Abir Mukherjee
Abir Mukherjee | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1974 United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Known for | Wyndham and Banerjee series |
Abir Mukherjee (born around 1974) is a British-Indian novelist recognized for his crime fiction, notably the Wyndham and Banerjee series, which are set during the British Raj period in India.
Personal life
Mukherjee's family relocated from Calcutta, India to the United Kingdom prior to his birth. He was raised in Scotland and now lives in Surrey, England with his spouse Sonal and their two sons.
Career
Prior to becoming an author, Mukherjee spent two decades working as an accountant. Motivated by Lee Child's example of starting late, he began writing A Rising Man in 2013 and subsequently won the Telegraph's Harvill Secker Crime Writing Competition in 2014. The book was published in 2016.
The Wyndham & Banerjee series centers on Calcutta police officers Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath "Surrender-not" Bannerjee. The series delves into a colonial era that Mukherjee felt was inadequately represented in British schooling and influenced by narratives from his parents.
In May 2024, Harvill Secker published Mukherjee's debut standalone thriller, Hunted, which takes place amid a tense presidential election and follows parents attempting to rescue their radicalized children from intensifying violence.
Awards
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | A Rising Man | Telegraph Harvill Secker Crime Writing Prize | Winner |
| 2017 | CWA Gold Dagger | Shortlist | |
| CWA Historical Dagger | Winner | ||
| HWA Gold Crown Award | Shortlist | ||
| Jhalak Prize | Shortlist | ||
| 2018 | Barry Award for Best First Novel | Nominee | |
| Edgar Award for Best Novel | Nominee | ||
| Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year | Shortlist | ||
| A Necessary Evil | CWA Gold Dagger | Shortlist | |
| CWA Historical Dagger | Shortlist | ||
| CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger | Longlist | ||
| Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize | Winner | ||
| 2019 | Smoke and Ashes | CWA Sapere Books Historical Dagger | Shortlist |
| CWA Gold Dagger | Longlist | ||
| HWA Gold Crown Award | Shortlist | ||
| 2020 | Edgar Award for Best Novel | Nominee | |
| Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year | Shortlist | ||
| Death in the East | CWA Sapere Books Historical Dagger | Winner | |
| 2021 | Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year | Shortlist | |
| 2022 | Shadows of Men | CWA Gold Dagger | Shortlist |
Publications
Wyndham and Banerjee series
- A Rising Man (2016)
- A Necessary Evil (2017)
- Smoke and Ashes (2018)
- Death in the East (2019)
- The Shadows of Men (2021)
- The Burning Grounds (2025)
Other novels
- Hunted (2024)