The latest mystery brings back the unlikely crime-solving duo against a backdrop of family secrets, greed and a deadly inheritance battle
Irish nun Sister Agatha Murphy and Indian hotel owner Avtar Mehta return in a new crime mystery set in Delhi, where a murder inside a locked room draws the unlikely investigative duo into a dangerous web of family secrets.

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The story begins with the death of the authoritarian matriarch of one of Delhi’s wealthiest families inside the historic Elephant House. With all her children having possible motives, Sister Agatha and Avtar are forced to determine whether the killing was driven by the promise of inheritance or by a deeper, long-standing grievance.

Their investigation takes them through a world of feuding siblings, hidden debts and powerful criminal networks. As Delhi prepares to celebrate Lohri, the pair also find themselves caught amid a police siege and the influence of a gangster whose reach extends far beyond the city’s underworld.

The mystery combines a classic locked-room murder with humour and colourful local detail, including the unlikely presence of a cigarette-stealing elephant.

As the investigation deepens, Sister Agatha and Avtar must contend with betrayal and manipulation while trying to identify a killer willing to go to extreme lengths. With no one above suspicion, the duo face the question of whether they are solving the murder—or being deliberately led towards a trap.

The book has been praised by Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith, who called it “a gem of a book” and “a complete delight.”