The blue bar

At the start of this exceptional crime thriller from Biswas (You Beneath Your Skin), 17-year-old bar dancer Tara Mondal, who was sold into prostitution by her father at 13, enters a crowded Mumbai train station one afternoon in 2002, wearing a sari with blue sequins. Her boss, who has given her this odd assignment before, has never explained why he pays her "nearly as much for each of these weird trips to the railway station as she made in a month dancing to lewd Bollywood numbers." This time Tara disappears. In the present, Insp. Arnav Singh Rajput of the Mumbai police, who was once Tara's lover, investigates a series of murders in which the female victims were all decapitated and dismembered; blue sequins were found on or near the bodies. Arnav's search for a serial killer intersects with his efforts to find Tara. Meticulous local color matches sensitive characterizations, including of brave Mumbai police who try to overcome the deadly hazards of the corrupt system they have to work in. This searing portrait of marginalized people struggling for survival is unforgettable. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (Jan.)

Biswas's (You Beneath Your Skin) follows Arnav Singh Rajput, an inspector with the Mumbai police, who is called to the scene where dismembered bodies--some recently killed, judging from their clothing and degree of decomposition--have been found. The bodies were dismembered in a very particular way, and there were blue sequins on the clothing. Arnav immediately suspects a serial killer, but his superiors call on him to close the case, rejecting his theory that this case could be connected to similar ones in the past. Arnav can't let the matter drop, however, because more than 10 years ago, his own girlfriend went missing under eerily similar circumstances. Sneha Mathan narrates this compelling mystery, authentically pronouncing Indian names and lending gravity to the story. Mathan captures the rhythm and cadence of each character, bringing out the diversity of castes, regional dialects, and accents that mark Mumbai society. A lot of action, a bit of romance, and a complex plot make this a good choice for collections looking to branch out from typical fare. VERDICT Libraries with diverse mystery collections will appreciate this Mumbai police procedural, where despite widespread corruption, there is at least one good detective above reproach.--Jodi L. Israel