A Murder in Gurgaon


Book Description

Gurgaon. December 2014. A young event manager, an ex-cop's son, is murdered. Inspector Ajai Singh vows justice. There is little to begin with, and frustration mounts when the initial suspect – a reclusive woman with a mysterious past – is found missing. Digging deeper, Singh uncovers a sordid tale of adultery, blackmail and revenge, only to find himself staring at a conspiracy unlike any he has seen. There are deceits, little and big, to decode; the predator and victim are indistinguishable; his witnesses could be misleading; his closest ally may not be an ally at all. Will Singh succeed? Or has the sick, wily mind behind the crime always been a few steps ahead? Refreshingly told, with a cast of morally ambivalent characters and an accent on the minutiae of crime, A Murder in Gurgaon will keep you hooked till the very end.




Tales of Crimes Past


Book Description

An Anglo-Indian Couple Plotting Murder. A British Resident Nursing Conspiracy Theories. Professional Poisoners Leaving a Trail of Death. The criminal fraternity in colonial India was a diverse, bustling lot. No man's life was worth much outside the security of his home or village, and lawlessness knew no bounds. In the unsettled state of the country during the Raj, dacoits, thugs, swindlers and mysterious stranglers plagued the roads, preying on the rich and poor alike. Policing, as we know it, and the 'rule of law', as we understand it, were in their infancy and chaos reigned supreme as the British scrambled to round up these notorious criminals. A diabolical double murder in Agra, an unsolved killing in the hills of Burma, a poisoning attempt that cost a maharaja his gaddi, and the first-ever instance of cold-blooded murder by plague bacilli! Sunil Nair presents the choiciest, most obscure and gripping tales that provide an insight into the crime and criminals in the days of the Raj. These stories take us back to an age when foot-slogging police work - and a little bit of luck - were often all that could be counted on to bring a criminal to book!




The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction Volumes I and II


Book Description

The professionals meet the amateurs in this first–ever anthology of Indian detective fiction. Volume 1 An elite squad detective from the future travels back in time to hunt down a time escapee. Across the city of Tokyo, liquids are turning blue, and elsewhere a Tamil actress is kidnapped. The gruesome murder of an adult industry star spirals into a web of deceit and leads to a bizarre revelation. A journalist races against time to find the missing link between the deaths of a daily soap actress, a classical vocalist and a famous painter. And more... Volume 2 A detective delves into a cold case; a ship that disappeared in the Bay of Bengal in the year 1913. A man is bludgeoned to death in an apartment and a piece of paper with the word 'STOP!' is nailed to his forehead. Six deaths under mysterious circumstances and the only common link is a box of arsenic–laced sweets. A soldier's homecoming dredges up memories of a murder that took place a decade ago in the family. And more... The first–ever anthology of its kind, The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction compiles more than 30 compelling whodunits, supernatural mysteries, serial murders and absurd crimes spread across two volumes. Through hybrid, self–reflexive and experimental forms of writing (including translations from Bengali and Tamil), this collection invites readers to unravel mysteries with every turn of the page, masterfully showcasing distinctive instances of the genre. Red herrings simmered in blood gravy, served up with family feuds, ancient curses, long–haired lady sleuths and many other typical subcontinental chutneys provide a rare feast for the avid reader of crime fiction! Featuring the works of: Volume 1 Satyajit Ray * Gopa Majumdar * Saradindu Bandopadhyay * Gopa Majumdar * Ambai * Gita Subramanian * Ankush Saikia * Meeti Shroff Shah * Suchitra Bhattacharya * Radha Chakravarty * Sujan DasGupta * Chandana Dutta * Anirudh Kala * Tamilvanan * Rabindranath Tagore * Shampa Roy * Anil Menon * Tanuj Solanki * Timeri Murari * Navin Weeraratne * Kehkashan Khalid * Sumit Bardhan * Kiran Manral * Shweta Taneja * Saad Z. Hossain Volume 2 Rajarshi Das Bhowmik * Arunava Sinha * Vikram Chandra * Giti Chandra * Swati Kaushal * Ajay Chowdhury * Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay * Debaditya Mukhopadhyay * Vish Dhamija * Salil Desai * Mahendra Jakhar * Sharatchandra Sarkar * Shampa Roy * Vaseem Khan * Nev March * Anuradha Kumar * Madhulika Liddle * Arjun Raj Gaind * Shashi Warrier * Avtar Singh For detailed content, please look inside the book. * Illustration continuity across covers and spine * 2–volume collectible (Royal 8vo hardback set) * A magnetic clasp box–wrap * Detective–element themed sprayed edges * Endpaper artwork by Manjula Padmanabhan




