Mystery in India
A Tale of Madness and Myth in 1920s India
Mandla, Central India – 1924
The town wakes with the sound of sandals on stone, the rattle of milk pails, and the cry of vendors carrying their trade through narrow lanes. The scent of woodsmoke and cardamom lingers above the river breeze, while the golden haze of morning curls over tiled rooftops. At the bazaar, laughter competes with bargaining, goats nose through trash heaps, and a sarangi drifts its mournful tune into the day.
Yet, beyond the bustle, the jungle waits. It presses close, green and vast, where the old railway line vanishes into a darkness no one dares enter. Locals cross themselves with charms and hurry past its edge, muttering of things better left unnamed.
Frank Sinclair, an Englishman far from home, has learned to live between these two worlds – the measured pulse of the town and the watchful silence of the forest. At his side is Anil Singh, a former sepoy who carries the kind of steadiness only hardship can forge. And always nearby is Tom, Frank's scarred grey tomcat, silent and unyielding.
Together, they are drawn to mysteries that the bazaar whispers of but never explains. For in Mandla, the air itself seems to carry secrets – and the first breath of each day may be the beginning of something no one is prepared to face.
About the Book
Work in Progress. This atmospheric tale of colonial India explores the tension between the familiar and the unknowable, where ancient traditions meet modern intrusions, and where the jungle holds secrets that predate human memory.