'An exceptional historical crime novel' C.J. Sansom
'A thought-provoking rollercoaster' Ian Rankin

**SELECTED AS ONE OF WATERSTONES' BEST CRIME BOOKS OF 2017**
**WINNER OF THE CWA ENDEAVOUR HISTORICAL DAGGER 2017**
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE THEAKSTONS OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2018**

India, 1919. Desperate for a fresh start, Captain Sam Wyndham arrives to take up an important post in Calcutta's police force.

He is soon called to the scene of a horrifying murder. The victim was a senior official, and a note in his mouth warns the British to leave India – or else.

With the stability of the Empire under threat, Wyndham and Sergeant 'Surrender-not' Banerjee must solve the case quickly. But there are some who will do anything to stop them...

'One of the most exciting debut novels I've read in years'
Val McDermid

'Highly entertaining...set in a Calcutta so convincingly evoked that readers will find sweat bursting from their foreheads'
Daily Telegraph

'This vivid murder mystery moves at breakneck speeds'
Sunday Times

'Intoxicating... utterly captivating'
Daily Mail

If you enjoyed A Rising Man, the second Sam Wyndham mystery, A Necessary Evil, is available now.