Lal Salaam by Smriti Zubin Irani in Paperback

With an arrival in the dusty village of Ambuja, Chhattisgarh, SP Vikram Singh is quickly recognized as a man to watch. As he works to bring order to a neglected police station and motivate his less-than-enthusiastic team, he can feel eyes on him, waiting and watching for a mistake. For Vikram, the truth behind the vengeful death of his old friend and fellow officer, Darshan, and the concept of justice are at stake. Though he knows he can't rest until the case is solved, each day brings new challenges from a local businessman with vested interests, to an influential academic in Delhi, to a young widow and her journalist friend who play significant roles in his new, complex life. Inspired by the tragic deaths of 76 CRPF personnel in Dantewada in 2010, Lal Salaam aims to humanize the daily conflicts and moral struggles faced by those living in impoverished and volatile regions of India. It is also