Death, By Fire By Monabi Mitra

Calcutta, 1979.

In a sprawling mansion on Short Street, a fire breaks out on the second floor just before dawn. By the time the flames are doused, two charred bodies are discovered, and nothing about the scene quite adds up.

Asha, working with the Calcutta Police since two years now, is brought in early. She notices what others miss. She does not ask questions or demand answers; instead, she observes, remembers and follows what lingers.

Soon after, Inspector Deep Das of Lalbazar’s Detective Department takes charge. A weary but methodical policeman, he begins reconstructing the events leading up to the deaths, navigating privilege, silence and deception in a city where power often bulldozes justice.

Within a closed circle of suspects, one person disappears and another dies under suspicious circumstances. The inhabitants of the mansion—the Roys—are well-heeled, and resolutely uncooperative. As Deep pieces together motive and opportunity, Asha follows the scents others overlook, uncovering truths no one wants unearthed—whether theft, arson or murder!

Inside this book, you’ll discover
🔥A haunting crime in old Calcutta: A mysterious fire that reveals far more than it destroys.
🕵️A meticulous police investigation: Inspector Deep Das pieces together a puzzle of motive, power and silence.
🐾Detective with four paws: Asha, the perceptive police dog, follows clues others cannot detect.
🏛Secrets within a powerful family: Behind the Roy mansion’s elegance lie lies, betrayal and hidden crimes.
⚡Suspense with a unique perspective: A gripping mystery told through both human and canine eyes.

Why this mystery stands apart
• A crime novel set against the atmospheric backdrop of 1970s Calcutta
• Combines a classic police procedural with the unique perspective of a police dog
• Written with authentic insight into investigative work and police life
• A tightly woven mystery of arson, deception and murder

A mystery with teeth
Death, by Fire is a suspenseful journey into a city where truth hides behind privilege and appearances deceive.

With a determined inspector, a perceptive police dog and a mansion full of secrets, this is crime fiction that proves one thing above all: nothing at a crime scene is ever quite what it seems.