Atlantic dives in for Murali’s ‘super smart’ début novel

Atlantic has acquired Death in the Air, a “super smart” début novel by Ram Murali.

Fiction editor Joanna Lee obtained UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein on behalf of Chris Parris-Lamb at the Genert Company. Death in the Air will be Atlantic Fiction’s lead début for 2024 and will be a co-publication with Jane Palfreyman at Allen & Unwin Australia. US rights were sold to Noah Eaker at HarperCollins.

“Ro Krishna has it all – rakish charm, an Oxford education, perfect hair,” the synopsis reads. “He’s the kind of guy who’s equally at home in London’s poshest clubs and on the squash court, with enviable wit and style to match.

“When he is dramatically forced to leave a high-profile job that he loves, he decides it’s time to check in for some much-needed R&R at Samsara, a world-class spa for the global cosmopolitan elite nestled in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, where all your wishes are just a gilded notecard away.

“But it’s not just heiresses, white yoga instructors, and Bollywood stars-to-be that have checked in to Samsara: Christmas is approaching, and death is on its way.”

Murali began his career as a lawyer in private practice in London and Paris, and worked for many years across all aspects of film and television development, production and distribution. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College, Columbia Law School, the Sorbonne and the University of Cambridge.

“I’ve been devouring mystery novels since I was a kid, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be publishing one of my own one day,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited and more honoured to be working with the dream team of Harper Books in the US and Atlantic Books in the UK to bring Death in the Air into the world.”

Lee added: “I loved spending time with Ro and the gang at Samsara – Death in the Air is that perfect combination of genre and politics, entwining super smart observations about colonialism, Partition, race and appropriation into a twisty, contemporary murder mystery narrative with wit, humour and style. 

“The lush, hyper-wealthy setting of the spa, coupled with these brilliantly live, distinct characters calls to mind Crazy Rich Asians meets ‘Knives Out’, with shades of ‘The White Lotus’, too. Ram is a major talent – I’m delighted to make him my first major acquisition here at Atlantic Fiction, and I can’t wait to introduce Death in the Air to readers over here.”