The Shadow

Published March 2025’

The Shadow

A ritual killing. An ancient curse. What's myth... and what's murder?

After a bruising encounter with a terrorist group, Detective Kamil Rahman has decided to hand in his resignation to the Met and set up a detective agency with his friend Anjoli. But when his boss asks him to go to India to investigate the murder of a British engineer who was found with eighteen arrows stuck in his body, Kamil agrees to take the case, as long as Anjoli can accompany him.

When they arrive in Mumbai, they find someone is on a gruesome killing spree, striking down those connected to the engineer in increasingly macabre ways. Meanwhile, an old friend of Kamil’s gets in touch to beg for his help: he believes his family are cursed, and that he is going to die on his 47^th birthday, just like his father and grandfather before him.

As the body count rises, Kamil is torn between solving a very real murder case and protecting his friend from a grisly – if far-fetched – fate. Can he catch a killer and prevent an ancient curse before more people lose their lives?

The Shadow

Published March 2025’

Reader Reviews

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Surjit P

My thoughts about Ajay Chowdhury’s The Shadow is a captivating blend of historical intrigue, police procedural, and supernatural suspense. This gripping novel follows Detective Kamil Rahman as he delves into a series of ritualistic murders in Mumbai. Chowdhury’s vivid descriptions of the bustling city and its darker underbelly create a rich and immersive atmosphere. The plot is intricate and filled with unexpected twists, keeping the reader engaged from beginning to end. The characters are well-developed, with Kamil Rahman emerging as a complex and compelling protagonist. The author skillfully blends historical facts with supernatural elements, creating a unique and thought-provoking narrative. The tension between the rational and the irrational adds a layer of psychological depth to the story. The Shadow is a must-read for fans of crime fiction, historical fiction, and supernatural thrillers. It’s a testament to Chowdhury’s talent as a storyteller and a promising start to a new series.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dave B

The Shadow is a bit of change of direction in Ajay Chowdhury’s excellent Kamil Rahman series in that there’s suggestions of the supernatural……something that would normally have me throwing a Detective book aside in exasperation.
Thankfully this is relevant to a very involving story and I think this is the strongest book in the series.

On the verge of handing his notice in Rahman is asked by his boss to go to India to investigate the bizarre,ritualistic killing of a British Engineer. agreeing on condition that he can take friend/unsuspecting love interest Anjoli with him. On arriving in Mumbai Rahman stays with an old friend ,Darius, who is panicking as his 47th birthday approaches, an event that has already seen a curse on his family apparently kill previous generations. When more bizarre deaths appear to be linked to both Darius and an old nemesis of Rahman things get very complicated ……and very deadly.

This is quite a complex tale but one that also introduces many aspects of India’s culture ,religious ,social,political and historical, all of which add to and play big parts in the story. Quite sobering is reading the author’s notes after the story and realising what appears to be a quite shocking and borderline unbelievable part of the plot is something currently mooted in Mumbai.

I really enjoyed The Shadow on a number of levels. Firstly it’s an excellent thriller but also I was intrigued enough about several of the references to Mumbai,it’s places,people and history that I spent a few hours after finishing it Googling them.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bonita S

Complex mystery with a bit of superstition and supernatural mixing with the exotic Mumbai and Indian culture. Murders by 18 arrows and spontaneous combustion from a family curse thread through complex politics and human interactions. A different and engaging read.