*A THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR** ‘An exceptional historical crime novel’ C.J. Sansom on A Rising Man Calcutta, 1923. When a Hindu theologian is found murdered in his home, the city is on the brink of all-out religious war. Can officers of the Imperial Police Force, Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath Banerjee track down those responsible in time to stop a bloodbath? Set at a time of heightened political tension, beginning in atmospheric Calcutta and taking the detectives all the way to bustling Bombay, the latest instalment in this ‘unmissable’ (The Times) series presents Wyndham and Banerjee with an unprecedented challenge. Will this be the case that finally drives them apart? ‘An engaging, evocative thriller that captures the heat of Indian nights and heady days of a bygone era, without being sentimental or simplistic’ Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal Praise for the Wyndham and Banerjee series : ‘Abir Mukherjee is doing something uniquely different in the crime genre…breathtaking’ Peter May, bestselling author of Lockdown ‘A thought-provoking rollercoaster’ Ian Rankin ‘Cracking… A journey into the dark underbelly of the British Raj’ Daily Express If you enjoyed The Shadows of Men further books in the Wyndham and Banerjee series are available now: A Rising Man A Necessary Evil Smoke and Ashes Death in the East