The Chequerboard

Four novelettes and one mystery The year is 1857 and the Indian heartland is painted in hues of red. Tales riddled with passion jealousy revenge and loss emerge from this conflict. Awadh is simmering Sir Henry Lawrence is in command but The Four Pawns led by Bakht Khan seek rolling heads as trophies a battle is won and a broken heart finds reprieve in writing diaries The Ignorant Knight Nihal helped by the goatherd Mir sets out to save his emperor Bahadur Shah II. Rain partners with death to create anarchy in the by lanes of old Dilli. Will the King be saved? It is Calcutta 1950; The Beautiful Queen Shreelata Majumdar is ready for life. But fate intervenes and lives are torn apart her father is accused of murder and she has an attaché case to deliver. The pulsating mystery at the hub of the four novelettes deepens. A quest for The Last King starts. The game on the chequerboard has reached the final stage every move is crucial as the young guide Krishna and researcher Zahi return to old Delhi to search for answers.