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The Murder that Rocked the British Raj
‘Dan Morrison has unearthed a fabulous true-crime story and embedded it within a fascinating work of micro history. David Grann has competition.’ ROBERT TWIGGER, author of Walking the Great North Line
A crowded train platform. A painful jolt to the arm. A mysterious fever. And a fortune in the balance. Welcome to a Calcutta murder so diabolical in planning, modern in conception, and cold in execution that it made headlines from London to Sydney to New York.
In The Prince and the Poisoner, Dan Morrison unravels the gruesome tale of two warring brothers, set amidst the febrile atmosphere of Jazz Age India. It is the story of a city and an empire on the cusp of cataclysmic change, capturing a moment when centuries-old assumptions and expressions of power become forever altered for Indians and Englishmen alike.
Moving at the pace of a thriller, Morrison’s investigation of a riveting fratricide among India’s rural aristocracy pulls the reader on a journey from Calcutta to Bombay, through feudal estates, viceregal balls, police interrogation cells and colonial courtrooms – a world of movies, dancing, protest and revolutionary violence.
‘Blood on blood: There’s no murder like brother murder, and there’s no place like 1930s Calcutta. In The Prince and the Poisoner, Dan Morrison brings to life one of the most fascinating murders of the past hundred years . . . And the prose? It’s as sharp as a poison needle and almost as deadly.’ ELLIS HENICAN, New York Times bestselling author
‘Plagues and poisoners, freedom and ferment in 1930s Calcutta: this pacy, absolutely gripping historical thriller is a gift to all true crime fans.’ NILANJANA ROY, author of Black River
‘The Prince and the Poisoner charges along at a galloping pace . . . Morrison has achieved that rare success: a work of historical nonfiction that reads like a thriller.’ NINA SIEGAL, author of The Diary Keepers
21st April, 2023 in True Crime
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