Hemangini Dutt Majumder returns with her latest Gothic detective mystery, The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles (Niyogi Books), featuring a new kind of sleuth—one who can sniff out more than just lies. The book was launched at Delhi’s Alliance Française, amidst a laughter-filled conversation with a panel featuring Patricia Loison, director of Alliance Française; actor Padmapriya Janakiraman; RJ Sarthak; chef Sadaf Hussain; and the author herself.
The evening set in the jasmine-scented, flower-filled auditorium was designed to evoke Neelbari, the mysterious ancestral estate in the novel, set in West Bengal’s Chandannagar, mirroring the immersive world of Ollie’s story.
Olympia Chattergé—Ollie, for short—is a 29-year-old sommelier with an aversion to working out, a deep love for food and random Nat Geo factoids, and one highly unusual gift: a hyper-sensitive nose which picks up random fragrances, that often has her jokingly comparing herself to Batman. Nearly every page contains a smell-note: the comforting familiarity of talcum powder, the sharpness of garam masala, the antiseptic zing of Ultracin gel, or the unmistakable aroma of Koraishutir Kochuri (fried bread with pea stuffing).