If you like detective books set in gorgeous settings. Then this one is definitely for you. A great cast of characters and enough twists to have you pop on your own detective hat.

Bangalore of the 1920s - elegant and modern but with an old-world feeling. An evocative mix of classical Indian heritage and culture and the mish-mash of culture imposed on the city by the long-standing invasion of the British. Whilst at its heart it's very much a murder mystery, there is so much factual base to the story that you could easily step into a time machine and spit yourself out there and easily navigate the world you found yourself in.

A backdrop of arranged marriage, girls education (or lack thereof) and blatant racism and classism gives such a vibrant edge to the story. Kaveri really has a foot in two worlds, but it is the men in her life who are happy for her to be educated and her mother-in-law who wants her tied to the house.

Whilst the premise of the story is much like any of the established turn of the century detective novels; Holmes, Poirot, etc. This is most definitely stamping its own mould. Ismail, while Kaveri's foil, is probably one of her biggest fans - he always just seems awestruck by her. You can decide for yourself if it's misogyny or just adoration, lol. Kaveri may still be a young woman, almost a teenager today, she has a lot of responsibility and a fine grasp on current affairs and the world around her. She is perfectly happy to use people's ignorance and racist beliefs against them.

An absolute delight and I'd be happy to read more from this author.

*Wooosh!* That's me transporting straight into 1920s Bangalore via direct express in my mind...
If Agatha Christie travelled to India, this would be the result!

This book was a beautiful experience. Nagendra paints a vivid picture of life in Bangalore during the 1920s in the midst of British Colonisation. I could picture the colours of the flowers, smell the delights of the home cooking served on banana leaves, and hear the clip clop of the donkey bringing the milk. Wrapped around this beautiful imagery and scenery is a murder mystery fit for Agatha Christie. I not only didn't guess the ending but I couldn't see who or how this was done until right at the very end.

When Kaveri moves to Bangalore to be with her new husband Ravi, she doesn't know what to expect. Will her new husband be kind? Willing to support her in her studies of Mathematics? Will she be able to learn to cook to his liking? What she DOESN'T expect, is to witness a murder unfold at the highly renowned Century Club whilst she is accompanying her husband for dinner. She also doesn't expect that this will lead her on a quest for justice exploring the slums of the country, the Secrets hidden in the back courtyards, and the unexpected friendship of her neighbours.

I loved the exploration of the themes of marriage from this time and this culture, I loved Kaveri's badass attitude to doing what she feels is right, her dedication, her intelligence and her beautiful relationship with her husband. I think it's delightful to show that arranged marriages can be beautiful and trusting and full of love, and that some women of this time were able to explore their own interests and desires.
It's also a beautiful exploration of new marriages and that unsurity of each other, and the getting to know each other, and the learning to cook and run a house together.

A delightfully different read, even more surprising with the added bonus of traditional Indian recipes at the back of the book (which I am definitely going to try!!).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers - Little Brown for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Will post to socials nearer publication as per request from publishers.

I found the Bangalore Detectives Club a nice, cosy, traditional mystery, perhaps a little easy to see the reveal coming, but the fact that Kaviri and her husband were sweet characters and the setting was different to your normal Middle England/country house types brought it up a level.

I also love the idea of the recipes in the back of the book - I've made note of the lassi in particular!

Amazing, witty, wonderful read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of The Bangalore Detectives Club, the first novel to feature amateur sleuth Kaveri Murthy, set in Bangalore or Bengaluru as it is now known in 1921.

Kaveri has moved to Bangalore to be with her husband, Ramu, a doctor at the local hospital. She is at a function with him at the Century Club when she notices an intruder. Thirty minutes later there is a murder. Her natural curiosity is aroused and she starts to investigate when a vulnerable person comes under suspicion.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Bangalore Detectives Club, which is an exhilarating trip through 1920s Bangalore with the addition of a good mystery.

