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*A SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH*

‘This detective waiter has all the ingredients for a great crime series’ Sun
‘A rip-roaring mystery that’s engrossing from start to finish… a refreshing and welcome addition to the world of detective fiction’ Abir Mukherjee author of Death in the East

Kamil Rahman, disgraced detective, turned waiter, is about to find himself embroiled in a case that might just change his life…for better or for worse.

Ex-detective Kamil Rahman moves from Kolkata to London to start afresh as a waiter in an Indian restaurant. But the day he caters an extravagant party for his boss’s rich and powerful friend, the peace of his simple new life is shattered. The event is a success, the food is delicious, but later that evening the host, Rakesh, is found dead in his swimming pool.

Suspicion falls on Rakesh’s young and glamorous new wife, Neha, and Kamil is called to investigate for the family, with the help of his boss’s daughter Anjoli. Kamil and Anjoli prove a winning team – but as the investigation progresses, and their relationship grows, Kamil struggles to keep memories of the case that destroyed his career in Kolkata at bay. Little does he know that his past will soon catch up with him in some very unexpected ways.

‘[An] outstanding debut’ Sunday Times

‘A hugely entertaining first novel, taking us from Kolkata to Brick Lane’ Ann Cleeves

‘[Kamil Rahman is a] likeable inspector…we shall hear much more of him’ Daily Mail
‘Corruption, self-interest and the considerable gap between law and justice raise their heads in [The Waiter]…Kamil makes an appealing narrator, haunted but gently humorous and always humane’ Guardian

Publisher Review

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 * From the mean streets of Kolkata to the kitchens of Brick Lane...this is a rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish. In Kamil Rahman, Ajay has created a quixotic and all too human protagonist who is a refreshing and welcome addition to the world of detective fiction. One of my favourite reads of the year. * Abir Mukherjee, author of the Wyndham & Banerjee mysteries * An authentic and enthralling debut with an original new lead detective. * G.R. Halliday * The Waiter is beautifully written and gloriously transporting. I really loved the glimpse into life as a Kolkata homicide detective and the vibrant and mouth-watering depiction of the Bengali restaurant trade on London's Brick Lane. Ajay Chowdhury is a refreshingly different voice in the crime genre and I can't wait to read more. * Emily Koch * The Waiter is a heady mix of murder, intrigue and all things Indian. Weaving together a dual narrative with aplomb, Ajay Chowdhury's neatly-drawn detective Kamil Rahman relives his failure to solve the murder of a Bollywood A-lister in Kolkata whilst trying to solve the killing of an Indian industrialist in London. Could the two murders be connected? An accomplished crime debut that offers something a little different. * Vaseem Khan, author of the Malabar House Baby Ganesh Agency crime series *