Sarah Weinman
"I'm pleased to report that Murder Under a Red Moon exceeds all my expectations. Against a roiling political backdrop — the women’s suffrage movement is growing, as is anti-British sentiment — Kaveri and Bhargavi come to a deeper understanding of each other."
starred review Publishers Weekly
"Set in 1921 Bangalore, Nagendra’s superb sequel to 2022’s The Bangalore Detectives Club plunges amateur sleuth Kaveri Murthy into a case involving the family of her physician husband, Ramu. Assured pacing matches equally assured prose, and Nagendra brings the political tensions of India’s colonial period to life without overwhelming the crafty whodunit plot. Fans of Abir Mukherjee’s Wyndham and Banerjee novels will find much to like."
Booklist (starred)
"Set in colonial India in 1921, this debut mystery makes full use of the oppressive British rule of the time, matched by the oppressive treatment of women, to highlight the ingenuity and bravery of a young woman determined to solve a murder. A fine start to a promising series."
The Seattle Times
"Should you be on the market for a new literary detective, you’d be hard pressed to find one more charming than Kaveri Murthy, the main character of Harini Nagendra’s mystery series set in 1920s India. It’s a pleasure to enter Kaveri’s clever mind, and Nagendra wraps the story in a message of women’s empowerment."
Rhys Bowen
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.
starred review Booklist
"Here’s an amateur detective to cheer for: Kaveri Murthy, 19 and newly married, an Indian woman living in India in the early twentieth century under the restrictive rule of the British Raj. The real feat here is that Murthy’s sleuthing is both excruciatingly exciting and entirely believable. Splendid."
From the Publisher
Praise for The Bangalore Detectives Club:
The New York Times Book Review Sarah Weinman
"The first in an effervescent new mystery series by the ecology professor Harini Nagendra, The Bangalore Detectives Club turns the clock back a century. This is a treat for historical mystery lovers looking for a new series to savor (or devour).
Abir Mukherjee
"Told with real warmth and wit, in The Bangalore Detective Club, Harini Nagendra has created an intricate and fiendish mystery with a wonderful duo of amateur sleuths Kaveri and Ramu at its heart, and capturing the atmosphere and intensity of Bangalore in the roaring twenties. A perfect read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Vaseem Khan.
Library Journal
"A fast paced and engaging story. Offering this one to fans of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is a no-brainer, but cozy mystery readers will also find much to love in the adventures of the indomitable detective."
