Murder Under a Red Moon

A 1920s Bangalore Mystery

Harini Nagendra

The latest novel in the acclaimed Bangalore Detectives Club series finds amateur sleuth Kaveri Murthy uncovering a new murder during the blood moon eclipse.

When new bride Kaveri Murthy reluctantly agrees to investigate a minor crime to please her domineering mother-in-law—during the blood moon eclipse, no less—she doesn't expect, once again, to stumble upon a murder.

With anti-British sentiment on the rise, a charismatic religious leader growing in influence, and the fight for women's suffrage gaining steam, Bangalore is turning out to be a far more dangerous and treacherous place than Kaveri ever imagined—and everyone's motives are suspect.

Together with the Bangalore Detectives Club—a mixed bag of street urchins, nosy neighbours, an ex-prostitute, and a policeman's wife— Kaveri once again sleuths in her sari and hunts for clues in her beloved 1920s Ford.

But when her life is suddenly put in danger, Kaveri realizes that she might be getting uncomfortably close to the truth. So she must now draw on her wits and find the killer . . . before they find her.

Harini Nagendra is a Professor of Sustainability at Azim Premji University, Bangalore, India, and the author of Nature in the City: Bengaluru in the Past, Present and Future. She received a 2013 Elinor Ostrom Senior Scholar Award and a 2007 Cozzarelli Prize with Elinor Ostrom from the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences for research on sustainability. The Bangalore Detectives Club, the first book in the Detective Kaveri mysteries, is her first novel. She lives in Bangalore.

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Endorsements & Reviews

"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

"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

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

"Set in colonial India in 1921, this debut mystery 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. 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. 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