Death in the Air

January 1, 2024

Murali debuts with a locked-room mystery set in the Indian Himalayas. After losing his job, Ro Krishna retreats to Samsara, a world-class spa for the elite. He encounters the rich and famous there, but all is not as it seems as people start dying and Ro turns sleuth. With a 100K-copy first printing. Prepub Alert.

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April 15, 2024
Attorney Murali debuts with a clever closed-circle whodunit about a disgruntled lawyer’s vacation from hell. Ro Krishna has left his job at a London tech firm after a disagreement with his racist boss over the design of a company-funded cultural center in Prague. After Ro complained to higher-ups about the incident, he received a lucrative settlement. He takes his money and decamps for Samsara, a Himalayan spa where the Beatles studied meditation. There, he meets an eclectic group of fellow guests, including a film star, his CIA-connected wife, a bumbling meditation instructor, and an Indian politician. Shortly after Ro arrives, someone is killed, and several other deaths follow. Mrs. Banerjee, the resort’s owner and a family acquaintance of Ro’s, asks him to investigate discreetly on account of his legal expertise. As he does so, Murali gradually reveals more of Ro’s own history, which intersects with the investigation in unexpected ways. The ending, while juicy, doesn’t completely satisfy, but there’s enough originality and atmosphere on offer to keep readers on tenterhooks for Murali’s sophomore effort. This is a nerve-jangling good time. Agent: Jennifer Joel, CAA.

May 1, 2024
Murali's debut novel introduces us to Ro Krishna, a wealthy Indian man raised in America currently living in London. Ro has just been forced to leave his high-profile job due to racism and is unsure about his future. T hrough a new friend, Ro is guided to stay at Samsara, a lavish spa in India, for Christmas. However, "10 days to a new you" turns into "10 days of whodunit." The murder of a prominent guest compels Ro, who was previously a lawyer, to help solve the case but also question himself. The beginning of the story is a bit disorienting, perhaps purposefully, as we abruptly transition between scenes of Ro's life and his convoluting thoughts. However, once at the spa, the pace eases and the plot is easier to follow. The multiple mysteries will keep readers interested and acting as amateur investigators until all is revealed with a few shocking conclusions. This novel includes a diverse group, discusses the effects of money and class, and also highlights India's history and spirituality.

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Starred review from May 15, 2024
A young Indian American man finds himself playing detective when a murder interrupts his relaxing vacation. In some possibly extraneous backstory, Ro Krishna attends a pair of birthday parties in Bermuda and in London, where we learn that he and his friends are highly educated, affluent, glamorous jet-setters. Ro is trying to recover from a mysterious traumatic experience at his most recent job, so he decides to take some time off and spend the Christmas holidays at Samsara, a luxury Ayurvedic spa in India, surrounded by friends both old and new. When a guest is murdered, Ro finds himself helping the local inspector, the hotel's eccentric owner, and an embedded CIA agent solve the crime, as well as the subsequent ones that follow. There are tongue-in-cheek references to Agatha Christie, who may have provided inspiration for the cozy surroundings and frequent musings about class, wealth, and race, but the dialogue is fully contemporary, as is Ro. The novel takes a while to get going; the story would have benefited from a tighter, faster beginning that plunged straight into the action at Samsara. The moments of foreshadowing leading to the murder feel somewhat heavy-handed. But the easy rapport of the people at the spa creates a lovely foundation for the psychological intrigue of the mystery. One minute someone can be making off-color jokes about death, and the next Ro is dealing with very real grief. Though he often claims to feel alone, Ro's involvement with the rest of the characters creates sympathy, humor, and complexity, and it's the interactions within the different pairs and groups that make the narrative flow--as well as some well-timed twists. A fascinating genre mashup for the discerning--and reflective--mystery reader.

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