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QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 24, 2019
Flushing author’s mystery book series keeps readers guessing
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
A new international mystery
thriller book series by an Indian
American author takes readers
into an imagined criminal
underworld that strikingly
mirrors some of our
contemporary realities.
At once timely and exciting,
Tejas Desai’s “The Brotherhood
Chronicle,” is a must-read and
will keep you guessing.
“In the essence of Queens,
I wanted to write a genuinely
multicultural crime trilogy that
moves at a breathtaking pace. It
takes on contemporary issues
like religious fundamentalism,
political corruption, the relationship
between individual and
community, as well as ethnic,
cultural and gender identity,”
said Desai, who was born and
raised in Flushing, where he has
lived most of his life.
“The characters are very ethnically,
culturally, and socioeconomically
diverse, and the books
teach the reader a lot about
Hinduism and Buddhism even
as you’re engaged in a riveting
mystery thriller that never stops
entertaining,” he added.
And, you’ll also learn about
Thai and Australian cultures.
“The Brotherhood Chronicle”
features a fast-paced, actionfilled
plot that overflows with
mysteries and surprises, entertaining
dialogue and fascinating
characters. And, while
much of it is set in Queens,
you’ll find that the other settings
are also “amazingly
rich in culture, like the lush
beaches of Thailand, the gritty
streets of India, the sleepy
towns of the American South,”
Desai noted.
“So, if you like gritty
crime thrillers that make you
think, then this trilogy is up
your alley,” he added.
The books even have Glossaries
of Terms to help you
along, including definitions
of Indian, Thai and Australian
cultural words and
slang. It’s no wonder because
Desai, a supervising librarian,
has been working for
the Queens Library for more
than 11 years.
In the first book, “The Brotherhood,”
the reader meets the
main character, Niral Solanke, a
down on his luck private investigator
living in New York City.
Solanke tries to solve a baffling
crime while navigating through
a complex underworld where
many strong personalities are
vying to influence him. While he
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ultimately solves this crime, its
complications lead him toward a
personal downfall.
The two sequels, “The Run
and Hide,” and “The
Dance Towards Death,”
branch out to exotic settings
in southeast Asia
and the American South,
where Solanke now finds
himself embroiled in international
and domestic
adventures and intrigue.
In the second book, we
find him living in Thailand
and working for a
criminal organization
called The Dragons. But
a special interest brings
him back to The Brotherhood
in India.
While being drawn
into an exotic netherworld
of corruption and
decadence, the reader encounters
further mysteries
and crimes. And you’ll
come across a plethora
of diverse characters involved
in personal dramas and
political intrigue.
“Tying them the books together
is a mysterious Hindu religious
organization called The
Brotherhood, as well as a wide
criminal network which comes
more into focus as the trilogy
goes along,” Desai said.
The two sequels will be published
in September 2019 and
September 2020. “The Brotherhood”
is available on Amazon in
paperback and Kindle Edition.
In 2012, the author founded
The New Wei literary movement,
which seeks to promote provocative
and meaningful narrative
artists. Through his New Wei
publishing company, he also
released “Good Americans,” a
collection of six stories (one of
which is told in three-parts) as
the first volume of his “Human
Tragedy” series (on Amazon).
His articles on literature have
been published in HuffPost and
other publications.
But Desai, who holds a MFA
in Creative Writing and Literary
Translation from Queens
College, said his greatest education
has been “on the streets of
Queens and during my frequent
worldwide travels, where I’ve
interacted with, listened to and
observed people of all types.”
Flushing native Tejas Desai wrote volumes 1
and 2 of the must-read trilogy.