In 1937 India, disenchanted soldier William Avery and culturally acclimatized secret political agent Jeremiah Blake start by trying to find a missing writer and end up enmeshed in the dangerous Thuggee cult. Long-listed for the 2014 Baileys Women's Prize and short-listed for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award; Carter has already done well with her nonfiction books, Anthony Blunt and George, Nicholas and Wilhelm.

From the thrilling prolog to the satisfying conclusion, former journalist and nonfiction author Carter's (Anthony Blunt: His Lives) first foray into fiction hooks the reader into a ripping adventure ride, full of danger, conspiracy, and trickery. Young William Avery, a soldier in the service of the British East India Company in 1837 India, receives an unexpected assignment. He is to accompany Jeremiah Blake, a secret political agent with an astonishing talent for languages and Sherlock Holmesian disguises, on a mission to find the scandalous British writer Xavier Mountstuart, who is missing. Each twist and turn of the duo's journey draws them deeper into the mystery of the sinister Thuggee cult and closer to uncovering the shocking truth at the heart of the puzzle of Mountstuart's disappearance. VERDICT Carter's clever historical thriller is a winner. The details of life in 1830s India are enthralling, as is the history of the Thugs. Historical fiction fans who love action, adventure, and intrigue supported by incredible research will devour this novel, which was longlisted for the 2014 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. [See Prepub Alert, 9/15/14.]—Barbara Clark-Greene, Groton P.L., CT

Colonial India in 1837 comes alive in Carter's superior fiction debut. Col. Patrick Buchanan, the chief military secretary of the Honorable East India Company in Calcutta, directs a former company officer, the Sherlock Holmes–like Jeremiah Blake, to search for Xavier Mountstuart, the author of popular romance fiction rumored to be based on fact, who disappeared after visiting the headquarters of the company's thuggee department. The officer who runs this department is determined to rid the country of the threat from the murderous thuggee gangs. William Avery, a callow young company officer, is to accompany Blake. Buchanan warns Avery that while success will gain him whatever posting he desires, failure will doom him to end his days in the "most remote malarial hole in Bengal." The quest takes some surprising turns, and Carter (Anthony Blunt: His Lives) is masterly at keeping the reader guessing what's really going on. The final revelation is both jaw-dropping and plausible. Agent: Bill Hamilton, A.M. Heath (U.K.). (Mar.)