The City Speaks


Book Description

This book studies the significance and representation of the ‘city’ in the writings of Indian poets, graphic novelists, and dramatists. It demonstrates how cities give birth to social images, perspectives, and complexities, and explores the ways in which cities and the characters in Indian literature coexist to form a larger literary framework of interpretations. Drawing on the theoretical concepts of Western urban thinkers such as Henri Lefebvre, Georg Simmel, Walter Benjamin, Edward Soja, David Harvey, and Diane Levy, as well as South Asian thinkers such as Ashis Nandy, Arjun Appadurai, Vinay Lal, and Ravi Sundaram, the book projects against a seemingly monolithic and homogenous Western qualification of urban literatures and offers a truly unique and contentious presentation of Indian literature. Unfolding the urban-literary landscape of India, the volume lays the groundwork for an urban studies approach to Indian literature. It will be of great interest to scholars and students of literature, especially Indian writing in English, urban studies, and South Asian studies.




A Murder on Loan


Book Description

A racy thriller about a banker who is found in a pool of blood in his house one fine day. Why would anyone kill him? He had a straight record, a helpful man with no apparent enemies. His wife and Inspector Dayal begin their own investigation and converge at a point to discover the real motive behind the murder.




The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction Volume 1


Book Description

An elite squad detective from the future travels back in time to hunt down a time escapee. Across the city of Tokyo, liquids are turning blue, and elsewhere a Tamil actress is kidnapped. The gruesome murder of an adult industry star spirals into a web of deceit and leads to a bizarre revelation. A journalist races against time to find the missing link between the deaths of a daily soap actress, a classical vocalist and a famous painter. And more... The first-ever anthology of its kind, The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction compiles more than 30 compelling whodunits spread across two volumes. Hybrid, self-reflexive and experimental forms of writing that blur the boundaries between genres, with supernatural mysteries, serial murders and at times absurd crimes jostling for the attention of both amateur and professional detectives in these stories. Red herrings simmered in blood gravy, served up with family feuds, ancient curses, long-haired lady sleuths and many other typical subcontinental chutneys provide a rare feast for the avid reader of crime fiction!




Dowry Murder


Book Description

Oldenburg argues that dowry murder is not about dowry per se nor is it rooted in an Indian culture or caste system that encourages violence against women. Rather, dowry murder can be traced directly to the influences of the British colonial era.




Modi's India


Book Description

A riveting account of how a popularly elected leader has steered the world's largest democracy toward authoritarianism and intolerance Over the past two decades, thanks to Narendra Modi, Hindu nationalism has been coupled with a form of national-populism that has ensured its success at the polls, first in Gujarat and then in India at large. Modi managed to seduce a substantial number of citizens by promising them development and polarizing the electorate along ethno-religious lines. Both facets of this national-populism found expression in a highly personalized political style as Modi related directly to the voters through all kinds of channels of communication in order to saturate the public space. Drawing on original interviews conducted across India, Christophe Jaffrelot shows how Modi's government has moved India toward a new form of democracy, an ethnic democracy that equates the majoritarian community with the nation and relegates Muslims and Christians to second-class citizens who are harassed by vigilante groups. He discusses how the promotion of Hindu nationalism has resulted in attacks against secularists, intellectuals, universities, and NGOs. Jaffrelot explains how the political system of India has acquired authoritarian features for other reasons, too. Eager to govern not only in New Delhi, but also in the states, the government has centralized power at the expense of federalism and undermined institutions that were part of the checks and balances, including India's Supreme Court. Modi's India is a sobering account of how a once-vibrant democracy can go wrong when a government backed by popular consent suppresses dissent while growing increasingly intolerant of ethnic and religious minorities.




Proceedings


Book Description




Forensic Pathoradiology of Virtual Autopsy


Book Description

Virtual autopsy is a burgeoning field that employs imaging methods to find the cause of death. This book critically analyses and compares different post-mortem features and their radiological appearance in diverse cases. It orients the forensic doctors trained in traditional autopsy to understand the radiological appearance of their gross findings and the radiologists to comprehend the pathology in an imaging study. Further, it provides the standard operating protocols to be followed in different cases. This can be an alternative to standard autopsies for broad and systemic examination of the whole body as it saves time, aids better diagnosis, and respects religious sentiments. Key features: Provides the reader with an in-depth review of the value of a CT-directed virtual autopsy complementing a regular autopsy and how it can enhance the quality of medico-legal death investigation in a jurisdiction. Bridges the gap between the specialities of Forensic Medicine and Radiology and helps the readers co-relate and understand the concept of Virtual Autopsy. Features over 500 original autopsy photographs and CT images with over 100 case reports including a stepwise approach to each case along with comparative radiological images.