When the owner of the bookshop above Chikkamma Tours gets stabbed to death in the building, grumpy, book-obsessed, wise-cracking, whisky-drinking Nilima jumps at the opportunity to play amateur detective. What's more, it seems like the perfect excuse to get close to her alluring boss Shwetha. But to successfully investigate the murder, Nilima also needs to learn to work with her annoying colleague Poorna and with Inspector Sharmila Lamani, who is in a relationship with Nilima's ex-girlfriend.
Braving the incessant rain, a local gangster and sundry other shady characters, as well as the police, who seem intent on charging an innocent man, Nilima, Shwetha and Poorna are soon hot on the trail of the murderer.
A deliciously bookish mystery set in Bengaluru, Chikkamma Tours (Pvt.) Ltd is the very best kind of cosy novel, featuring wry humour, keen observations of city life and a cast of colourful characters.