It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
Smoke and Ashes

Smoke and Ashes

‘A brilliantly conceived murder mystery’ C.J. Sansom

Summary

** A THE SUNDAY TIMES BEST 100 BEST CRIME NOVELS SINCE 1945**

'Smoke and Ashes is Abir Mukherjee's best book yet; a brilliantly conceived murder mystery set amidst political and social turmoil - beautifully crafted' C.J. Sansom

India, 1921. Captain Sam Wyndham is battling a serious addiction to opium that he must keep secret from his superiors in the Calcutta police force.

But Wyndham finds himself in a tight spot when he stumbles across a corpse in an opium den. When he then comes across a second body bearing the same injuries, Wyndham is convinced that there's a deranged killer on the loose.

However, revealing his presence in the opium den could cost him his career.

As Wyndham and Sergeant 'Surrender-not' Banerjee set out to solve the two murders, Wyndham must tread carefully, keeping his personal demons secret, before someone else turns up dead...

*HUNTED, THE BLOCKBUSTER CONTEMPORARY THRILLER BY ABIR MUKHERJEE, IS AVAILABLE TO PREORDER NOW*

----

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 CWA SAPERE HISTORICAL DAGGER
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 HWA GOLD CROWN
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 CWA GOLD DAGGER

Praise for the Wyndham and Banerjee series:

'It is the flamboyant evocation of Calcutta that makes this such a mesmerising read' Guardian

'A thought-provoking rollercoaster' Ian Rankin

'Cracking... A journey into the dark underbelly of the British Raj' Daily Express

If you enjoyed Smoke and Ashes further books in the Wyndham and Banerjee series are available now:

A Rising Man
A Necessary Evil
Death in the East
The Shadows of Men

Reviews

  • Smoke and Ashes is Abir Mukherjee's best book yet; a brilliantly conceived murder mystery set amidst political and social turmoil – beautifully crafted.
    CJ Sansom

About the author

Abir Mukherjee

Abir Mukherjee is the bestselling author of the award-winning Wyndham & Banerjee series of crime novels set in 1920s India. His books have been translated into fifteen languages and won various awards including the CWA Dagger for best Historical Novel, the Prix du Polar Européen, and the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing. He also co-hosts the popular Red Hot Chilli Writers podcast which takes a wry look at the world of books, writing, and the creative arts, tackling everything from bestsellers to pop culture.

Abir grew up in Scotland and now lives in Surrey with his wife and two sons.

Website: abirmukherjee.com
Twitter, Threads & Instagram: @radiomukhers
Facebook: AuthorAbir
Learn More

More in this series

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more