Ajay Chowdhury – författare

Explore the world of James Bond like never before with Darker Than the Sun, a visually rich travelogue charting 007’s journey through six decades of espionage, glamour and adventure. Whether you're a lifelong Bond aficionado or a curious traveller drawn to the allure of exotic destinations, this book invites you to follow in the footsteps of the world’s most iconic secret agent. From the sun-drenched beaches of Jamaica to the icy peaks of the Swiss Alps, from the neon-lit streets of Bangkok to the grandeur of Venice and Istanbul, Darker Than the Sun charts the evolution of Bond’s cinematic geography. Each chapter is dedicated to a single film from the series, presented in chronological order, and includes: Over 200 stunning photographs, including behind-the-scenes content, iconic film stills, never-before-seen images from crew members and contemporary shots.Exclusive new interviews with Bond filmmakers, location scouts and production designers, offering insider perspectives on how and why each destination was chosen. Global locator maps that trace Bond’s journeys across continents, highlighting both real and fictional settings. Feature maps that zoom in on key destinations, revealing how locations were transformed for the screen. Anecdotes that uncover the logistical challenges and creative decisions behind Bond’s most memorable moments. Historical and cultural context that explores how Bond’s locations reflect things like changing global politics, travel trends and filmmaking techniques. You’ll discover how Pinewood Studios became a stand-in for Venice, how a Jamaican bauxite mine doubled as Dr. No’s lair and how a remote Thai island was transformed into the infamous hideout of Scaramanga. The book also explores the enduring impact of Bond on global tourism, with destinations like Piz Gloria and James Bond Island becoming iconic travel landmarks. Drawing from Ian Fleming’s original novels, EON screenplays and decades of archival research, authors Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury bring their unparalleled Bond expertise to this definitive location compendium. Whether you're planning your own 007-inspired adventure or simply want to relive the thrill of Bond’s most unforgettable missions, Darker Than the Sun is your passport to the ultimate cinematic journey.

*As seen on The One Show** A SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH *'Hugely entertaining' - ANN CLEEVES'An outstanding debut' - SUNDAY TIMES____________________________________Ex-detective Kamil Rahman is embroiled in a case that might just change his life - for better or for worse . . . Disgraced detective Kamil Rahman moves from Kolkata to London to start afresh as a waiter in an Indian restaurant. But the peace of his new life is soon shattered. The day Kamil caters an extravagant party, the powerful host, Rakesh, is found dead in his swimming pool.Suspicion falls on Rakesh's young and glamorous new wife, and Kamil is called to investigate for the family. Kamil and Anjoli, his boss's daughter, prove a winning team - yet as the case progresses, and their relationship grows, the events of Kamil's past threaten to catch up with him . . .____________________________________'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' - ABIR MUKHERJEE'This detective waiter has all the ingredients for a great crime series' - SUN'[Kamil is a] likeable inspector . . . We shall hear much more of him' - DAILY MAIL'An elegantly constructed thriller' - THE TIMES

'Thrilling . . . a terrific series' Sunday TimesSomeone has an appetite for murder…Kamil Rahman used to be a detective in Kolkata. Now he's a cook in London's East End. Yet trouble still knows where to find him.Kamil Rahman thought his crimefighting days were behind him. But when a woman he knows is murdered and the police arrest the most convenient suspect, he hangs up his apron and employs his detective skills once more to find the true killer.Meanwhile, restaurant manager Anjoli is volunteering with a homeless charity, where she notices a sudden troubling increase in unexplained deaths among people sleeping rough in and around Brick Lane. With the council and police uninterested, she starts an investigation of her own.Kamil and Anjoli's cases seem unrelated, but as the duo dig deeper, they discover connections that stretch from London to Lahore. Together they take on the indifference of the authorities.If the Met won't find the murderers, then Kamil and Anjoli will.'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish... a refreshing and welcome addition to the world of detective fiction' Abir Mukherjee

