Where Folklore Meets Cold Equations
In the red laterite heartland of Bengal, the line between myth and reality is often blurred by the dust of the Rarh region. It is within this atmospheric setting that Pranab Kumar Senapati, a serving West Bengal Police Officer and PhD Research Scholar, has set his debut novel, The Geometry of Ghosts. This isn’t your standard police procedural; it is a high-concept thriller that pits the superstitions of rural India against the unwavering laws of physics.
The story unfolds in the village of Jakpur, a place where the Chatterjee feudal dynasty once ruled with an iron hand. When the heirs of this powerful family begin dying in ways that defy immediate explanation, the local community is quick to point toward the supernatural. They whisper of a Yakshi—a vengeful spirit returned to settle a thirty-year-old blood debt. The deaths are grisly and geometrically impossible: a man found drowned in a shallow pond with dry lungs, and another pinned by forces that seem to transcend human strength.
The Science of the Supernatural
Enter Inspector Sagar Mondal. Unlike the terrified locals, Mondal rejects the easy explanation of a curse. Where the village sees a ghost, he sees a calculation. “I wanted to write a story where the murder weapon isn’t a gun or a knife, but a lever, a fulcrum, or a chemical reaction,” says Senapati. This unique approach turns the investigation into a battle of wits between a seasoned detective and a killer who has weaponized high-school physics to simulate divine retribution.
What gives The Geometry of Ghosts its razor-sharp edge is Senapati’s own background. Having led real-world criminal investigations across rural Bengal, he provides a level of procedural grit that most authors can only approximate. From the specific bureaucracy of a station diary to the complex social hierarchies of local Ashrams, the book feels startlingly authentic. This realism is balanced by Senapati’s literary depth, fueled by his education in the UK and his ongoing scholarly research.
Justice by Calculation
As the monsoon rains turn the Jakpur dust to mud, the investigation becomes a race against time. Mondal must navigate the blood-soaked history of the Chatterjee landlords and the enigmatic influence of local saints to find the human hand behind the haunting. Ultimately, the novel is a deep dive into the themes of caste, inheritance, and the ultimate geometry of revenge.
For readers looking for a thriller that respects their intelligence while delivering a chilling atmospheric experience, The Geometry of Ghosts is a mandatory read for 2026. The novel is available now through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can follow the author’s journey and insights into rural policing on his official Instagram.
