At times deeply serious, then laugh-out-loud funny, Parini Shroff has written a sobering but hopeful exploration of womanhood, social injustices, and second chances.' - Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake 'Parini Shroff's splendid The Bandit Queens is a hilarious romp about serious things-as serious as a novel gets, and as funny, too, with characters who are dear and maddening and indelible and gorgeously drawn.

Tender, unpredictable, and brimming with laugh-out-loud moments, The Bandit Queens heralds a prodigious and sophisticated literary talent.' - Téa Obreht, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger's Wife and Inland ' The Bandit Queens is an original, memorable, and endearing story. And there's a dog! What's not to love?' -CrimeReads 'With acuity, wit, and a certain kind of magic irreverence, Parini Shroff captures the complexity of female friendship, turning on a dime from humor to horror, horror to heart, and then back again, exhilarating her reader until the very last line. Things quickly spiral out of control as the bodies start piling up, the police get curious, and Geeta enters into a second-chance romance with a quiet widower who runs a speakeasy. 'This book is so much fun! In Parini Shroff's dark comedy, the put-upon women of a small Indian village decide to get rid of their husbands-permanently. Filled with clever criminals, second chances, and wry and witty women, Parini Shroff's The Bandit Queens is a razor-sharp debut of humor and heart that readers won't soon forget. What happens next sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything, not just for Geeta, but for all the women in their village. With Geeta's dangerous reputation becoming a double-edged sword, she has to find a way to protect the life she's built-but even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry. Freedom must look good on Geeta, because now other women are asking for her 'expertise,' making her an unwitting consultant for husband disposal. It's even been good for business no one dares to not buy her jewelry. No one messes with her, harasses her, or tries to control ( ahem, marry) her.

It turns out that being known as a 'self-made' widow comes with some perks. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. As in, she actually lost him-he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. The Bandit Queens is tender, unpredictable, and brimming with laugh-out-loud moments.'-Téa Obreht, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger's Wife Five years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. 'Shroff captures the complexity of female friendship with acuity, wit, and a certain kind of magic irreverence.

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK * A young Indian woman finds the false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful-until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands-in this razor-sharp debut.

The bandit queens parini shroff