Death in the Air of course draws on the story of the same name by Agatha Christie but updates it to the world of the global superrich. It's a classic country house mystery style though this time set in the Himalayas in a remote spa resort accessible only to the 1%. There are brilliant characters created here both in the likeable outsider sleuth Ro - who despite being as wealthy as the others seems to hold himself separately to them - and especially in the brilliantly clever owner of the hotel. This is detection by committee which is perhaps a little bit of a stretch as the police seem to agree to let the suspects listen in on and try and solve the case with a vague explanation of how the 1% have a different way of doing things. The crimes themselves are clever and well-constructed, the novel is twisty and full of colour and life. My only gripe with it was that at moments it felt like a PR piece in Vogue as no one could wear a watch without the reader being known that it was a Patek Philippe and after a while it began to grate. I think that some of the charm was lost on me and in making the novel as contemporary as the author was trying to be it brought in a faux-voice of modernity and thought that jarred again with the construction of the story.

I enjoyed and it's well plotted. 3.5 down to 3 as I was expecting an impossibile crime in a locked room and got a closed circle.
It's an entertaining whodunit set in a luxury retreat and featuring a cast of very rich people.
I think that any comparison to Crazy Rich Asian is not right as this one is set in another culture and I found the cultural aspect fascinating.
The characters are a bit irritating and there's plenty of name dropping and sometimes it put the mystery in the backseat.
The plots and the solutions surprised me and I liked themMany thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
There's potential and I would be glad to read another novel featuring Ro.

A good idea, but lacks the spark and life of Crazy Rich Asians with which it is being compared. It is full of references to expensive lifestyles, but to me they felt a bit added on afterwards. The name-dropping irritated me as it did not add anything to the plot, and I'm afraid that though this book is in a genre I enjoy, and set in a place I know, I DNF.

I love Agatha Christie and I will read every single book that is a homage to her.

I was thrilled to be chosen for this book and got straight down to it.

Samsara was described to perfection and I found this the most engrossing part of the book. The characters were exactly what you would expect, and eclectic and eccentric group and I wanted to find them thrilling.

But this book didn’t hook me, maybe it was too many threads of plot and such a slow pace, but it didn’t live up to my expectations.

On the one hand, Christie esque mystery books are generally a success for me, as I don't have a strong familiarity with Christie's original writing so much as with the adaptions, so I can forgive some of what a true Christie fan would condem. On the other hand, I thought this was poorly done enough that if any true Christie fan is subjected to this book I would be very upset.

There are a few things we get right here - the characters are bold unsubtle versions of the types of characters you would see in a Christie adaption, and I wouldn't say that is a bad thing. I like an over the top character in these books. It was the writing choices that took these character introductions and ruined them. A few other reviewers have mentioned the brand name dropping, but also it was partially brouight down by the sentence structure. The sentences were basic, blunt weapons that dropped the point they were trying to make slap dap in the middle of the page with no finesse.

I lost interest in the characters and plots early on. and didn't really regain much interest even as the plot began to get going in the final quarter.

A debut murder mystery thriller set in Samsara, a luxury spa retreat in India, and whilst it took me a while to get into it it was worth the wait. Now this is not just any ordinary estate but owned by an extremely wealthy lady and clearly only for those of considerable wealth. Ro Krishna, an American with Indian parents, has recently left a really good job and doesn’t really know what to do next. He decides to visit the spa to contemplate his future.

Briefly, set over the Christmas period we meet an eclectic group including, amongst others, an actor, a politician, an heiress, a CIA agent and Penny. Penny is Ro’s mystic pendulum with whom he has conversations! The peace and calm is interrupted by murder and Ro, with his legal background, is asked to help. Whilst there appear to be clear suspects something just doesn’t feel right to Ro.

I enjoyed the cultural aspects of the novel, however, the truth of the killings, which is only discovered in the final pages is still a bit of a mystery to me. That said I really enjoyed the diverse group of characters and the conclusion was a surprise. A good locked room mystery and a fascinating read. 3,5⭐️

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book, but it just wasn't for me. Annoying characters and slow development, as well as too much "name dropping" brands etc.

