Sakyajit Bhattacharya

Back at the hotel I nod off over Amitava’s novel and fall asleep without turning out the light. At some time in the night I am shaken out of sleep by the slap of raindrops on the windowpanes. The sound and smell of mountain rain are different. Different, and rather sharp for urban sense organs. My mobile says it’s 4 in the morning. The rain is pelting down. Switching off the light and returning to bed, I notice the streetlight entering through the window and sliding along the sheets.

Now Fifty years after her death, the legacy of Agatha Christie and her classic murder mystery stories is as strong as ever. Speaking to FRANCE 24, James Prichard, chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Limited and the author's great-grandson, says the books' timelessness comes down to the fact that they …

That reading as a leisurely activity has taken a back seat is not new. People would rather spend hours scrolling through reels on Instagram. But, if there’s one book that is perhaps can get people back on the reading bandwagon, it is a good, juicy, high-paced thriller. Sakyajit Bhattacharya’s One Legged, which is on this year’s JCB prize-shortlist, is all that, and more.