But I Smile Anyway…

Today, I am on the blog tour for Ram Murali’s debut, Death In The Air.

The Blurb

‘Unexpected delights await on every page of Ram Murali’s impressive and captivating debut. Crisp as a gin and tonic and delightfully wicked, this smart, smart novel delivers a sophisticated, subversive murder mystery set in the highest stratosphere of the international idle rich. I had to force myself not to binge it in one night so I could savor it like the rare and exquisite meal that it is.’

Kevin Kwan, bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians

Ro Krishna seems to have it all: charm, Oxford and Ivy League education, perfect hair and a successful career – until he was forced to leave his job under mysterious circumstances. Reeling, he decides to recover from the stress at Samsara, a world-class luxury wellness resort in the Indian Himalayas, where he can enjoy innumerable yoga classes, massages and guided-meditation sessions alongside the hotel’s other rich and well-connected guests. 

But between the treatments and enforced daily steams, there’s plenty of tension and intrigue amongst the clientele of charismatic heiresses, films stars and politicians… and then one of the guests is found dead. As the police arrive and the hotel scrambles to keep the murder quiet, Ro is pulled into an investigation where nothing is as it seems, endangering them all. 

It’s not just heiresses and Bollywood stars-to-be staying at Samsara. A murderer has also checked in – and they’re not leaving yet.

My Review

Death in the Air by Ram Murali
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have always liked to support South Asian authors, and when I was approached to read a copy of this book for the book tour, I readily agreed.
Murder mysteries aren’t my usual choice of genre, though I have been known to read them.
Ram Murali’s main character, Ro Krishna, is involved in work-related problems from the beginning of the book. He meets some shady characters mentioned at the beginning, but they seem to disappear until the end.
Taking a complete break from his usual life, he ends up at a spa resort in the Himalayas, Samsara. There, he meets a few of the other guests and meets new people from completely different backgrounds.
Then tragedy strikes and a body is found.
He ends up being involved in the investigations and tries to solve the mystery with some of the others and the Police.
Honestly?
I was intrigued to find out what happened.
Still, I did find it hard to get into because there were many references to fashion brands, sometimes unnecessarily, and not every situation was clear.
Ro has a crystal, Pendy, whom he talks to, and their communication isn’t always easy to understand.
I’m not sure the ending was as clear-cut as I had hoped.

About the Author

Ram Murali began his career as a lawyer in private practice in London and Paris, and worked for many years across all aspects of film and television development, production and distribution. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College, Columbia Law School, the Sorbonne and the University of Cambridge.

PRAISE FOR Death In the Air

‘Glamorous, gripping, absolutely heaps of fun. I loved this’ – Lucy Foley, bestselling author of The Paris Apartment and The Guest List 

‘A stunning, sophisticated, scalpel-sharp murder mystery. Powerful, fun and hugely rewarding. Immensely impressive’ – Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin At The End 

‘A warm broth of Golden Age mystery (both Agatha Christie and Richard Osman would be proud)… Evocative, provocative, and very, very fun’  – AJ Finn, author of End of Story

‘A romp of a whodunit, poking fun at the über wealthy whilst calmly meditating on both the horror of Partition and identity in a globalized world. I rattled through it. Ro is a very charming lead character indeed!’  – Charlotte Vassell, author of The Other Half