Loved loved loved this - the setting, the narrative voice, the playfulness of it all - and despite the dark undertones, it had me dreaming of a wellness retreat of my own!

My Bookish Thoughts 💬
I was instantly drawn by the description of a murder mystery set in an exclusive wellbeing retreat in the Himalayas.

Death In The Air is a slow-paced, angst-filled murder mystery. The main protagonist, Ro Krishna, is drawn into a murder investigation. Utilising his experience as a lawyer, he collaborates with other guests to uncover the culprit.

Despite the large cast of characters to remember, I found them to be well-written and memorable. The author brought them to life with their unique quirks and mannerisms, making it easy to picture them in my mind. As with any good murder mystery, I was suspicious of everyone and constantly on the lookout for clues and slip-ups.

Ro, the main protagonist, was someone I couldn't help but like, although his extreme disdain for VB sometimes confused me. Catherine, on the other hand, lacked empathy, and her reactions to certain parts of the interviews disturbed me. Perhaps a sequel will delve deeper into her character.

Mrs. B made for a great hostess, and the wellbeing retreat, with its focus on serenity, meditation and healing, created a wonderful contrast to the looming threat of murder. The atmosphere was well-depicted, though I would have loved more descriptions of the location, as it fascinates me and I’d love to visit.

I got a bit lost in the middle and felt the mystery could have unfolded sooner, but the final section really picked up pace.

Huge thanks to the author, Atlantic Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

‘Death In The Air’ by Ram Murali is a murder mystery set at an exclusive spa resort in the Indian Himalayas. The novel, which is slow paced but full of intrigue, focuses on Londoner Ro Krishna whose Indian ancestry and American upbringing make him fit in among the international jet set. When his experience as a lawyer mean that he is pulled into helping to solve a murder case, will he and select fellow guests be able to assist the police in finding the culprit before Death visits Samsara again?

This book had a lot of characters to introduce, meaning it took a while for the tale to really take hold… At the halfway point, I became totally gripped by the who- (and why-) dunnit, but I must admit that there were moments before that where I considered giving up. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the characters, who were a varied (if all super-wealthy) bunch, but just that the pacing could have been shifted to introduce the air of mystery sooner. I admired all of the ideas and issues covered in the narrative - racism and classism, God as an algorithm and the origins of yoga to name a few. The novel definitely felt more busy than a luxury spa retreat should be - certainly treat this novel as a challenge rather than a relaxation aid.

The ending was unexpected and delicious, and the setting totally immersive throughout. If you enjoy both locked room mysteries and gossipy dramas about the global elite, I’d recommend this one - I’m not surprised it received glowing blurbs from Lucy Foley and Kevin Kwan.

Overall, I’m giving 3.5 stars for this refreshing debut, which I ultimately enjoyed despite some flaws. I’m really excited to see how the author develops and what they turn their hand to next.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Atlantic Books via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I was instantly captivated by the description of this novel. It seemed like such a fascinating setting and premise. A murder mystery set in an exclusive wellness resort in the Himalayan mountains. Fantastic! On that front it didn’t disappoint.

The setting is amazing. I loved the juxtaposition of the wellness, meditation and healing with the threat from the murder. This was so clever and created such a strange atmosphere that made for a wonderful lack of stability as you try to put clues together. I would have liked to have seen more description of the location and mountains though, part of the draw for me was that this was set in the Himalayas but we didn’t see a huge amount of this and it would have been appreciated.

The book was compared to White Lotus, a program I found fascinating, and this was certainly a draw. I could see the similarities and it was useful to hold this in my mind. I was really shocked at the callousness of the characters. They are extremely wealthy and they behave rudely, arrogantly and with little regard for the fellow humans. Death is often treated as a joke and human life has little value beyond the shallow attraction/ entertainment the dead provided for the remaining living. I was quite horrified by this at times. It was hard to empathise with the characters when they themselves seemed so lacking in empathy. There was some language that made me uncomfortable.

This was a really clever murder mystery. I didn’t solve it and I was thrilled with the ending as it made so much sense but felt so unexpected. Very good!

