First five star read in a few reads! This was the one that helped me out of my reading slump. I loved this story! The characters were relatable and I loved spending time with them. The atmosphere of book took place over different locations. I felt like I was there at each location soaking up and enjoying the environment. This is my first book by this author, but it will not be my last.

#DEATHINTHEAIR
#RAMMURALI
#NETGALLEY

I thought this was going to be more like Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone. Instead, it was slow and a bit pretentious. However, I did learn a few new things about Indian culture, so it wasn't a total loss.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Ram Murali’s debut novel, “Death in the Air,” is a masterful blend of classic and contemporary mystery elements, creating a sophisticated and engaging whodunit that will captivate readers from start to finish. 

Set against the opulent backdrop of an international gathering of the elite, “Death in the Air” follows Ro Krishna, a lawyer who finds himself embroiled in a murder investigation when a body is discovered at a lavish party.

Murali’s plot is meticulously crafted, with each twist and turn adding layers of complexity to the mystery.

Ro Krishna is a compelling protagonist, whose sharp intellect and moral compass guide him through the labyrinthine investigation. His interactions with the diverse cast of characters, each with their own secrets and motives, add depth and richness to the story.

Murali’s writing is elegant and accessible, capturing the essence of the high-stakes world in which the story unfolds. His prose is crisp and evocative, painting vivid pictures of the luxurious settings and the tension-filled atmosphere.

“Death in the Air” is a standout debut that showcases Ram Murali’s talent for crafting compelling mysteries with a modern twist. It is a novel that not only entertains but also provokes thought, challenging readers to consider the complexities of privilege and the human condition.

Whether you’re a seasoned mystery aficionado or new to the genre, “Death in the Air” is a must-read that promises to keep you guessing until the very end. It’s a brilliant start to what promises to be a remarkable career for Ram Murali.

Such a fun murder mystery, especially for Agatha Christie fans. It has all the luxury of Crazy Rich Asians in a fabulous new setting, an exclusive spa resort in India. Perfect for summer reading. I've been recommending this to everybody this summer.

Having returned from Nepal earlier this year I was very excited to be back in this world and environment. I thought this was a fun time for all.

Death in the Air was such a fun ride. It delivers all the fun twists and secrets of a good locked-door murder mystery, but the tone is unlike anything I've ever read. The witty, bantering tone of the dialogue resembles other recent self-aware murder mysteries, like Ben Stevenson's Ernest Cunningham books, but Death in the Air includes an unapologetic bit of deus ex machina: the protagonist, Ro, relies on fate and intuition to make a few key decisions. This violation of genre conventions pays off in fascinating ways, especially in a story set in a Himalayan spiritual retreat.

In this story, every coincidence is significant.

The characters, all privileged, quick-witted, and a bit odd, represent the often uncomfortable intersections of the Western cultural elite and the loftiest tiers of Indian society. Ro, and many of the side characters, belong to a cosmopolitan class of affluent Indian expatriates, simultaneously succeeding in the West and living with the knowledge that they will always stand out in a white-dominated social milieu. Ro is always aware of both his Indian-ness and his own disconnect from the land and language of his ancestors.

When a professional disaster leads to an unexpected bit of free time, Ro is easily persuaded to spend the winter holidays at an exclusive spa resort in the Indian Himalaya where some friends will be staying. And when folks start turning up dead, he finds himself in the middle of the investigation.

I'm reluctant to give anything away, but the characters' secrets in this mystery were explosive and delicious, and the connecting threads between everyone had my brain feeling like a conspiracy theorist's yarn-covered corkboard.

I sincerely hope that Murali has a sequel planned (or, even better, already written) because the very end of this one has me dying to see what happens next.

This mystery was a struggle for me to read. I was really excited for it with all the good things I was hearing but overall it missed the mark. The very slow burn mystery just took too long to develop for me to stay interested.

