An Interview with the Museum Detective, Maha Khan Phillips

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Maha Khan Phillips is a seasoned journalist and novelist based in London. She’s just been published for the first time in the US with her remarkable mystery novel,  The Museum Detective. This is a suspenseful story set in Karachi, Pakistan, where Maha was raised,  and features a young woman … Read more

A Twisting Trail to Kodagu, aka Coorg

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Has a place name caught your ear and not let it go? I have always felt that way about the region in Karnataka called Coorg. The name of the hill station is so unusual. It’s mysterious, while still being easy to remember. This past January, I finally reached … Read more

The Sun Also Rises

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I’d planned to write in detail about my travels in India, but it’s been a hard day for me to concentrate. In Washington D.C. , the new administration appears to want to shut down many of the services the Federal Government provides to the people. An erasure of … Read more

A Fashionable New Year: Carry-on Tips for India

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Happy New Year’s Day! And think of me right now, rolling along the streets of Bengalaru with my carry-on suitcase. Hopefully, all that I’ve crammed into the hardshell for a 2-week trip will actually get worn. Packing is an acquired wisdom, and every trip I take teaches me … Read more

Happy Early (Hmong) New Year!

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Last week, I drove from Baltimore to St. Paul, Minnesota to be with family for Thanksgiving. To my surprise, I got a bonus holiday: Hmong New Year. And what a gift it seems to live in a country where people have arrived from so many different parts of … Read more

My Morning Shift

This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. A few weeks ago, I had the fun of interviewing a literary lion in Washington DC—and I received a gift that went far beyond the signed copy of a book. Sir Alexander McCall Smith was touring the United States in support of one of his newest novels, The Great … Read more