• Crime - English

    Shadows of Alipore Lane

    Arvind Sen Episode 1: The Vanished Widow It was on a sultry September afternoon that I first heard of the case that would change the course of my modest career. The ceiling fan in my small office on College Street turned sluggishly, stirring the stale air, and I was almost dozing over a week-old newspaper when the phone rang. The voice on the other end was brittle, lined with suppressed panic, and unmistakably aristocratic. “Mr. Sen? This is Mrs. Chaudhuri of Alipore Lane. I need your help. My sister-in-law has disappeared. No one believes me, but something terrible has happened.”…

  • Crime - English

    The Art of Murder

    Mira D’Silva Episode 1 – The Hidden Canvas Ananya Mehta had never entered Professor Hall’s office without permission before. The narrow corridor outside the Fine Arts Department was deserted that evening, the winter light drained from the sky, and the flickering tube light above made the varnished wooden door glow in a tired, sickly sheen. She stood with her hand on the brass knob, half-deciding whether to turn away, but curiosity had its own pull. Hall had sent her a hurried message to retrieve a folder from his desk, nothing more. He had sounded distracted, impatient even, as though every…

  • English - Suspense

    The Vanishing Ledger

    Arjun Malhotra  The Broken Lock The house stood at the far end of Chitpur Road like a stubborn relic, refusing to collapse even as the rest of north Kolkata modernized and decayed in equal measure. Its high arched windows were shattered, its stucco walls streaked with moss, and weeds sprouted in wild abandon from the cracks in its courtyard. The demolition crew had arrived at dawn with their rust-colored machines, but Rohan had been there before them, notebook in hand, his camera dangling from his neck, watching as the first hammer struck the gates of the house. Freelance assignments were…

  • English - Suspense

    The Mind Behind the Mask

    Amartya Basu   Part 1: The First Message Kolkata was restless that night. The damp air of the city clung to the streets, wrapped in the hazy fog that seemed to linger long after the evening rains had passed. In the quiet alleys of South Kolkata, the hum of the traffic was replaced by the distant cry of a night bird and the flicker of streetlights casting long shadows. It was in one such alley, in the decrepit building of Pataldanga, where the first message was left. Detective Anirban Ghosh stood in the doorway of the apartment, his gaze fixed…