The Colossus by Ranjini Iyer

International mystery & crime fiction

"It's hard not to enjoy the main character, Max, in Ranjini Iyer's fantastic novel...a refreshing blend of mystery, suspense, history, science, and a dash of romance.”—San Francisco Book Review

On a pharmaceutical research mission in 1935, Dr. Samuel Rosen uncovers a pill from the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. The pills are a source of intrigue for the Nazis, who believe they may hold the key to immortality. When they test the pills on the Jewish prisoners of Krippenwald labor camp, a highly contagious retrovirus begins to spread.

Over the next several decades, the virus reaches pandemic proportions, but due to its stealthy nature, nobody knows it’s happening. Nobody, except Berliner Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Rosen’s ex-employer.

Fast forward to the year 2000 in Chicago. Dr. Rosen’s granddaughter, Max, is living a quiet life until an old friend of her grandfather’s knocks on her door. Berliner Pharmaceuticals is after the research on the pill, and they may be responsible for Max’s father’s puzzling death. Desperate for answers, Max travels across the continents to unlock her grandfather’s secrets. She soon learns two things: there is a reason these pills were kept secret for thousands of years, and Berliner will stop at nothing to keep the research under wraps.