The Great Game

A Thriller

By: Arvind Ethan David

An outsider in London investigates a series of brutal murders targeting English aristocrats in a timely and provocative historical novel brimming with intrigue, wit, and rage.

London, 1905: Law student and military veteran Balvinder dev Singh has found an extralegal way to fund his studies. As friend and accomplice to the infamous gentleman thief AJ Raffles, he rubs shoulders with the upper crust—and steals their valuables. That is, until their next mark, an imperialist general, is grotesquely murdered in the library of his Mayfair mansion. Bal and Raffles find themselves implicated in a series of killings that soon attracts the attention of Scotland Yard—and the aging Sherlock Holmes himself.

As Bal works to clear his name, he must hide his checkered past from a new acquaintance, the beautiful Irish violinist Maud Adler. Her fiery views lead Bal to question his own place in the world. But when he comes face-to-face with a plot to strike at the very heart of the British government, he must decide how much he’s willing to risk for his adopted city.

©2026 Arvind Ethan David (P)2026 Brilliance Publishing , Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Breathtaking! The Great Game is nothing short of transcendent. Yes, it is a brilliant, relentlessly paced classic crime thriller of good versus evil, populated with living, breathing characters (some familiar to us, some not, but all so fully fleshed out that they might be our neighbors). Yet it soars beyond that, offering psychological, cultural, and political insights that touch our souls—often on issues that have been tragically neglected. Told in a unique and captivating literary voice, this is a roller coaster of a tale that, I promise, you’ll read in one sitting. Bravo!”—Jeffery Deaver, author of the Colter Shaw novels (the basis for the television series Tracker)

“The Great Game is a thrilling tale about a fascinating new hero (or two), along with a familiar cast of characters—Holmes! Watson! Raffles! Churchill!—(and a surprise or two!) struggling for the fate of the British Empire. Please, Mr. David, tell us that there will be more!”—Leslie S. Klinger, editor, New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

“David breathes new life into familiar characters with this wry, wickedly arch tale about decolonization, integration, and imperial arrogance, not just interrogating the classic caper but elevating it—stealing it out from under the Empire’s nose.”—Dave Rudden, Sunday Times bestselling author of Sister Wake