The novel is told from Kaveri’s point of view, so the reader knows what she knows and can investigate alongside her. Much of the fun and joy in the novel come from her personality. She is only nineteen and expected to run a household under the beady eye of her exacting mother-in-law, but she has other ideas, studying in secret to pass college entrance exams and being a thoroughly modern woman, casting aside old formalities and conventions to conduct her investigation. And all done with a Josie de fiver and burning sense of justice. Fortunately Ramu is a very supportive husband, encouraging her in her studies and helping with the investigation, which is just as well because she doesn’t like “no”. It’s maybe not very likely for the times, but it’s certainly fun.

The plot takes Kaveri into all sorts of unlikely places, most notably the slums, and gives the reader an idea of the other side of life under colonial rule and it’s not particularly pleasant. On the other hand, the investigation is fun with her uncovering all sorts of secrets, righting wrongs and ensuring justice is done. I was glued to the pages, trying to work out the perpetrator and the motive with no success.

The Bangalore Detectives Club is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

On the surface, this is an easy to read, feel good book about India in the 1920s. However, in the background, there is the issue of the British still being in India influencing Indian history. It will be interesting to see if the author develops this theme in future stories of this wonderful protagonist with her beautiful saris who, with a bit of help from others, solves a crime that the Police have failed to solve. Kaveri’s character is well rounded. She is compassionate, feisty and one who I would like to meet again. The book is perhaps a little lengthy but I loved reading about the colours and smells of India and the role of women in a very hierarchical society. Having been to India, I was also delighted to find the Indian recipes at the end of the book. I shall be trying the salt lassi. Thank you Netgalley!

It was a good read and easy to get into the story. It was well written for the first book of the series. Love how a well planned evening starts but ends with a murder. Loved all the characters look forward to more within the series.

I really enjoyed this book it was a quick and easy read that was also an incredibly fun book to read. It was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters that I took an interesting liking too. I would highly recommend reading this book, I cant wait to read more.

Elegant Evening Descends Into Murder…
The first in the Bangalore Detective Club series and an enjoyable and often delightful initial outing for Kaveri, our strong and feisty young protagonist. When an elegantly planned evening event descends into a murder scene Kaveri realises that life is not to be as quiet and as refined as she expected, particularly as she decides to turn amateur sleuth. Enjoyable mystery with a well crafted cast of characters, an engaging plotline and a well depicted setting, warmly and often wittily told. The next in the series will, undoubtably, be wholly anticipated.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed reading The Bangalore Detectives Club first outing. This is a traditional, cozy whodunnit; the story is not unusual and the denouement not unexpected, but the setting, Bangalore in the 1920s is, and its telling is punctuated with cultural and historical interest, which I greatly enjoyed. The protagonist, Kaviri, a feisty, intelligent and feminist very young (19) woman married to enlightened hospital doctor Ramu, is endearing and the plot is centered around the murder of a pimp which takes place in an unexpected, elegant event... The writing could have been tighter in places (there is some rather plodding recounting of events instead of having them happen), but this is a writer and a protagonist which I feel merits a second outing. I for one would love to read more about this Detectives Club and the varied inhabitants of class-ridden Bangalore. The addenda, a lexicon and some local recipes which appear in the narrative, is a plus to those of us interested in language and in cooking!

With many thanks to the publishers via NetGalley for an opportunity to read and review this entertaining novel.

Gorgeous cover very eye catching! I cannot wait to read more by this author. This author has now become a go-to author. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Fantastic storyline.

I was attracted to this book by the cover and title. I love murder mysteries, and the setting of 1920s India is one I’ve not read before.

I really enjoyed Kaveri’s character. She is very determined, and becomes more confident as the plot moves along. I loved the evolving relationship between her and Ramu, how he supports her, but also tries to stop her from getting hurt.

I liked the descriptions of the clothing, particularly when Kaveri adjusts her sari. Somehow it made me feel very present in the story. The settings come across well, there’s enough description to visualise them, without at all pulling back from the story.

The plot is well constructed, a really interesting mystery where I wasn’t sure of the culprit until quite near the end. The only thing I didn’t like, was the prologue. It doesn’t seem to have any bearing on the current book, I would call it more an epilogue that hints at the next book in the series, perhaps?

Overall, this was a well written murder mystery, with a great setting, that held my interest throughout.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.