Praying Mantis (Paperback or Softback)

A thrilling, cozy locked-room holiday mystery from the author of A Will to Kill.

When a guest mysteriously dies at a boutique hotel in the Himalayan foothills, Detective Harith Athreya must find the murderer before they strike again.

ISOLATION

The idyllic Peter Dann Castle is a picture of tranquility as summer blooms in the Himalayan foothills. The heritage hotel has a reputation of being blessed – whatever happens here is said to happen for the good. Detective Harith Athreya is taking a well-earned break, but his holiday is cut short when mysterious bloody handprints appear on the walls around the resort, and he determines to find their origin.

INCRIMINATION

When a guest – Mrinal – falls to her death, the hotelier casts suspicion on five young people who checked in at the same time as the victim but who all claim not to know her - or each other. An angel investor, an interior designer, a popular singer, a religious girl and a freelancer. Would such a group really be plotting something nefarious?

INTRIGUE

Does one of these guests have something to do with the tragedy? Evidence and lies quickly pile up, and it becomes apparent that all the five guests did know Mrinal despite their claims to the contrary. Will Athreya be able to unmask the killer before the hotel claims another victim? Harith Athreya must get to the bottom of the case before the murderer strikes again...

This locked-room holiday mystery is the 3rd book in R V Raman’s acclaimed Harith Athreya series, a smash hit that has been optioned for film in India and whose masterfully fast-paced plots continue to enthrall mystery fans worldwide.

Following a corporate career spanning three decades and four continents, RV Raman now lectures on management, mentors young entrepreneurs, serves as an independent director on company boards, and writes. A Will to Kill is the first novel in the Harith Athreya series, with four subsequent novels in the series also available from Pushkin Vertigo.