The Secret Keeper of Jaipur

by Alka Joshi

Overview

A NEW NOVEL BY THE AUTHOR OF THE HENNA ARTIST, A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK

Good Morning America’s “27 Books for June"

PopSugar’s Best Summer Reads of 2021

In New York Times bestselling author Alka Joshi’s intriguing new novel, henna artist Lakshmi arranges for her protégé, Malik, to intern at the Jaipur Palace in this tale rich in character, atmosphere, and lavish storytelling.

It’s the spring of 1969, and Lakshmi, now married to Dr. Jay Kumar, directs the Healing Garden in Shimla. Malik has finished his private school education. At twenty, he has just met a young woman named Nimmi when he leaves to apprentice at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace. Their latest project: a state-of-the-art cinema.

Malik soon finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood. Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class, and favors flow from Jaipur’s Royal Palace, but only if certain secrets remain buried. When the cinema’s balcony tragically collapses on opening night, blame is placed where it is convenient. But Malik suspects something far darker and sets out to uncover the truth. As a former street child, he always knew to keep his own counsel; it’s a lesson that will serve him as he untangles a web of lies.

"Captivated me from the first chapter to the last page." —Reese Witherspoon on The Henna Artist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780778331858
Publisher:	MIRA Books
Publication date:	06/22/2021
Series:	The Jaipur Trilogy , #2
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	29,286
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Born in India and raised in the U.S. since she was nine, Alka Joshi has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. Joshi's debut novel, The Henna Artist, immediately became a NYT bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub pick, was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, & is in development as a TV series. Her second novel, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (2021), will be followed by a third in 2023.

Editorial Reviews

04/19/2021

Joshi’s gorgeous sequel to The Henna Artist turns on a royal construction scandal and a black market in 1969 India. The story begins with the collapse of a new cinema during its star-studded premiere in Jaipur, bringing embarrassment to the palace and the Singh-Sharma building firm. Twelve years have passed since henna practitioner Lakshmi Kumar was forced to leave Jaipur in shame; she moved to rural Shimla with her orphaned, street-wise ward, Malik, married an esteemed doctor, and established a healing herb garden. Malik, now 20 and educated, is back in Jaipur as a builder’s apprentice; Lakshmi arranged Malik’s job to protect him from getting wrapped up in the local drug and gun-running outfit, which happened to the brother of Nimmi, a nomadic young Himalayan widow Lakshmi has been watching over. Malik suspects fraud was behind the ill-fated cinema project after he uncovers sketchy contracts and doctored invoices. Lakshmi returns to Jaipur and calls on her royal connections to help Malik bring out the truth. Meanwhile, Malik and Nimmi have developed an attraction, to Lakshmi’s dismay. Joshi’s sensuous descriptions of food, local color, and Lakshmi’s art make this worth savoring. Fans of the series will hope there’s more in store. Agent: Margaret Sutherland Brown, Folio Literary Management. (June)

Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR THE SECRET KEEPER OF JAIPUR

“Alka Joshi returns with a triumphant follow-up to her New York Times bestselling debut... [Her] magnificent writing gives voice to the too-often silenced while telling an engaging and powerful story.”—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris


“Verdict: With lush details, a return to favorite characters, and emotional complexity, this story satisfies on every level.”— Library Journal, Starred Review

“In this timeless tale of loyalty, ambition, and love, Joshi explores what it means to create and build—from architectural marvels to chosen families—in a way that not only endures but inspires.”— Nancy Jooyoun Kim, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Story of Mina Lee

“Joshi excels at creating strong characters, the addition of Nimmi being no exception. As Lakshmi and Malik uncover the cause of the disaster, their loyalties are put to the test in this applause-worthy encore.”—Booklist

“Joshi’s sensuous descriptions of food, local color, and Lakshmi’s art make this gorgeous sequel to The Henna Artist worth savoring.—Publishers Weekly

“Alka Joshi is a master story-teller. I was completely mesmerized by The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and could not put it down! It is a story of love, family, money and power, told with such poise, beauty and page-turning suspense... It touched my heart and it will stay with me for a long time.”
—Christy Lefteri, award-winning author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

"With its beautifully complex cast of characters, THE SECRET KEEPER OF JAIPUR plunges readers back into the sumptuous world of THE HENNA ARTIST, where power, money, and secrets abound — and where carefully cultivated reputations balance on the knife edge of influence."–-Bryn Turnbull, bestselling author of The Woman Before Wallis

PRAISE FOR ALKA JOSHI'S THE HENNA ARTIST

A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK

New York Times Bestseller * Los Angeles Times Bestseller * USA Today Bestseller * Toronto Star Bestseller * Globe & Mail Bestseller * Indie Bookstores Bestseller *Longlisted: First Novel, Center for Fiction * Amazon Summer 2020 Readers Pick * Goodreads Finalist Choice Awards 2020: Best Debut Novel & Best Historical Fiction * Indigo 10 Best Books of 2020 * Cosmopolitan Best Audiobooks of 2020 * BookRiot Best Books of 2020

"Captivated me from the first chapter to the last page."
—Reese Witherspoon

“Rich in detail and bright with tastes and textures,. ..a fabulous glimpse into Indian culture of the 1950s.”—Bookpage, Starred Review


“Romantic, old-time Rajasthan leaps to life... I can hardly wait for Alka Joshi’s next masterpiece.” —Sujata Massey, internationally bestselling author of The Widows of Malabar Hill


“Eloquent debut…moving… Joshi masterfully balances a yearning for self-discovery with the need for familial love.” –Publishers Weekly



“Joshi has constructed a bewitching glimpse into the past with a tough heroine well worth cheering on.”—Booklist

"Vibrant characters, evocative imagery, and sumptuous prose create an unforgetable tale."—Christian Science Monitor

"A bold, ambitious, beautifully written novel about India in the decade after independence, and about class, identity, love and deceit. The broad cast of characters will etch themselves into your psyche." —Tom Barbash, author of Stay Up With Me

"Fantastic, so evocative and beautiful and full of life and light.... and deeply satisfying in its storytelling."—Leah Franqui, author of America for Beginners

"Unforgettable.... Read this book slowly and savor it: Every page is rich with intricate pleasures for both the mind and the heart."—Anita Amirrezvani, author of The Blood of Flowers

"Like a brilliant, magical kaleidoscope, bursting with color, The Henna Artist kept me riveted from start to finish."—Lauren Belfer, New York Times bestselling author of After the Fire and City of Light

"Like a brilliant, magical kaleidoscope, bursting with color, The Henna Artist kept me riveted from start to finish."—Lauren Belfer, New York Times bestselling author of City of Light

"Everything a great novel needs is here: The protagonist balancing impossible burdens with her bountiful talents; the many other characters, each so colorful and complex, each necessary to the intricate and delicate plot, Such a satisfying novel!"—Sandra Scofield, author of The Last Draft

"A richly drawn design of love and the many hungers that drive human beings...a lush, gorgeous journey that any reader will be sorry to see end."—Erin McGraw, author of The Good Life and The Seamstress of Hollywood

From the Publisher

01/01/2021

Lakshmi, the protagonist of Joshi's debut, the New York Times best-selling The Henna Artist, has left Jaipur to work at a clinic in Shimla but remains worried about her former assistant, Malik. She has secured him an apprenticeship at Jaipur's palace, but when tragedy strikes and Malik gets involved in smuggling, Lakshmi must intervene. With a 150,000-copy first printing.

Library Journal