Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages, welcome to the world of The Bharat Empire.
'Durga Noir' is a pulp style detective noir thriller set in an alternative history World that I am building.
The main action takes places in 1970's Calcutta where a down at heel private eye is hired to help find the missing wife of a billionaire industrialist, a small catch being the that the vanished spouse is an old flame of our dysfunctional detective.
Why has the wife gone missing? Who is responsible? What is the connection with a catastrophic event in the prologue?
This novel is an entry into a wider series set in the universe of the 'Bharat Empire', a reality in which the British Indian Empire still exists and rivals the United States for dominance across the World. This isn't the British Raj oh no, this is the Indian Raj ruled principally by Indians since the days of the Bengali Renaissance in the 1800s.
Later novels will eschew niche genres description and cover the history of the Empire, how it diverged from our own history, why it did so, and who is responsible.
The range of the narrative will cover ancient history through to the far future and involve science fiction, historical drama, romance, adventure, and yes more thrillers.
The aim is to build a detailed but not too restrictive framework in the form of a shared universe in which other writers can add their own stories.
The first five 'episodes' will be released today consisting of two prologues, and the first three chapters.
The completed manuscript has been submitted to a publisher, so keep your eyes peeled for further updates!
Enjoy and please share.