Vikram Chandra Returns

Some time ago, this blog had raised the question: whatever happened to Vikram Chandra's long-awaited book featuring Inspector Sartaj Singh? Well, thanks to today's Mumbai Mirror, we now know the answer:

"Chandra's third book, and perhaps the most arduous, written over a period of six years, was actually sent out to fifteen publishers simultaneously. In the furious bidding that followed between three top publishers, HarperCollins locked the deal at USD one million for just the US and Canadian rights....Despite the six years in writing the book exudes a sense of immediacy, dealing as it does with an underworld don, a plot to assassinate a prominent political leader and a cop's battle with the system. Beyond that, the writer is loath to disclose plot details."

One would think too many details had already been disclosed. In any case, the book won't hit the shelves before Fall 2006, so there's still a long wait ahead.

(Mumbai Mirror links expire in 24 hours. So click now, or forever hold your peace.)