Extraordinarily opulent, the kingdom of Sambalpur, a small fief of the state of Orissa located in southwestern Bengal, is home to diamond mines and the beautiful Palace of the Sun. When Adhir Singh Sai, eldest son of the Maharajah and heir to the throne, is assassinated in Calcutta in the presence of Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee, a close friend of the prince, the two policemen decide to ignore the orders of their superiors and investigate the crime. Following the trail of some mysterious letters received by Adhir, whose open-mindedness collided with the most religious sectors, Wyndham and Banerjee undertake a hectic journey to Sambalpur, where they will discover a territory torn apart by a latent conflict. And as they desperately try to unravel the motive for the assassination, they will imbue themselves with local customs – from omelettes too hot for English taste buds, to the worship of the strange deity Jagannath, going through a hunt for tigers on the back of elephants – and They will be involved in a dangerous world where those who hold power live by their own rules and those who cross their path pay dearly.
Beyond the suspense The princes of Sambalpur —winner of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Award and a finalist for the Endeavor Historical Dagger and the Crime Writer’s Association Gold Dagger— is a fast-paced, absorbingly entertaining novel that, through its two leads, the charismatic Captain Wyndham and his faithful sergeant Banerjee plunges us into the heart of traditional India in the twenties of the last century.
“A thought-provoking book full of adventures, twists, and surprises.”
Ian Rankin
“An exceptional historical mystery novel.”
CJ Sansom
“Confirms Abir Mukherjee as the rising star of historical mystery fiction.”
The Times
«Great […]. A journey into the dark bowels of the Raj.”
Daily Express
“Better even than the first book […]. What is most striking about Mukherjee’s novels is the contagious enjoyment of the oddities of the British in India. […]. A wonderful portrait of the opulence and spirituality that characterizes Sambalpur under the rule of a sybaritic but benevolent maharajah. […] I can’t imagine anyone who can’t enjoy this work.”
The Daily Telegraph
“If the arrival of Captain Sam Wyndham and his trusty sergeant was successfully celebrated, their return is that much more captivating.”
Daily Mail
“A period gem, rich in detail and decorated with the exotic setting of the Raj and a fascinating mystery, woven around an intriguing cast of characters.”
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“Wonderful writing. Bringing the colorful kingdom of Sambalpur to vibrant life, the book takes its readers on an entertaining journey to unearth its dark secrets, with unexpected twists and turns to a satisfying ending.”
Daily Express
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| Photograph © Nick Tucker |
| THE AUTHOR
Abir Mukherjee (London, 1974), English novelist of Indian origin, grew up in Scotland, studied at the London School of Economics and worked for years in the world of finance. A fan of the noir genre from a very young age, he became known on the literary scene with The man from Calcutta (Telegraph/Harvill Secker Crime Writing Prize, CWA’s Endeavor Historical Dagger and Prix du Polar Européen), the first installment in an acclaimed series starring Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee that now consists of five novels and has been translated into one fifteen languages. |