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. "An effervescent new mystery…is a treat for historical mystery lovers." "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." "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." "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." "{Set} in the multilayered and multicultural milieu of colonial India, Nagendra…imbues this mystery with a rich, edifying, and authentic feel." "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." "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."