*As seen on The One Show* *A Times and Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year*A BRUTAL KILLING UNCOVERS A COLD CASE. HAS SOMEONE GOT AWAY WITH MURDER?'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' ABIR MUKHERJEEOn the verge of a four-billion-dollar deal, a tech entrepreneur is found dead on a construction site, which leads to the discovery of three skeletons over a hundred years old.Desperate to solve his first case for the Met, Detective Kamil Rahman is under pressure to prove to his colleagues that he's up to the job.But as fresh bodies turn up, can Kamil - along with his friend Anjoli - prevent another murder? *The thrilling new Kamil Rahman mystery, THE SPY, is out now!******Praise for the Detective Kamil Rahman series:'Hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES'The Detective has all the ingredients for a great crime series' SUN'[Kamil is a] likeable inspector . . . We shall hear much more of him' DAILY MAIL'An elegantly constructed thriller' THE TIMES'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMESTimes and Sunday Times Crime Books of the Year, 2023The One Show guest, November 2023__________________________About the detectives:Kamil has always wanted to be top cop. With a father who reached the position of Police Commissioner of the Calcutta police, what else could he do, other than hanker after an honourable career chasing the bad guys, just like his dad. However, the odds are stacked against him. He's a Muslim in the Met, facing overt and covert racism and he needs to be twice as good as his colleagues to make it. All of this he could cope with, if only his personal life was humming along smoothly.Anjoli is searching, but she doesn't know what for. A high-minded psychologist who is super smart, always restless and naturally empathetic, she is meticulous and often finds connections Kamil has missed. She would love to get deeper into crime solving - possibly even have a go at it full-time but she can't shake the feeling that she is an imposter in a game of let's pretend. Kamil makes her laugh, but she doesn't know why she can't make the leap. Why is she so scared of surrendering her heart to him? Does she not feel deserving of love and adoration? Or does she fear a life where she's always waiting for the other shoe to drop?

ONE MISSING BOY. ONE MAN UNDERCOVER. A WHOLE NATION AT RISK.'The plot races to a splendidly dramatic ending; Chowdhury’s writing is compelling and compassionate' Guardian'Chowdhury is brilliant at...unexpected plot twists, while highlighting the conflicts experienced by characters with a foot in more than one culture' Sunday Times Detective Kamil Rahman is working for the Metropolitan Police when he gets the call from MI5. They've received intelligence of a terrorist plot, and it's Kamil they need.Posing as a disaffected cop, and working back in his friend Anjoli's beloved restaurant on Brick Lane, Kamil attempts to infiltrate the cell.But when a young boy goes missing, Kamil finds the disappearance is linked to his case. What he uncovers leads him halfway across the world to Kashmir, and face to face with an old nemesis…From Ajay Chowdhury, the award-winning author of THE WAITER, comes the thrilling new Detective Kamil Rahman mystery that's his toughest assignment yet...*This is the fourth in the Detective Kamil Rahman series, though each novel can be enjoyed as a stand-alone*READERS LOVE THE SPY:‘WOW! The Spy is the perfect mix of contemporary politics, humour, action and romance'‘In Kamal and Anjoli, Ajay Chowdhury has created a modern day Holmes and Watson’‘Full of intrigue and twists and turns which gave an insight into the fight against terrorism’Praise for the Detective Kamil Rahman series:'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMES'Hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES'Rip-roaring' ABIR MUKHERJEE

Newlyweds Adam and Aisha are in an airport lounge in Delhi, their honeymoon abruptly cut short by the murder of Adam’s best friend. While Aisha waits, Adam disappears, leaving only a cryptic message: 'I’m sorry'.Stranded in India without documents, Aisha is interrogated by RAW, India’s intelligence agency, and the FBI – both of whom seem to know more about her husband’s disappearance than she does.At the same time Adam’s ex-lover, Sara, receives an urgent message from him: 'Help her'.Thrown together by circumstance and suspicion, Aisha and Sara decode Adam’s clues, which lead them across the US in a hunt to find Adam before it’s too late.EDEN FALLS is a high-stakes thriller that spans continents and delves into the shady world of AI and tech billionaires. It is a gripping tale of intrigue, weaponised AI and the relentless pursuit of truth.