3.5 Stars

Ro Krishna is an American of Indian descent who was forced to leave a high-profile job overseeing the construction of a cultural center. Ro is furious about this and feels his boss mistreated him, but is dealing with it as best as he can. A friend suggests Ro take some time for himself at Samsara, an expensive spa in the Indian Himalayas. Ro finds that he enjoys catching up with friends there, learning to do yoga and meditation, and improving his physical and spiritual health. When a beautiful woman is killed, Ro is asked to help with the investigation, which uncovers a lot of secrets, some of which could be dangerous to know.

This is a very unique and unusual book. It is slow to get going as it sets up the story. Things pick up when Ro arrives at the spa, but the pace remains uneven. The investigation itself is engaging and Ro is an intelligent and observant sleuth. Some ways Ro obtains information are quite mystical, which is another way the book is unique. The spa setting is interesting as is some of the information about meditation and the other treatments Ro undergoes. However, there are too many details about these things, which slows down the story as it gets started.

With the exception of some of the hotel staff, all of the characters are wealthy, privileged, and self-centered, flaunting expensive jewelry and name-dropping expensive brand names. There is a dark humor throughout the book that was sometimes amusing but often fell flat for me. There are a few references to events in Indian history that are informative and help explain the actions of some of the characters. Just when it looks like the case has been solved, unexpected developments occur, leading to a shocking and somewhat confusing ending. The twist ending and the fascinating setting help make this book a good choice for readers looking for a different kind of mystery in spite of some of the flaws.

~ Christine

I really really want to like this book. Loved the exotic location and the locked-room set-up.. Lots of light-weight-banter among uber-rich behaving badly. Lots of suspicions and intrigue. BUT I hated the ending. Full stop. Mot satisfying..

I was drawn to this book by the cover and description. It did not disappoint.

This is a very clever and fun debut. With a take on a locked room mystery, the author introduces characters, murder and mayhem. Will Ro Krishna figure out what is going on and why? As is often the case, the fun is in witnessing the unfolding events.

Mystery fans, this should be one of your books of the summer!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper for this title. All opinions are my own.

This story reminded me of Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot. Good mystery with interesting characters.

I had high hopes for Ram Murali's Death in the Air. Unfortunately, almost none of those hopes were realized. First of all, the writing style kept me at a distance. I felt like I was peering down at the stage from the nosebleed seats. This kept me from being fully engaged in the story.

Secondly, the setting in the Himalayan foothills was one of the major reasons why I chose to read this book. As far as the setting goes, Death in the Air could have been set anywhere.

Thirdly, the cast of characters did nothing to engage my interest. They were an assortment of entitled young people swanning around the resort in designer clothing and jewels. Oh, and most of the men had great hair, too.

The only thing that truly interested me was the mystery itself even though one of the reveals at the end wasn't surprising. Death in the Air is a mystery for the plot-driven reader, who should enjoy deducing whodunit. Alas, I am not a plot-driven reader.

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 for some much-needed R&R at Samsara, a world-class spa for the global cosmopolitan elite nestled in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. A person could be spiritually reborn in a place like this. Even a very rich person. But a person—or several—could also die there. Samsara is the Sanskrit word for the karmic cycle of death and rebirth, after all. 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. Maybe more than one. As the death toll rises, Ro, a lawyer by training and a sleuth by circumstance, becomes embroiled in a vicious world under a gilded surface, where nothing is quite what it seems. This is apparently a debut novel and reads like one. Confusing plot, characters you will hate and the brand name dropping is endless. Endless. And distracting. I get it. These are rich people. Ending was disappointing. Had high hopes based on the description but was ultimately left disappointed.

The premise of this book unsurprisingly is what drew me to read it, and while the set up took a bit too long, I was hooked and wanted to know who the murderer was once the first death happened. I couldn't read fast enough. The setting is great. There's a good mix of characters. The plot (at the spa) isn't obvious.

