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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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.
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.
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.
What readers are saying
Real reader reviews from Goodreads, across all three worlds.
Aarya is the book's biggest strength — she's not fearless, she's determined.
— Janvi, on The Undercover Shadows
The new antagonist, Z, adds a huge dimension to the story arc and feels like the most potent adversary of Aarya so far.
— Nishant, on The Murderous Gambit
Comparable in tone and depth to The Expanse series and Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice, but with a more urgent military edge and cinematic pacing.
— Richa, on The Shadow of Betrayal
The Vorath Menace excels in its ethical complexity — it elevates the series from space adventure to philosophical thriller.
— Bookswithavinish, on The Vorath Menace
An easy writing style with great descriptions. The author is very gifted at character development and the world building aspect.
— Sanskrity Jha, on Hues: Shades of Love
She weaves a beautiful world with her words, evokes emotions with fast-paced storytelling, vividly portrays characters, and makes you relish unexpected endings!
— Nishant Kumar, on The Tales Next Door
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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.