First published 2021
Nine-year-old Jai lives in a maze of tin-roofed houses at the end of the Purple metro line, where he can see the glittering towers of the wealthy but feels worlds away from them. He spends his days watching police shows on TV and believes he's cleverer than his friends Pari and Faiz, even though Pari earns better grades and Faiz already has work. When a boy from their class disappears, Jai convinces his friends to help him solve the case using detective techniques he learned from television. They compile interview lists and map out locations to search. What starts as an adventure becomes frightening when more children vanish from their neighborhood. The three friends must face panicked parents, uninterested police officers, and whispered stories about djinns stealing souls. As the disappearances creep closer to their own families, Jai discovers that real detective work differs drastically from what he sees on screen, and the danger threatens to change his life forever.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, investigation
Setting: Bhoot-Basar, India, Purple Metro Line
Period: Contemporary
Paperback · Rowohlt Taschenbuch