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Edgar Awards Best Novel (nominee)
Set in the untamed wilds of nineteenth-century colonial India, this dazzling historical thriller introduces Blake and Avery—an unforgettable investigative pair.
India, 1837: William Avery is a young soldier with few prospects except rotting away in campaigns in India; Jeremiah Blake is a secret political agent gone native, a genius at languages and disguises, disenchanted with the whole ethos of British rule, but who cannot resist the challenge of an unresolved mystery. What starts as a wild goose chase for this unlikely pair—trying to track down a missing writer who lifts the lid on Calcutta society—becomes very much more sinister as Blake and Avery get sucked into the mysterious Thuggee cult and its even more ominous suppression.
There are shades of Heart of Darkness, sly references to Conan Doyle, that bring brilliantly to life the India of the 1830s with its urban squalor, glamorous princely courts and bazaars, and the ambiguous presence of the British overlords—the officers of the East India Company—who have their own predatory ambitions beyond London's oversight.
A FINALIST FOR THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
A WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK
LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
Genre: Historical Mystery
India, 1837: William Avery is a young soldier with few prospects except rotting away in campaigns in India; Jeremiah Blake is a secret political agent gone native, a genius at languages and disguises, disenchanted with the whole ethos of British rule, but who cannot resist the challenge of an unresolved mystery. What starts as a wild goose chase for this unlikely pair—trying to track down a missing writer who lifts the lid on Calcutta society—becomes very much more sinister as Blake and Avery get sucked into the mysterious Thuggee cult and its even more ominous suppression.
There are shades of Heart of Darkness, sly references to Conan Doyle, that bring brilliantly to life the India of the 1830s with its urban squalor, glamorous princely courts and bazaars, and the ambiguous presence of the British overlords—the officers of the East India Company—who have their own predatory ambitions beyond London's oversight.
A FINALIST FOR THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
A WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK
LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
Genre: Historical Mystery
Praise for this book
"The Strangler Vine is a splendid novel with an enthralling story, a wonderfully drawn atmosphere, and an exotic mystery that captivated me." - Bernard Cornwell
"In the great detective novel tradition of The Moonstone and the Sherlock Holmes series, by way of The Glass Books trilogy....With gorgeous historical detail and deft characterization, Carter creates a rip-roaring detective romp." - Susan Elia MacNeal
"This is a gripping story of conspiracy and betrayal set in an early Victorian India that is rendered with complete conviction. And as a historian, the author offers a thought-provoking re-interpretation of the Thuggee story." - Charles Palliser
"Wonderful reading, I just couldn't put it down." - Nancy Pearl
"In the great detective novel tradition of The Moonstone and the Sherlock Holmes series, by way of The Glass Books trilogy....With gorgeous historical detail and deft characterization, Carter creates a rip-roaring detective romp." - Susan Elia MacNeal
"This is a gripping story of conspiracy and betrayal set in an early Victorian India that is rendered with complete conviction. And as a historian, the author offers a thought-provoking re-interpretation of the Thuggee story." - Charles Palliser
"Wonderful reading, I just couldn't put it down." - Nancy Pearl
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Used availability for M J Carter's The Strangler Vine
Hardback Editions
April 2015 : USA Hardback
March 2015 : USA Hardback
January 2014 : UK Hardback
Paperback Editions
February 2016 : USA Paperback
September 2014 : UK Paperback
October 2014 : Paperback
January 2014 : UK Paperback
2014 : UK Paperback

Title: The Strangler Vine (Large Print Edition)
Author(s): M J Carter
ISBN: 1-4712-6682-6 / 978-1-4712-6682-9 (UK edition)
Publisher: W F Howes Ltd
Availability: Amazon UK
Audio Editions
March 2021 : USA Audio CD

Title: The Strangler Vine: A Novel (The Blake and Avery Mystery Series)
Author(s): M J Carter
ISBN: 1-66515-486-1 / 978-1-66515-486-4 (USA edition)
Publisher: Highbridge Audio and Blackstone Publishing
Availability: Amazon
March 2021 : USA Audio CD
May 2016 : UK Audio CD

Title: The Strangler Vine
Author(s): M J Carter
ISBN: 1-4450-5776-X / 978-1-4450-5776-7 (UK edition)
Publisher: ISIS Audio Books
Availability: Amazon UK
March 2015 : USA Audio CD
March 2015 : USA Audio CD

Title: The Strangler Vine Lib/E: 1
Author(s): M J Carter
ISBN: 1-66515-485-3 / 978-1-66515-485-7 (USA edition)
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Availability: Amazon AU
March 2015 : USA Audio edition

Title: The Strangler Vine
Author(s): M J Carter
Publisher: HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books
Availability: Amazon
March 2015 : Canada Audio edition

Title: The Strangler Vine
Author(s): M J Carter
Publisher: HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books
Availability: Amazon CA
January 2014 : USA Audio edition
January 2014 : Australia Audio edition
January 2014 : UK Audio edition
Kindle Editions
March 2015 : USA, Canada Kindle edition
January 2014 : Australia, UK Kindle edition