Harini Nagendra Books In Order

Publication Order of Kaveri and Ramu Books

Harini Nagendra is an Indian historical fiction author and writer on nature and sustainability issues. She is a well-known public speaker and a professor at Azim Premji University. Harini is known worldwide for her work on sustainability and holds several prizes and awards, including the 2017 Clarivate Web of Science award, the 2013 Elinor Ostrom Senior Scholar award, and the 2009 Cozzarelli Prize. Harini is a Bangalore resident living with her family in a home full of maps. When not writing, you will find her exploring traditional recipes, adventures in the woods, and diving into mysteries.

The Bangalore Detectives Club is the first Harini Nagendra Kaveri and Ramu series book. The series is set in Mysore state and the busy city of Bangalore at the start of the 1920s when India was still under British colonial rule.

Math-obsessed young bride Kaveri has migrated to Bangalore to live with her husband, Dr. Ramu Murthy, employed at the Bowring Hospital owned by Dr. Charles Roberts and his wife, Daphne. She is worried about what lies ahead of her, but she is lucky that Ramu clearly shows to be a lovely and forward-thinking husband who cherishes his wife in a period when a woman’s hopes rely on how frail the masculine ego is. For Kaveri, the difficulty is her mother-in-law, who expects her to follow women’s severe and inflexible social expectations, which include not being educated, cooking and cleaning, bearing children, and centering their life on the man’s whims.

As Kaveri gets her footing, she studies mathematics, intending to enroll in college, and develops a strange feeling of belonging that contradicts the rules underpinning caste, class, and women. This will serve her well when she begins investigating the death of Ponnuswamy, a local pimp, that occurs at the Century Club dinner she is attending. She is helped by various individuals, including her elderly neighbor, Uma aunty, who teaches her new dishes to prepare for Ramu, and Kaveri, who she joins in her search for the murderer. As he discovers, Kaveri will do whatever she must, so Ramu respects and assists her for how she is and assists her. Unlike many police personnel, Deputy Inspector Ismail is not corrupt and welcomes, accepts, and encourages Kaveri’s participation in the investigation. However, they must all rush against the clock to avert a miscarriage of justice.
Nagendra may as well be writing cozy mystery fiction. Still, it is set in a country where a rising movement is plotting to overthrow the British, who are eager to keep oppressing the ‘natives’ for gain and preserving a highly racist society rooted in their sense of superiority. Kaveri’s emergence as the protagonist is one of the novel’s highlights; she is a pleasure as she discovers herself and what she stands for. She has a deep sense of compassion, assists others, teaches literacy, and allows nothing to get in her way, whether it be regulations prohibiting her from doing what must be done or others who stand in her way. There are clear references to Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, and Lady Molly, as well as the developing field of fingerprint science.
Kaveri is lovely in every way, making her a character easy to connect with for the supporting cast and the readers. Her intelligence, aspiration to be a mathematician, and burgeoning investigative skills propel her into the center of a murder case involving numerous towns. There is Daphne, a British aristocrat; Mala, a prostitute; Manju and his family; Ismail, a police officer; and Uma Aunty, a nice neighbor. Only a few months with her fiancé, Kaveri traverses a world in which her mother-in-law denies educating females, her husband continues supporting her education. Daphne has a colonial mentality, and she discovers her innate problem-solving intelligence.

The author does not ignore the political and social concerns of the time; they are reflected in the conduct of the characters, their reactions to circumstances, and occasionally their hesitation. Men surrounding Kaveri do not ignore her but rather encourage her. It’s a delightful read that also fits this narrative. In addition to being instructive and amusing, Nagendra’s writing style is rich in descriptive language that illustrates the light and dark sides of Bangalore society, the diversity of character personalities, as well as the emotional aspect of colonialism. Kaveri demonstrates all the great characteristics of a young lady who strives to be the ideal wife and friend, yet she refuses to submit herself. Unless it gives her the information, she needs to learn the truth. Kaveri’s marriage changes as her husband see her abilities as a detective, and if he continues encouraging her ambitions, she may become more than just a wife. The book’s length permits in-depth examination, human encounters, and character development.

Murder Under a Red Moon is the second book in the Bangalore Detectives Club series by Harini Nagendra. In the second installment of the popular Bangalore Detectives Club series, amateur detective Kaveri Murthy discovers a new murder during a blood moon eclipse. When Kaveri Murthy unwillingly agrees to probe a minor crime in order to appease her overbearing mother-in-law — during a blood moon eclipse, no less — she does not expect to stumble onto another murder.

With anti-British feelings increasing, a powerful religious leader gaining power, and the movement for women’s rights gaining momentum, Bangalore is proving to be a much more dangerous and dangerous place than she ever anticipated, and everyone’s intentions are questionable. Along with the Bangalore Detective Club — a motley assortment of street urchins, inquisitive neighbors, a former prostitute, and a cop’s wife — Kaveri once more looks for evidence in her treasured 1920s Ford while wearing her sari.

Kaveri feels she may be coming uncomfortably near to the truth when her safety is threatened abruptly. She must use her wits to discover the murderer before they locate her. The second in the series is narrated with real warmth and wit, creating a complex and sinister mystery with a fascinating duo of amateur investigators. It’s a highly recommended read for Vaseem Khan and Alexander McCall Smith fans.