The Waiter

The Waiter

the award-winning first book in a thrilling new detective series

Summary

*As seen on The One Show*

Ex-detective Kamil Rahman is embroiled in a case that might just change his life - for better or for worse . . .


* A SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH *

'Hugely entertaining' - Ann Cleeves author of The Heron's Cry

'An outstanding debut' Sunday Times

Disgraced detective Kamil Rahman moves from Kolkata to London to start afresh as a waiter in an Indian restaurant. But the peace of his new life is soon shattered. The day Kamil caters an extravagant party, the powerful host, Rakesh, is found dead in his swimming pool.

Suspicion falls on Rakesh's young and glamorous new wife, and Kamil is called to investigate for the family. Kamil and Anjoli, his boss's daughter, prove a winning team - yet as the case progresses, and their relationship grows, the events of Kamil's past threaten to catch up with him . . .

'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' Abir Mukherjee author of The Shadows of Men

'This detective waiter has all the ingredients for a great crime series' Sun

'[Kamil is a] likeable inspector . . . We shall hear much more of him' Daily Mail

'An elegantly constructed thriller' Times

Reviews

  • A hugely entertaining first novel for lovers of traditional crime fiction, taking us from Kolkata to Brick Lane. I can't wait to read more about disgraced detective Kamil and his wonderfully drawn companion Anjoli.
    Ann Cleeves

About the author

Ajay Chowdhury

Ajay Chowdhury was the inaugural winner of the Harvill Secker–Bloody Scotland crime fiction award. He is a tech entrepreneur and theatre director who was born in India and now lives in London where he builds digital businesses, cooks experimental dishes for his wife and daughters and writes through the night. His children’s book, Ayesha and the Firefish, was published in 2016 and adapted into a musical.

The Waiter, published in 2021, is the first in his critically-acclaimed crime series about Detective Kamil Rahman, an ex-policeman from Kolkata who has moved to Brick Lane in London. It is being adapted for television by Moonage Pictures. Follow-up The Cook was published in May 2022 to excellent reviews and deals with the issue of homelessness. The third book in the series – The Detective – is about government surveillance and AI. The Spy is the fourth book in the Detective Kamil Rahman series.
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