Chosen by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 Best Crime & Thriller Novels since 1945
UK Paperback released 13 June 2019
India, 1921. Haunted by his memories of the Great War, Captain Sam Wyndham is battling a serious addiction to opium that he must keep secret from his superiors in the Calcutta police force.
When Sam is summoned to investigate a grisly murder, he is stunned at the sight of the body: he’s seen this before. Last night, in a drug addled haze, he stumbled across a corpse with the same ritualistic injuries. It seems like there’s a deranged killer on the loose. Unfortunately for Sam, the corpse was in an opium den and revealing his presence there could cost him his career.
With the aid of his quick-witted Indian Sergeant, Surrender-not Banerjee, Sam must try to solve the two murders, all the while keeping his personal demons secret, before somebody else turns up dead.
Set against the backdrop of the fervent fight for Indian independence, and rich with the atmosphere of 1920s Calcutta, Smoke and Ashes is the brilliant new historical mystery in this award-winning series.
Read the opening here
‘Smoke and Ashes is Abir Mukherjee’s best book yet; a brilliantly conceived murder mystery set amidst political and social turmoil – beautifully crafted.’
C.J. Sansom
‘It is the flamboyant evocation of 1920s Calcutta that makes this such a mesmerising read.’
The Guardian
Buy the book
United States
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Audible
Apple
United Kingdom
Amazon
Waterstones
Audible
Apple
Google Play
WH Smith
Hive