thought-provoking rollercoaster´ Ian Rankin

´Confirms Abir Mukherjee as a rising star of historical crime fiction´
The Times

´Cracking... A journey into the dark underbelly of the British Raj´ Daily Express

If you enjoyed A Necessary Evil, the third Sam Wyndham mystery, Smoke and Ashes, is available now.

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"Even better than his first... What is most striking about Mukherjee´s novels is his infectious enjoyment of the human oddity of the British in India... Even better is his portrayal of the mix of opulence and spirituality that characterises Sambalpore under its sybaritic but benevolent maharaja... I can´t imagine anyone failing to enjoy it" Jake Kerridge Daily Telegraph

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Abir Mukherjee is the bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series of crime novels set in Raj-era India. His debut, A Rising Man, won the CWA Endeavour Dagger for best historical crime novel of 2017, was shortlisted for the MWA Edgar for best novel, was a Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month, and Waterstones Thriller of the Month. His second novel, A Necessary Evil, won the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing, was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of 2018, and was featured on ITV as a Zoe Ball Book Club pick. His third novel, Smoke and Ashes, is out now. Abir grew up in Scotland and lives in London with his wife and two sons.

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