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Canelo Crime snaps up Victorian India historical thriller by Shylashri Shankar in three-book deal
Canelo Crime has snapped up Victorian India historical crime thriller by Shylashri Shankar in a three-book deal. Commissioning editor Kit Nevile has acquired world English language rights to Shankar’s new historical mystery series from James Wills at Watson, Little in a three-book deal.
In Blood Caste, set against the backdrop of 1890s Hyderabad, the first book in the Murder in the Deccan series, rivalries flare between Chief Inspector Soobramania, an outcast Brahmin detective, and Inspector Wilberforce, a curmudgeonly British expat who must join forces uncover the truth behind a slew of Ripper-esque killings.
Nevile said: "Blood Caste is a truly wonderful piece of crime fiction, ushering a complex and captivating mystery through a doorway into a vivid and fascinating period of history hitherto untouched by the genre. Shylashri explores with great skill the Ripper myth, the impact of colonialism and the caste system. I’m beyond excited to see the response from readers to the Murder in the Deccan series."
Shankar said: "I’m absolutely thrilled that my book has found such a great home. It made me very happy to read Kit’s publishing proposal, which grasped the heart of Blood Caste—the struggle of an excommunicated Brahmin policeman with caste, class and racial hierarchies and his uneasy alliance with a cantankerous British inspector to solve the mystery around the Ripper’s presence in the Deccan. I’m looking forward to working with Kit and the Canelo team on Blood Caste and its sequels."
Wills said: "Blood Caste is a wonderful, atmospheric and hugely entertaining debut. Chief Inspector Soobramania, or Soob, is such a brilliant character and soon to be your new favourite detective."
