"A winning combination of historical mystery and detective work propelled by the-clock-is-ticking danger. A courageous heroine; intriguing social history embodied in clothes, housing, and food; Indian jadoo magic; and a propulsive plot all add up to a rewarding read."

– Booklist (starred)

"Nagendra masterfully melds character, plot, and period detail in her transporting third historical mystery featuring amateur detective Kaveri Murthy. Nagendra is in peak form here, expertly mining the era’s political frisson for top-shelf suspense. Fans of Abir Mukherjee’s Wyndham and Banerjee series will devour this."

– Publishers Weekly

Praise for Murder Under a Red Moon:

"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."

– Sarah Weinman, New York Times Book Review

"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."

– The Seattle Times

"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."

– Publishers Weekly, starred review

Praise for The Bangalore Detectives Club:

"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)."

– Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review

"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."

– Booklist, starred review

"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."

– Library Journal

"Set in colonial India in 1921, this debut mystery, the first in a projected series, 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. 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 fine start to a promising series."

– Booklist (starred)

"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. I can’t wait for the next installment. A perfect read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Vaseem Khan."

– Abir Mukherjee, award-winning author of The Shadows of Men

“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.” - Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author

“I loved The Bangalore Detectives Club mostly because I love Kaveri and Ramu and exploring 1920s Bangalore through their eyes. Kaveri especially is charming and practical and despite her age and inexperience (19 years old, newly wed and new to Bangalore) uses her position—as a doctor’s wife and as a woman who can speak to women who wouldn't speak to a man—to clear an innocent and expose a murderer.”

– Ovidia Yu, author of The Cannonball Tree Mystery

"Harini Nagendra takes us to wonderfully unfamiliar world in this delightful debut mystery. Colonial India is on the verge of gaining its independence from the British, and new bride Kaveri Murthy is also looking to gain her independence from the strict culture in which she was raised. You will love watching her blossom as she makes new friends and strives to save an innocent woman from a charge of murder. I couldn’t put it down." - Victoria Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of City of Shadows and Murder on Madison Square

"The Bangalore Detectives Club is the latest entry into the recent flowering of India-based crime fiction. Nagendra’s novel introduces us to Raj-era 1920s Bangalore and her calculus-loving amateur sleuth Kaveri Murthy. A cosy mystery that warmly illuminates a time and place not often examined in fiction.”

– Vase Khan, CWA Historical Dagger winner and author of the Malabar House series and the Baby Ganesh Agency series