Murder in Amaravati

01 July, 2012

Sharath Komarraju

Amaryllis

209 pages, R250

Set in the riverine village of Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh, this novel plants the detective genre in Indian village life. Padmavati, a prostitute, is found murdered, her body dumped in the Kali temple. Men wanted her; women hated her. The onus of solving the case falls on constable Venkat Reddy, a man who has not once managed to crack even a case of petty crime.