Indian author · Crime Thriller & Sci-Fi

Delhi noir.
Space wars.
One detective, one fleet
same restless mind.

Ranjana Joshi writes the Delhi-NCR investigations of private detective Aarya Sarkar and the interstellar Vorath war of Gravity's Edge. Eight books in, IIM Indore alumna, Emerging Author of the Year.

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New release Cover of The Undercover Shadows, book five in the Aarya Sarkar crime thriller series by Ranjana Joshi

The Undercover Shadows

Aarya Sarkar, Book 5

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Emerging Author of the Year award winner 8 novels across two series MBA, IIM Indore Short fiction in Tint Journal & Running Wild Press

The stories, in three worlds

Start wherever your taste points — grounded crime investigation, sci-fi space thriller, or a standalone short story collection.

Aarya Sarkar · Crime Thriller Series

A badass detective, a fearless fighter — always in search of the truth.

Aarya Sarkar is no ordinary young woman. She is a badass detective, a fearless fighter, a karate champion, a bully of bullies. A dog lover to her core, with a sense of justice and fairness imbued in her veins, she sets out on her journey to become a private detective in Delhi.

She is a short-tempered woman, quick to pack a punch. With her friend Sid, she braves the criminals and their nefarious schemes, always in search of the truth.

Start with Book 1 → Each case stands alone — read in any order, though starting with Book 1 is recommended.

Gravity's Edge · Sci-Fi Space Thriller

A century of peace ends. The Vorath never stopped waiting.

Long ago, Earth fell under siege by the Vorath—ruthless, insectoid conquerors. Humanity survived, scarred but unbroken, and spread among the stars, forging new homes on distant worlds. On some colonies, they learned to live alongside native species. On others, they stood alone.

A century ago, a Peace Accord was signed, halting open war with the Vorath. But peace was only ever a mask. While humanity rebuilt, the Vorath turned their hunger on non-human civilizations, perfecting new weapons and waiting for the right moment to strike again.

Now their gaze has fallen on Erythro—the jewel of the human colonies, rich, advanced, and dangerously close to Vorath space. One wrong move could shatter the illusion of peace and ignite a war unlike any before.

Start with Book 1 → New to the series? The Shadow of Betrayal is where it begins.

Short Stories · Standalone Collections

Love has many faces. So does the street next door.

Two standalone collections, no series order required. Hues: Shades of Love traces love in all its forms — romantic, familial, platonic. The Tales Next Door gathers ten sharp, twist-ending slices of life from a taxi driver's crush to a small-town murder.

Get a free story instead → Both collections stand alone — read either first.

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Portrait of author Ranjana Joshi

Ranjana Joshi, photographed in Bangalore.

About the author

From the Himalayas to corporate finance to two very different worlds of fiction.

Born amid the rugged beauty of the Himalayan mountains, Ranjana grew up shaped by contrasts — the quiet introspection of rural life and the restless energy of India's cities. She studied computer science, earned an MBA from IIM Indore, and spent over a decade in corporate finance before leaving it to write full-time.

Her debut novel won the Emerging Author of the Year award. Her short fiction has appeared in Tint Journal and the Running Wild Press Anthology, among others. She now splits her writing between the interstellar war of Gravity's Edge and the Delhi-NCR investigations of private detective Aarya Sarkar.

Emerging Author of the YearDebut novel award
IIM IndoreMBA alumna
10+ yearsCorporate finance, before writing full-time
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