Blood Caste The stunning historical crime debut of the year set in Victorian India

Shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Prize 2026
'An exotic take on the Ripper legend' Vaseem Khan

Hyderabad, India, 1895. When three bodies are discovered with mutilations bearing an eerie resemblance to the Ripper's Whitechapel victims, Chief Inspector Soobramania known as Soob is summoned to investigate.

Suspicion alights upon three powerful men: a Russian grand duke and an English earl visiting the city, and their friend, a Deccani noble, who is also the stepson of one of the victims.

Faced with the thorny imperial politics of accusing relatives of Queen Victoria, Soob must ally with his rival in the British Residency Police, Inspector Wilberforce, to hunt down the killer.

So begins a deadly game of cat and mouse played in the shadow of empire, where high birth protects foul deeds and where spilt blood counts for less than wealth.

A richly textured and utterly compelling historical crime thriller from a dazzling debut voice.

'An immersive new entry in the recent flowering of India-set crime fiction, vividly bringing to life the city of Hyderabad at the turn of the nineteenth century. An exotic take on the Ripper legend' Vaseem Khan, author of City of Destruction

'A crackling Victorian-era thriller... intricate and mesmerising' Bonnie MacBird, author of Art in the Blood

'Blood Caste is at once a twisty mystery, a richly evocative slice of history and a searing deep-dive into the uneasy political, racial and religious cross-currents of Victorian India... Shylashri Shankar is a name to watch - hopefully there will be further adventures to come for Inspector Soobramania and his appealing team of allies!' Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network

'A vibrant and beguiling debut. I loved this tale of late nineteenth-century Hyderabad, with its brilliantly rendered settings and cast of colourful characters, headed by the engaging Chief Inspector Soobramania. Definitely one to watch' S.G. MacLean, author of The Seeker

'Engrossing and evocative, extensively researched and tightly plotted, Blood Caste is an atmospheric exploration of a series of terrible murders in the princely state of Hyderabad, during the times of the British Raj... What a pleasure it is to lose yourself in the book, sink into the rich descriptions of Hyderabadi culture, and the mesmerizing beauty of the city itself' Harini Nagendra, author of The Bangalore Detectives Club series

'Gripping and atmospheric' Phil Lecomber, author of Midnight Streets