The Artful Murders: A Ragini Malhotra Mystery

By Feisal Alkazi

In a leafy lane in South Delhi's Greater Kailash-II, all is not well. Lakshmi

Krishnamurthi, the lovable 'Madrasi aunty' of the neighbourhood, has not

been seen for 48 hours. When her neighbour, Ragini Malhotra, accompanies

Vikas, the local cop, to investigate, she finds a painting missing from the

wall-a five-crore Husain.

Meanwhile, far away, on the Mumbai-Pune highway, Pratap, a long-distance

driver, is found stabbed to death. In the car with him that night were an

unidentified man and Shobhana Shandilya, a glamorous Mumbai socialite,

twice divorced, who has set her sights on the well-known scientist Afroz

Ahmed as husband number three.

Is there a connection between the two crimes? Housewife turned Sherlock

Holmes Ragini Malhotra discovers that there may just be-when she

meets Mrs Krishnamurthi's niece, the nubile young Bharatanatyam dancer

Saudamini, and the seemingly genteel Ruksana Begum, once M.F. Husain's

muse.

It's a tangled web, and Ragini's detective skills will be properly tested. Ably

assisted by Raunaq, an auto driver, Rudy, Pratap's gay partner, and Premlata

Puri, a private investigator, Mrs Malhotra joins the dots to bring this

intricate mesh of love, betrayal, greed, deceit and art smuggling to a startling

conclusion.

In his first foray into detective fiction, Feisal Alkazi brings together his

knowledge of the worlds of art and theatre, and of the city of Delhi, to create

a masterful, entertaining-and sparkling-page-turner.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9354479936
• ISBN13: 9789354479939
• Release Date: February 2025
• Publisher: Speaking Tiger Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.8"