‘India - 10 Days to a New You’
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Ro Krishna is the American son of Indian parents, educated at the finest institutions, equally at home in London’s poshest clubs and on the squash court, but unmoored after he is dramatically forced to leave a high-profile job under mysterious circumstances. He decides it’s time to check in at Samsara, a world-class spa for the elite nestled in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. A person could be spiritually reborn in a place like this.
But a person—or several—could also die there. And as it turns out, the colorful cast of characters Ro meets—including a misanthropic politician; an American movie star preparing for his Bollywood crossover debut; a beautiful heiress to a family jewel fortune that barely survived Partition; and a bumbling white yogi inexplicably there to teach meditation—harbors a murderer among them.
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Being described as Crazy Rich Asians meets Knives Out, this fun romp through a modern day locked room mystery takes you on a journey and a half! Ro is a strangely likeable protagonist even if he lives in a world I could only but dream of!
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Thank you so much @atlanticbooks for sending me this gorgeous early copy! I think we can all agree this cover is BEAUTIFUL 😍📚

Death in the Air is a gripping murder mystery. It's setting - a luxury spa in the Himalayas - is perfect. A great cast of characters is assembled to keep the reader guessing.

Dnf not to say it wasn't good I read 70% but the dialogue between characters was just too mediocre I found it a struggle. At the start I was so excited for this but it seemed to pan out and plod along.

Intriguing Mystery..
Samsara, a world renowned spa catering to the elite and nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, is an escape for Ro Krishna. He is in need of relaxation and perhaps discovery, following leaving a high profile position in more than odd circumstances. Once there, he is to come face to face with an eclectic group of residents. However, something nefarious is afoot at the spa. But what? Intriguing character driven murder mystery with a deftly drawn cast, a well imagined and atmospheric backdrop and a plot where nothing is as it first appears.

I am not really sure how to describe this book, except as a wild ride. And by that, I don't just mean the storytelling, but also my emotions about the characters, including the protagonist, a rather privileged Indian-American man named Ro (short for Rohan).

It took me a while to get into the book, and in the first quarter I was almost beginning to give up hope that it would deliver on the rave reviews by the likes of Lucy Foley. Then things suddenly got interesting, and from that point up to the last 10% of the book, I was fully engaged.

On the plus side, this felt a lot like an Agatha Christie murder mystery set in a world class spa in India. The cast members were all quite fascinating, and brought to life very effectively by the writer. There was a woo-woo element to this story, but it was not the usual exoticisation of India that I expected and dreaded. The Indian characters were in fact very believable and as a person from this region, I don't say that lightly. I have met Mrs B.

But the inconsistencies in Ro's character got a bit annoying after a while. On the one hand, you could (and I did) like him for not being obnoxious despite his privilege, and for his treatment of characters like Mahesh.

On the other hand, his handling of other issues such as the fate of the Latrine (you'll know what I mean if you read the book), or the degree of his aversion to the VB did not seem to fit with what you would expect from somebody who thought about existential issues and spirituality, particularly with respect to Karma.

I felt as though the writer was trying so hard to make him interesting and multifaceted (which he was), that it led to the cramming in of too many mysterious elements and unusual, sometimes contradictory personality traits in one person!

I also felt that the murderer's motivation was not entirely justified or justifiable. It was an interesting idea, though.

The book's real strength lies in the diverse group of characters, many of whom were quite fascinating. And, as it turned out, complicated. The setting was also utilised very effectively. Its portrayal of the rich was a little cliched, also wrt brand name-dropping, but perhaps that was inevitable, given the "global elite" aspect. Still, I thought it was a bit over the top. The ending also felt too abrupt, though I suspect there may be a sequel...

But there were many interesting and insightful little touches in this story. It avoided the stereotypes that many non-resident Asian (or Asian origin) writers are also guilty of offering up to western readers, which I appreciated. And the supporting cast of characters, I must say yet again, was outstanding. So, all in all, worth a read. It gets 3.5 stars, but missed 4 due to Ro's shortcomings, touched upon earlier!