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C. V. Chauhan
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The Dance of Death: A gritty urban police procedural, packed full of suspense (Inspector Sharma Thrillers Book 1) Kindle Edition

by C. V. Chauhan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 115 ratings
An unputdownable debut serial killer thriller! For fans of James Patterson, J M Dalgliesh, Karin Slaughter and Peter May.

The city is being stalked by a ruthless killer…

When a young Asian woman is found murdered in a particularly brutal fashion, the Leicestershire police force are put on high alert to find the killer.

The body was positioned in the shape of swastika and instantly points to racist motivations.

Newly promoted homicide detective Rohan Sharma is given the case – a surprise both to Sharma himself and his more experienced colleagues.

Desperate to prove himself, Sharma works around the clock – and soon discovers connections to the death of a young Somali woman that occurred the previous year.

But with his resentful colleagues working against him and his private life falling apart, Sharma struggles to keep his head in the game.

And when he starts to receive strange anonymous messages, he realises the killer may now be tracking his every move…

Can Detective Sharma stop the killer before he strikes again?

Or will he find himself trapped in a vicious dance of death…?

THE DANCE OF DEATH is a page-turning gritty urban police procedural set in Leicester and peppered with black humour. It is the first book in the Inspector Sharma Thriller series.

‘In Detective Inspector Rohan Sharma, C V Chauhan has created a character with a superb and original strong voice, and the storyline kept me gripped to the end…a breath-taking climax to the story. Terrific first outing for DI Sharma.’ – Michael Fowler, former detective and author of the DS Hunter Kerr series

‘A unique storyline, intelligently executed that builds to an explosive, unexpected conclusion. I couldn’t put it down.’ – Jane Isaac, author of the DC Beth Chamberlain series

‘A page-turner of a mystery set in the multicultural city of Leicester. Inspector Sharma, leading a murder investigation for the first time, is on a danger-strewn mission to unmask a deranged serial killer… A real fast-paced thriller.’ – Linda Stratmann, Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, 2020 and author of the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series

'The cultural aspects were fascinating and really added to the originality of this book. It was so much more than the usual detective and his sidekick' – Ros Rendle, author of the Moondreams House series

THE ROHAN SHARMA DETECTIVE THRILLER SERIES:
BOOK ONE: The Dance of Death
BOOK TWO: Shattered Dreams
BOOK THREE: The Right Time to Die
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Inspector Sharma Thrillers
  2. Print length
    268 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    August 5, 2022
  5. File size
    2.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 3 books in this series.
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09ZDZD3Y1
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books (August 5, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 5, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 268 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 115 ratings

About the author

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C. V. Chauhan

C. V. Chauhan

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After spending most of his career in state education, Champak Chauhan gave up full-time work to focus on writing crime fiction. His first thriller, 'The Dance of Death' introduces DI Rohan Sharma, who lives and works in the vibrant and diverse city of Leicester, a place that is his spiritual and cultural home. As regular readers in the genre will know, there are not many protagonists who are of Rohan Sharma's background, although there are one or two notable exceptions. Champak wanted to write about an ordinary detective of South Asian origin who is trying to make a positive difference within his home city. But Rohan Sharma also face particular challenges, both in his personal and professional life. He is a complex, erudite individual who straddles a multi-dimensional world and this is evident in many aspects of his life.

