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The Burning Grounds

Abir Mukherjee author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Vintage Publishing

Published:13th Nov '25

Should be back in stock very soon

This hardback is available in another edition too:

The Burning Grounds cover

'Historical crime fiction at its best' The Times
'An utterly spellbinding triumph from a master storyteller' Joseph O'Connor
'Thrilling, evocative and amusing. It’s a book that has everything' Imran Mahmood

In the Burning Ghats of Calcutta, where the dead are laid to rest, a man is found murdered, his throat cut from ear to ear.


The victim is a popular patron of the arts, a man who was adored by all. So, what was the motive for his murder? Despite being out of favour with the Imperial Police Force, Detective Sam Wyndham is dragged in to investigate and finds himself thrust into the glamorous but dangerous world of Indian cinema.

Meanwhile Surendranath Banerjee, recently returned from Europe after three years spent running from the fallout of his last case, is searching for a missing photographer. When the vanished woman is linked with Sam's murder investigation, the two men find themselves working together once again.

But can Wyndham and Banerjee put their differences aside to solve the case?

'Abir Mukherjee is doing something uniquely different in the crime genre...breathtaking' Peter May, Sunday Times bestseller, on The Shadows of Men

Readers love THE BURNING GROUNDS:

‘A wonderful addition to an exceptional series’
‘Incredibly exciting and action-packed’
‘A must-read for anyone who loves fiction at its best’
‘Beautifully written and a smashing story’
‘An engaging, atmospheric thriller with strong character development and a plot full of intrigue’

An utterly spellbinding triumph from a master storyteller. -- Joseph O’Connor
I really enjoyed it. It was great to be back in the world of Wyndham and Banerjee as they solved a wonderfully imagined story told with all of Abir’s trademark wry humour. I especially liked the way he brought all of Kolkata’s satanic majesty to life. -- Ajay Chowdhury
I devoured it... Thrilling, evocative and amusing. It’s a book that has everything * Imran Mahmood *
Mukherjee’s tale from the Rag, full of local colour and excitement, is about blood, money and “the callousness of the universe”… Historical crime fiction at its best * The Times *
Another gloriously brilliant deep dive into the dying days of the British Empire from one of our foremost historical crime writers * Daily Mirror *
Another masterful Wyndham and Banerjee series, delivered with the usual panache * Financial Times *
Sharp observation and ­stylish writing make it one not to miss * Daily Mail *
Throw in a beautiful English actress starring in an Indian film and you have the ingredients of a superb story set against the backdrop of colonial India . Sharp observation and stylish writing make it one not to miss * Daily Mail *
Mukherjee's eye for period detail and ear for dialogue bring this world vividly, dangerously alive * i Paper *
Mukherjee blends compelling plot with fascinating history * Mail on Sunday *

ISBN: 9781787302785

Dimensions: 243mm x 164mm x 35mm

Weight: 600g

384 pages