Inspector Ghote, ‘one of the great creations of detective fiction’ (Alexander McCall Smith), investigates a highway robbery and finds himself unexpectedly enmeshed in a world of espionage and intrigue in this classic mystery – with a brand-new introduction by bestselling author Vaseem Khan.

When an American visitor to India is killed on the lonely, dusty road between Poona and Bombay, it seems like a classic case of highway robbery. But what Inspector Ghote of the Bombay CID learns from the victim’s brother – the distinguished hydrology professor, Gregory Strongbow – soon makes him suspect that everything is not as it first appeared.

Professor Strongbow is convinced that his brother, a prominent member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, was assassinated – and Inspector Ghote is inclined to agree. But convincing his boss, the irritable Deputy Superintendent Samant, is only his first challenge, in a case that quickly enmeshes the good detective in a world of espionage and intrigue. Soon, Ghote finds his own life in danger, as he is faced with a conspiracy that reaches to the very highest level of Indian politics . . .