The day after Holi. Former SHO Adhirath Jatav, recently dismissed fromthe Delhi Police, happens upon a murder-the body of a young woman, herinsides split open, is found inside a farmhouse on the outskirts of New Delhi.

A chance encounter with the woman's mother clears some mystery-she wasfrom a neighbouring village, a beautician and a presumed prostitute, with astring of fake names. Her poverty and social status had made her an outcast-her death is considered not a tragedy but an inconvenience.

While the police investigate half-heartedly, Adhirath finds himself drawn tothe case. He feels a connection with this woman who, much like him and his'untouchable' wife, had had to claw her way through life to secure a place forherself in society.

Over time, Adhirath grows protective of the dead woman-her reputation and her dignity-and determined to find her killer. Translated from the Hindi original-Hatya-Nobody Lights a Candle is a preciseand nuanced meditation on the persistence of age-old biases and structuralviolence in a deeply unequal country.

As sensitive, even tender, as it is hardhitting,this is a gripping read-crime fiction with heart and purpose. .