Welcome to Samsara, a world-class spa nestled in the Indian Himalayas where all your wishes are only a gilded notecard away. Ro Krishna has just checked in. With his rakish charm, Oxford education, and perfect hair, he had it all – well, until he left his job under mysterious circumstances. It was super hectic, and Ro decides it’s time for some much-needed R&R. At Samsara, he’s free to explore the innumerable yoga classes, wellness treatments and guided-meditation sessions on offer alongside the rest of the exclusive hotel’s guests.
Until one of the guests – gorgeous, charismatic, well-connected, like most of them – is found dead. As everyone scrambles to figure out what happened, Ro is pulled into an investigation that endangers them all and threatens to spiral beyond the hotel walls. Because it turns out it’s not just heiresses and Bollywood stars-to-be that have checked in: cocktail hour is over, and death is on the prowl…
It's my pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for Death in the Air by Ram Murali today. Many thanks to Izzy from FMcM and Atlantic Books for inviting me and for sending me a copy of the book.
Death in the Air is a rather strange read and one I'm sure will divide readers. However, on balance, I really enjoyed this witty, deceptively dark debut by Ram Murali.
It mostly succeeds thanks to its central character, Ro Krishna. Ro is a highly educated, wealthy man who, at the start of the book, is at a birthday party with other rich socialites in Bermuda. He seems to have everything and is the sort of character who is naturally unlikeable. His insouciant charm is a mask though, and it gradually becomes apparent that while he apparently leads an easy life, the truth is somewhat different. After a slightly bizarre introduction, where he attempts to remain silent at the party without any of the other guests noticing, he meets a couple and is surprisingly open with two strangers about his recent troubles. Although there are very clear indications regarding the eventual consequence of this conversation, the outcome isn't revealed until much later. In the meantime, this is a slow-burning novel which teases the eventual death count and the first murder doesn't actually take place until about a third of the way through the book.
Needing a change, Ro decides to spend the Christmas period at Samsara, an exclusive spa in the Indian Himalayas. During an earlier scene, set in London, one of the other characters remarks that they're fed up with India being constantly described in terms of colours, smells and noises; Death in the Air, is in many ways the antithesis to that, with Samsara constantly compared to Switzerland – and an asylum... Nevertheless, the storyline includes elements of mysticism and religion which may require the reader to set aside their own beliefs. The first instance comes as a surprise and doesn't necessarily feel in keeping with what we already know of Ro. However, further conversations later on reveal more about his faith and while the subject matter might be challenging for those who need their fiction to remain strictly unspiritual, it does put a fresh spin on the locked room murder mystery.
Agatha Christie's Death in the Clouds was published in the USA as Death in the Air, and although Ram Murali's book takes place in the present day, it is knowingly reminiscent of a Golden Age crime novel. Most of the characterisation here is fairly straightforward and seen through the eyes of Ro, who is the only truly fully-developed figure. The others fulfil an almost conventional role in this sort of book; including a wealthy heiress, a formidable older woman, a shady politician with his unfortunate, seemingly innocent wife, and an oddball, unpopular social climber. They're not especially likeable and it's not an emotional moment when the first murder is discovered.
Ro is asked to assist with the murder enquiry, by dint of being one of the few guests present with a cast-iron alibi. The darkly satirical nature of the book becomes increasingly evident, and despite the hotel obviously playing host to a killer, the investigation feels almost like a perplexing parlour game. One of the deaths moves Ro a little more and he does feel genuine grief for this victim but even so, with the exception of the straight-laced police inspector, the lasting impression is that this is a challenge to be unpicked rather than justice needing to be served.
If this sounds like a criticism, it isn't meant to be; this is supposed to be a provocative, fun read and Ram Murali achieves that. It is also a structurally interesting book, and while most is told in the third person narrative following Ro, there are a couple of moments which break the fourth wall and herald the forthcoming deaths. Beyond all this, Death in the Air also explores some more weighty issues, including the lasting repercussions of Partition and colonialism, and the privilege of wealth and class juxtaposed against always being a visible outsider in a white world.
The conclusion won't be to everyone's taste and it isn't what I expected but is that a bad thing in a murder mystery?! Death in the Air is a unique, compelling read and is left open-ended enough to suggest Ram Murali could potentially return to this slightly skewed world. I would certainly welcome a second book and recommend this to anybody willing to try something a little offbeat.
Death in the Air is published by Atlantic, purchasing options can be found here.
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