Meet Smita Bhattacharya, author of the Darya Nandkarni mysteries

Meredith Rankin

4 years ago

I’m delighted to have Smita Bhattacharya on the blog today. Smita is the author of the Darya Nandkarni mystery series, which she describes as “warm, snug atmospheric mysteries.” I’ll also add that Smita has travelled to many, many places, and her website is full of tales from her travels. (For those of us stuck at home even before the pandemic, we can vicariously travel through her stories and photos. Smita’s a delightful travel guide!) Read on for more about her fun multicultural series.

The Darya Nandkarni Mysteries

For Lovers of Warm Snug Mysteries That Transport You to Exotic Places

The Darya Nandkarni mystery series are cozy atmospheric whodunits. The books provide all that readers love: an exciting mystery, an escape to unknown lands, and the familiarity of lovable and relatable characters.

Darya is an amateur and an accidental detective. She is clever, spirited, resourceful, yet troubled and vulnerable. She is thrown into the most bizarre and seemingly unsolvable mysteries, most involving serial killers. Bumbling, stumbling, and crumbling, she somehow manages to solve all of them.

Darya’s adventures will make you laugh, cry, gape, and marvel. You won’t be able to put down the book until you’ve solved the mystery along with her in whichever exotic location she is.

About Smita Bhattacharya and the Inspiration for the Books

SMITA BHATTACHARYA is an author of cozy and psychological thriller mysteries. She lives in Mumbai. She is also a management consultant, coffee lover, and gipsy-in-her-head. She has solo-travelled to over 40 countries and conducts workshops inspiring others to do the same. Needless to say, her stories are heavily inspired by her travels and those she meets. Smita has five published books and counting. She has too many stories to tell and not enough time.

Some years ago, Smita came to the realization that there were not many books with normal female leads in them. The women in the books she read were usually tragic, struggling, or simpering women waiting for a glance from a hard-hearted (but rich!) man. She wanted to create a normal female lead, like the kind she hung out with or imagined herself to be, who did not have to have suffered tragically or was waiting for a knight-in-clunky-armor; she could do fun things despite it. Hence, was born a series with a strong-willed, stumbling-through-life woman—Darya Nandkarni—who is imperfect and gutsy, and lives as she wants. She uses her cleverness and wit to navigate through life and solve the many bizarre mysteries that are thrown along her way.

The Cozy Mystery Series

Kiss of Salt

Darya is in Goa. Her uncle is dead and she has arrived at his home at Heliconia Lane to clear up his effects. Though she soon realizes several of his neighbors have died under similar suspicious circumstances. Could the motive of the murders be a crime that had taken place twenty years ago—a crime that the neighbors had kept a secret and now were dying for? Darya sets out to solve the mystery, uncaring she was putting her own life in danger.

‘A gripping, intense page-turner.’ – Vineet Bajpai, Author of the Bestselling Harappa Trilogy.

Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/46125102

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SB4M2M6

The Secret Angels

Darya is in Chapel Road, Mumbai. She is here on a short study break. At first, she thinks it’s a quaint little lane to take pictures of and boast about to her friends. But soon she gets to know of the tragic mystery that lurks behind its peculiar charm. Three women have disappeared from there in the past years, purportedly taken by a serial killer. No dead bodies were ever found and no one was ever caught. And now it was that time of year again. Could Darya be next?

‘The Secret Angels is a gripping crime suspense novel that does not let up. It does not waste time and captures readers right away with its mystery. Chapel Road is introduced in both the physical and emotional sense with great imagery. The tone is dark and looming; the story is engrossing and it’s so easy to read. In this tale, Bhattacharya shows Mumbai’s culture and pressing social issues as she sends chills down her audience’s spines.’ – Readers’ Favorite starred review.

Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48611427-the-secret-angels

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Angels-Darya-Nandkarnis-Misadventures-ebook/dp/B07ZMR9MB4/

Who Threw Draco Down the Chimney?

Darya in is Sibiu, Romania. A backpacker is missing. Impressed by Darya’s past exploits, the owner of the missing boy’s hostel tasks Darya to look for him. After some digging, Darya leads the police to an old farmhouse. They find the backpacker’s two-week-old dead body wedged inside the chimney. Along with two others.

The locals think it is the devil’s work. Darya knows not to trust local superstitions, of which there are many. But the crime is so diabolical, so unique, it begs the question: who could be doing this?

Darya needs to find out urgently before she is forced to leave Sibiu. And as she races to solve the mystery, she has to make sure she doesn’t let new friendships or the town’s insidious secrets get in her way.

‘This is a must read for everyone who enjoys mysteries set in unique places and with wonderful twists and turns! What sets the book apart are the characters. Each one is shrouded in mystery, suspicious, hiding something and anyone could be guilty!’ Red Pillows Reviews.

Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55024921-who-threw-draco-down-the-chimney

https://www.amazon.com/Threw-Draco-Chimney-Nandkarnis-Misadventures-ebook/dp/B08FR4JL3J