But. Am I supposed to dislike everyone? If that's what the author was going for, then he succeeded. There was no redemption for anyone by the end, and frankly, I was a bit confused about some of the storyline. Perhaps it's a setup for a sequel? Also, the descriptive writing was wonderful for setting the scene, but overkill regarding brand names and jewelry. I'm wondering if that was an attempt to make the reader understand how focused the narrator/main character was on it or an attempt at some characters' attention to detail. Either way, it was too much.

Overall, I did enjoy the story. I wouldn't compare it to Crazy Rich Asians, at all, but otherwise I think the book description is accurate.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

As a fan of movies and TV in the same vein (Glass Onion, The White Lotus) I really wanted to like the book. Where it fell short was how much I despised everyone. You can hate characters in books, sure, but I also wanted to like this for the mystery, and it didn't get me there either.

What stood out to me were the small, and constant descriptions of how uber rich these characters are and how it was getting eye-rollingly frustrating to keep reading. Truly was struggling to finish reading. DNF, but maybe will return to it when I'm itching for reading about these kinds of characters.

Smug. Boring. Dragged. WOW. Really didn't enjoy this. To quote another reviewer: "this book is about a bunch of rich people at a spa and someone ends up murdered."

Death in the Air primarily takes place at a resort called Samsara in India. Ro, after leaving his job, has been recommended by many to take a vacation to this resort over the Christmas holidays. Here he'll receive massages, do yoga and meditation, and have doctor visits. Along the way he makes a lot of friends… and also gets caught up in a lot of murders.
This was definitely a unique book for me. I can't remember reading a mystery that takes place in India, and I found this book to be a little educational as far as Indian culture.
However, I felt like that was part of the point - to use the story to heavily share the religious and cultural beliefs of many Indians. Ro also brings up the Partition, a major historical event, though I still am not sure exactly what happened.
I liked how the story was at this health resort. It was a secluded location. It was obvious that the culprit was one of the people at the spa. Nothing was obvious and the story was very intriguing.
Most, if not all, of the main characters are rich, which became annoying. The readers often read in-depth descriptions of the jewelry and clothes people were wearing. I've read some books where there are some rich characters, but this book really beats a dead horse with it.
I would recommend this book because of how unique it felt.

I had such high hopes for this based on the description, but it fell incredibly short. I think there was wayyyy too much going on, and a lot of the plot points felt really forced. I also couldn’t tell which characters I was supposed to like because they are all pretty unlikable. Also, the dialogue felt really stunted, and the way the characters acted did not fit the vibe (such as giggling after finding out about a murder). I’m all for some wackiness in a cozy mystery, but this felt off. I did love the setting and atmosphere, but there was a lot lacking.

BIPOC Mystery that features an Indian American lawyer, with secrets of his own, turns sleuth after his fellow guests at an elite Indian spa are killed off one-by-one.

4/5 stars: This is Murali's stand-alone BIPOC Mystery that features a wealthy Indian American lawyer, who has secrets of his own, as he turns sleuth after his fellow guests at an elite Indian spa start being murdered one-by-one. With plenty of plot twists, Murali writes a gripping mystery that will leave you on the edge until the final reveal. I really like how Murali's plot unfolded and deftly wove everything together. Additionally, Murali's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Ro's totally engaging and makes for an interesting protagonist. I also thought Murali's cast of characters were well-written and provided the perfect ensemble for this spin the classic isolated murder trope. Murali touches on some serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs. I could so see this as a movie, in fact I would LOVE to see this as a movie! A great read!

I received this eARC thanks to Harper in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I really struggled to get into this book. The characters (as advertised) are filthy rich which obviously is intriguing but it also makes them ridiculously hard to relate to or care for. Honestly, I dnfed at around 25% because I didn’t have the energy to continue. I had high hopes for this one but I just don’t think the storyline is for me. Maybe it’s worth another try someday but I don’t think I’ll be reading it again anytime soon.