Bhrigu Mahesh, PhD

In the idyllic village of Senduwar, fortune seems to smile on its poor residents when they discover precious pieces of a lost treasure accumulating on an abandoned floodplain purportedly haunted by the spirit of an angry witch. The gold pursuit that follows benefits the lives of many but destroys that of a mother when her son, Malthu, dies in a freak accident a few feet from the treasure site. The superstitious villagers believe that the witch, Jiyashree, has risen from her sleep to punish Malthu—the first person to invade her resting place. Fearful, they abandon the hunt and return to their homes. When detective Bhrigu Mahesh arrives on the scene, the mother asks for his help to clear the mystery behind Malthu’s mysterious death. As Mahesh begins investigating with his unique style, he soon finds himself on the trail of a murderer that leads him to unveil astonishing secrets, beguiling lies, and a tragic tale of a selfless young girl. In this compelling thriller, a great detective on a quest to solve a complex mystery must separate truth from legend in order to find a killer and restore order in an Indian village. Nisha Singh is a crime fiction enthusiast who has written short stories for National Print Magazine and has contributed to a variety of online publications. Nisha resides in Uttar Pradesh, India, where she enjoys reading, watching movies, and gossiping.