Thrillers for the season—those who live by the mob may die by it; a village where everyone knows everyone’s secrets; a tribute to Miss Marple; and a whodunit where the author is a character

How coffee became an Indian drink

Hilary Mantel (1952-2022) humanised characters from history, as she was interested in where politics met psychology, where the private met the public

How the palace menu reflects both personal choices and social realities

How the Mughal and the British colonial influences come together in Indian gardens

An eclectic crop of detectives in our midst—a constable in a backwater town; an inspector examining deleted audio files; a woman detective in 1920s Bangalore; and a middle-aged bachelor-priest

How to decide what to eat and when to eat

Why some people can’t drink milk with sugar

The importance of old and wild seeds

Travelling in time in search of the lost taste

CELESTIAL HEROISM IS a bestseller, unless it is badly made. In it merges great survivor dramas and the romance of breaching the boundaries of human…