Book description
A revered effigy of the god Shiva is missing from the Patna Hall Hotel
on south India's exquisite Coromandel coast. Was it stolen, and to whom
does it belong? Young lawyer Michael Dean, sent from London to argue the
case for the defence, falls under the spell of Artemis, a graceful
archaeologist who is staying at the hotel; but she proves as elusive as
the mystery of the theft he is working on. Rumer Godden's classic novel
is a magical, evocative exploration of art, love, class and greed in her
beloved India. Rumer Godden (1907-98) was the acclaimed author of over
sixty works of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Born in
England, she and her siblings grew up in Narayanganj, India, and she
later spent many years living in Calcutta and Kashmir. Several of her
novels were made into films, including
Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer
and The River
, which was filmed by Jean Renoir. She was appointed OBE in 1993.
