Author's Notes - Spoiler Warning
Be advised this page contains major spoilers for the books, if you haven't read them, I adivse you move on.
The Calcutta Quartet arc is set in British India and deals with our heroes friendships and various adventures at the turn of the 20th Century.
The arc was planned when the second book was being plotted, at that point I constructed the whole narrative and decided to set across a few years. By neccesity the stories are quite tightly linked and flow together before reaching a natural climax and conclusion in the 4th book; The Whore of Lahore.
The books explore different themes across the narrative; mental illness and personal glory in A Christmas in Calcutta, fanatacism and rebirth in A Passover in Peshawar, sacrifice and loyalty in A Berth to Bombay and Hindu-nationalism &
self-delusion in The Whore of Lahore.
I wanted to explore different aspects of the English & Indian experience during the British Raj but in a fun, satirical way, and the characters allowed me to do that in a number of ways.
The next narratiove arc is called The Kensington Quartet and starts with A Wedding in Winchester.
Enjoy!
art by Ileana Hunter. Design by Ash Collins
The first complete quartet adventures of Charlotte Holmes and her companion Dr Watan during the start of the 20th Century in British India.
A CHRISTMAS IN CALCUTTA (2015)
Charlotte, a brilliant yet erratic polymath, is escaping from an enforced confinement whilst being pursued relentlessly by her husband when she encounters Dr Watan on board the Calcutta Tiger Express.
Our heroes investigate a murder on the train and uncover a power-struggle with the all-powerful matriarch Mataji and her evil cult of Thuggee killers as devious plots are hatched, ancient rituals revived and evil machinations unleashed
The Viceroy's Christmas ball becomes the focus of the conspiracy as all the principle actors converge for a final showdown that will decide the fate of the British Raj.
A tale of sorrows unmourned, love unrequited, killers unmasked and ambition unfulfilled.
A PASSOVER IN PESHAWAR (2018)
Charlotte Holmes & Dr Watan continue their adventures as they attempt to foil a Jihad to drive the British out of India.
Dr Watan marries a lonely widow with a grossly deformed child, The Elephant Boy; much to the annoyance of Charlotte.
Charlotte is charged by the Viceroy's office with thwarting a rebellion in the Northern Territories, led by the Warlord Walid Khan.
An epic, perilous journey to the Khyber Pass to thwart foreign agents, foil a blood-thirsty Warlord and determine the provenance of a miracle child, prophesied to herald the End of the World.
A BERTH TO BOMBAY (2019)
Charlotte Holmes & Dr Watan deal with a supernatural event and the events of Peshawar.
Charlotte decides to return to her matrimonial home, but she is haunted by the ghost of her dead child and her In-Laws are plotting against her.
Meanwhile Branwell acquires a guide, the dacoit Durga, and Watan is drawn into an affair whilst dealing with an awkward junior doctor.
The Viceroy's office compels Branwell to apprehend Charlotte's husband, Charles de Beque, and their perilous search leads them to a showdown with him over a gorge.
A haunting defies rational explanation as Charlotte struggles with a difficult health issue whilst her brother pursues her treacherous husband.
THE WHORE OF LAHORE (2020)
Charlotte Holmes & Dr Watan investigate a new courtesan who may be a Maharaja's illegitimate daughter and discover the terrible secret of the Graveyard of Girls.
Meanwhile Branwell tries to meet the conditions attached to his proposal and he stumbles upon a plot to assassinate the new King.
Old adversaries make an unwelcome return, as loyalties are tested and friendships shattered in the conclusion of the Calcutta Quartet .