A RITUAL KILLING. AN ANCIENT CURSE. WHAT'S MYTH... AND WHAT'S MURDER?'A slick, masterfully plotted, white-knuckle ride of a read,' A.A. CHAUDHURI'A highly enjoyable and hugely entertaining read' NILESHA CHAUVETAfter a bruising encounter with a terrorist group, Detective Kamil Rahman has resigned from the Met and set up a detective agency with his friend Anjoli. But when his boss asks him to go to India to investigate the murder of a British engineer who was found with eighteen arrows stuck in his body, Kamil agrees to take the case, as long as Anjoli can accompany him.When they arrive in Mumbai, they find someone is on a gruesome killing spree, striking down those connected to the engineer in increasingly macabre ways. Meanwhile, an old friend of Kamil’s begs for his help breaking the curse he believes his family is under.As the body count rises, Kamil is torn between solving a very real murder case and protecting his friend from a grisly – if far-fetched – fate. Can he catch a killer and prevent an ancient curse before more people lose their lives?Praise for the Detective Kamil Rahman novels:'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMES'Hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' ABIR MUKHERJEEREADERS LOVE KAMIL AND ANJOLI:‘Keeps getting better and better’‘In Kamil and Anjoli, Ajay Chowdhury has created a modern day Holmes and Watson’‘Full of intrigue and twists and turns’

A RITUAL KILLING. AN ANCIENT CURSE. WHAT'S MYTH... AND WHAT'S MURDER?'A slick, masterfully plotted, white-knuckle ride of a read,' A.A. CHAUDHURI'A highly enjoyable and hugely entertaining read' NILESHA CHAUVETAfter a bruising encounter with a terrorist group, Detective Kamil Rahman has resigned from the Met and set up a detective agency with his friend Anjoli. But when his boss asks him to go to India to investigate the murder of a British engineer who was found with eighteen arrows stuck in his body, Kamil agrees to take the case, as long as Anjoli can accompany him.When they arrive in Mumbai, they find someone is on a gruesome killing spree, striking down those connected to the engineer in increasingly macabre ways. Meanwhile, an old friend of Kamil’s begs for his help breaking the curse he believes his family is under.As the body count rises, Kamil is torn between solving a very real murder case and protecting his friend from a grisly – if far-fetched – fate. Can he catch a killer and prevent an ancient curse before more people lose their lives?Praise for the Detective Kamil Rahman novels:'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMES'Hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' ABIR MUKHERJEEREADERS LOVE KAMIL AND ANJOLI:‘Keeps getting better and better’‘In Kamil and Anjoli, Ajay Chowdhury has created a modern day Holmes and Watson’‘Full of intrigue and twists and turns’

A priceless diamond. A deadly siege. A detective caught between a rock and a hard place*The new mystery novel from Ajay Chowdhury, for fans of Robert Galbraith and M. W. Craven*Detective Sergeant Kamil Rahman is riding high on newfound fame and a thrilling new case: the mysterious death of the Deputy Governor of the Tower of London.Meanwhile ex-partner Anjoli’s luck is about to change too. Her struggling detective agency has been asked to investigate a series of death threats targeting a high-profile, and controversial, climate activist.Unbeknownst to them both, rogue historian Rohan Gill is planning the ultimate heist—to reclaim the Kohinoor diamond from the Tower – and Kamil and Anjoli, are an integral part of his plan.With the Tower locked down and tensions soaring, will Kamil and Anjoli find the strength to do what’s right, or will they be swept away by the tides of history?Praise for the Detective Kamil Rahman series:'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMES'Hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' ABIR MUKHERJEE

His disappearance is only the beginning...'A clever, timely and thrilling page turner' Jo Callaghan 'Outstanding' Abir Mukherjee'A first-rate thriller' William Shaw'Pulsating' Vaseem KhanAfter the murder of his best friend, newlyweds Adam and Aisha cut their honeymoon short. But just as they are about to board a flight home from Delhi, Adam disappears at the airport – seemingly kidnapped – leaving Aisha stranded without her passport, her phone, or answers.When the FBI and India’s intelligence agency begin interrogating her, it becomes chillingly clear they know far more about Adam than she ever did. Her only clue is his final, haunting message: I’m sorry.Thousands of miles away, Sara Wolf, a scientist stuck on a dead-end project at Princeton, receives a message she never expected from her former lover. It contains two words: Help her.Bound together by suspicion, rivalry, and a man they both love, Aisha and Sara are forced into an uneasy alliance. Decoding Adam’s clues, they follow a trail that leads them across the United States - into a shadow world of weaponised AI, tech billionaires, and a secret no one is meant to find.Eden Falls is a gripping, high-stakes thriller that spans continents and asks how far we will go - and who we will trust - when the truth can destroy everything.