The second thriller featuring DI Rohan Sharma, 'Shattered Dreams', was published in March 2023 and third book in the series will be available in early August 2024. All of the books can be read as 'standalone' thrillers and they are fast-paced and full of tension.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
115 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Bruce W.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2022
    This was a great read. Detective Inspector Rohan Sharma has just been elevated to his new Position and immediately is handed a murder case
    Concerning a young woman who is brutally murdered. This begins a twisting and surprising events that tests this young inspector.
    I read this book within two days as I found I wanted to see where it was going and at the same time I felt so connected to the story. I learned so much about the culture of Hindu through this book. The story is told entirely through inspector Sharma and was more of a procedural story than of a serial killer. There was no mention of why the killer was doing these awful things until the end when he is revealed, but instead the story centered on how Inspector Sharma was working the evidence and trying to solve the case. There was also included some political motives, such as why he was given this case and who was behind pulling strings and moving the case and leaking evidence and news. This was all intertwined with in an engaging and interesting case. The end left many questions but it makes for good conversations and wondering as the why of the complete story. This one will stick. With me for a while wondering why.
    Looking forward to this series continuing with this unique and wonderful new character of Inspector Sharma.
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  • C. Cevasco
    4.0 out of 5 stars A taut police thriller
    Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A gripping read that got better as it went along. While it took me a little while to warm up to Inspector Sharma, by the middle of the book I was firmly engaged with both the character and the story. Unexpected twists, gritty realism, and fascinating cultural details lead toward a breathless finale. I definitely plan to read the next books in the series!
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  • Geraldine Cosentino
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well written but grim!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2022
    The Dance of Death is not a pleasant book. It concerns a serial killer loose in Leicestershire who targets teenage girls, brutally injuring and killing them. Newly appointed Detective Inspector Sharma is assigned the case. A divorced father of two, he juggles his homelife and work, trying not to shortchange either. Work always seems to win, leaving him with little time for a personal life.
    Doggedly pursuing leads to the crimes, he investigates the lives of the victims, unearthing strange clues that point to the murderer's obsession with the gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion. Eventually he's able to find the key to the puzzle, but not before the case strikes a little too close to home.
    The character of Inspector Sharma is extremely sympathetic, especially his struggles with being viewed as an outsider. Although grim, the book is very well written and there's always Fernando to lighten things up.
    I received an advance copy of the book and these are my thoughts.
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  • Todd Simpson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, what a great story
    Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2022
    Wow, what a great story. I really enjoyed this one. C V Chauhan has done a wonderful job with no only the tense and interesting plot, but also creating a great character in Detective Rohan Sharma. I couldn’t read it fast enough.
    Detective Rohan Sharma’s life certainly isn’t perfect. Trying to catch up with his kids after becoming divorced has it’s challenges, especially when your job isn’t a Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 gig. He’s now in charge of a gruesome murder investigation of a young woman, and unfortunately there’s a possibility this isn’t the killers only victim.
    From start to finish this was a splendid book, and I’d certainly recommend it. 5/5 Star Rating.
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  • VEdwards
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh Perspective
    Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2022
    I enjoyed reading The Dance of Death from the perspective of Inspector Sharma. He is not a white Christian man and his point of view is interesting to see in the course of his investigation. He experiences discrimination in the book, which is really common for most people, so it was a fresh view for the reader. Inspector Sharma also showed his personal struggle balancing his work, family, and personal life and how he seemed more human than other protagonists. I can't wait to read more from CV Chauhan and Inspector Sharma.
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  • APB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Spot on good reading
    Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2022
    Piqued my interest at the very start with a solid plot and interesting characters.

    I’m new to this author, but will follow as more adventures with inspector Sharma are churned outs. An in depth crime thriller which kept me turning the pages.
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  • Annette Johnson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced
    Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2022
    This was a fast paced book. It has a good mystery and keeps my attention to the end. I will say it was a bit predictable and really reminded me of some other books I had read. I could have done without the snake.
    Thanks to Sapere for the copy
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Stephen Clynes
    5.0 out of 5 stars A debut novel and I was very impressed by the quality of writing.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A young woman is found near Leicester, the victim of a brutal killing. Can newly promoted Detective Inspector Rohan Sharma catch the killer?

    The Dance of Death is a debut novel and I was very impressed by the quality of writing. Without the author’s name, you could assume this novel was written by any of the top selling British crime thriller authors.

    The Dance of Death is a regular police procedural with the standard private life of the lead character thrown in as expected. Many novels feature a family pet, this time it is a parrot called Fernando and his comments are hilarious! There are many snippets of dark humour sprinkled throughout this novel.

    I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Dance of Death, there is so much to this story. We have the diverse community of Leicester, with different ethnic backgrounds and many different belief systems. Hinduism is fully explored, with a confusing number of gods, there are even different names for the same god, adding an unusual dimension for the police to consider when profiling the killer. The killer’s signature is open to great discussion and interpretation. Could it be a racist attack or a religious hate crime? There was so much conflicting symbolism at the crime scene, it could be anybody’s guess.

    I thought the plot was brilliant, with many, many twists along the way. Time and time again the reader is given doubts that force you to change your mind as to who the bad guy could be. I found The Dance of Death to be an OUTSTANDING 5 star read with one, creepy, slimy, slithering
    “thing” weaving their way through the grass!
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  • Liz
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Crime Thriller
    Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoy reading crime thrillers and this book was no disappointment. It kept me interested to the very last page. A vast amount of research has gone into writing of this book, contributing to such an informative and interesting read.
    I loved it!
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  • rgriffiths
    4.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing read with some unexpected plot developments!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Well worked crime story, with some plot developments that I didn't see coming! Interesting background on Hindu culture. Entertaining and engaging!
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  • johnverp
    3.0 out of 5 stars A strong debut
    Reviewed in Australia on March 11, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This is a good tale where the story flows well. The novel is neither long nor complex, but it is very easy to turn the pages and align with our likeable protagonist. I think the novel would have benefitted from having a pool of suspects, but I remained engaged throughout nonetheless. I will be going for the sequel. 7/10
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  • London Lass
    5.0 out of 5 stars Page-turner
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The story begins with a young woman, cherished and happy with a bright future in front of her, meeting a cruel death. Detective Inspector Rohan Sharma realises he's dealing with a serial killer on the streets of Leicester. As he gets closer to the murderer, the murderer gets closer to him - until suddenly, Sharma faces a very personal race against time. With engaging characters and fascinating insights into south Asian culture, this novel is a page-turner. It's not for the squeamish, though, as the killer is a very nasty piece of work indeed.
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