A Nest of Vipers, Harini Nagendra's twisty third mystery featuring amateur sleuth and mathematician Kaveri Murthy, plunges into Indian politics in the 1920s as Kaveri is drawn into a web of conspiracies while searching for a young man's missing father.
As Great Britain's Prince Edward prepares to visit Bangalore in early 1922, Kaveri and her doctor husband, Ramu, stumble onto a mystery at the circus: a magician known as Das goes missing after his performance. His son, Suman, enlists Kaveri's help in finding his father, but both men are hiding multiple secrets. As Kaveri investigates, she uncovers connections to a local ring of thieves, the growing Indian independence movement, and her friend Anandi's unsavory husband. With the help of Ramu and her female friends in the Bangalore Detectives Club, Kaveri must solve the mystery before the prince arrives and Bangalore's citizens are put in danger.
Nagendra (The Bangalore Detectives Club, Murder Under a Red Moon) expertly weaves together Indian politics (as when Kaveri attends a secret meeting of the independence movement) with concerns of daily life. Sharp-eyed, tenacious Kaveri crisscrosses Bangalore in search of answers regarding Das's disappearance, the recent spate of burglaries of wealthy homes, and the rumblings of possible danger. Kaveri's friends hold a range of views regarding India's occupation by the British, but all of them work together to counter threats to their city. Kaveri solves the mystery in satisfying fashion, with some wry commentary by several characters on the limitations of the British Empire, and--of course--a few mouthwatering snacks when the job is complete. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams