Author of 'Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt Ltd' comes out with sequel

Author Richa S Mukherjee returns to the charming and colourful lanes of Gwaltoli along with her popular desi sleuth Prachand Tripathi in the sequel to her 2019 bestseller ''Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt Ltd''.

The new adventure thriller, titled ''The Curse of Kuldhara'', was released on Saturday. It is published by HarperCollins India with Black Ink Books.

''Through Prachand Tripathi, the kind, oily haired detective and this series of books, I want to take you on adventures through the streets of Gwaltoli and beyond where each book offers up much of what life is, a mystery, a negotiation, full of surprises and a barrel of laughs,'' writes Mukherjee in the book.

While Prachand, the owner of Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt Ltd, has progressed from locating lost pets and garments to problems of gravitas, their moderate fame doesn't impress his wife Vidya Tripathi who still complains about wasted potential and the tepid life they lead.

As if on cue, an unusual but promising proposal comes their way, one they simply cannot refuse: an invitation to oversee a film shoot based on their lives.

''What follows is a spine-chilling adventure that will drag the couple through a morass of inexplicable events, dangerous secrets and a cursed, abandoned village that wreaks havoc on the living and dead alike,'' read the book's description.

According to the publishers, the sequel offers everything that readers expect from a ''delicious, page-turning thriller''.

''With 'Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt. Ltd', Richa created something special – a rich, vibrant, and incredibly enjoyable tapestry of characters, places and situations. Now, she returns to that world with another treat for her readers,'' Swati Daftuar, commissioning editor at HarperCollins India, said in a statement.

Mukherjee's previously authored books include ''I Didn't Expect to be Expecting'' (2018) and ''Excess Baggage'' (2020).