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From the winner of the 2017 CWA Historical Dagger Award and the 2018 Wilbur Smith Award

Calcutta police detective Captain Sam Wyndham and his quick-witted Indian Sergeant, Surrender-not Banerjee, are back for another rip-roaring adventure set in 1920s India.

1905, London. As a young constable, Sam Wyndham is on his usual East London beat when he comes across an old flame, Bessie Drummond, attacked in the streets. The next day, when Bessie is found brutally beaten in her own room, locked from the inside, Wyndham promises to get to the bottom of her murder. But the case will cost the young constable more than he ever imagined.

1922, India. Leaving Calcutta, Captain Sam Wyndham heads for the hills of Assam, to the ashram of a sainted monk where he hopes to conquer his opium addiction. But when he arrives, he sees a ghost from his life in London - a man thought to be long dead, a man Wyndham hoped he would never see again.

Wyndham knows he must call his friend and colleague Sergeant Banerjee for help. He is certain this figure from his past isn´t here by coincidence. He is here for revenge . . .

Praise for the Sam Wyndham series:

´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

´A brilliantly conceived murder mystery set amidst political and social turmoil - beautifully crafted´ C. J. Sansom

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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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