Ghosts, derangements and strange happenings abound inVictorian fiction. Even

more so in stories from the Raj written by English writers, overwhelmed, often

unnerved, by the vast and alien land they ruled but could not quite come to

grips with.To them, India's jungles, village squares and railway stations-even

their own colonial bungalows-bristled with the long-dead, the undead, the

unexplained and the terrible.

Women writers of the Raj brought greater imagination and skill to the spooky

tale than men.And among them, Bithia Mary Croker and Alice Perrin were easily

the best.This collection brings together, for the first time ever, the spookiest

short stories of these mistresses of the Raj supernatural.

The khidmatgar of a derelict mansion is curiously always at his master and

mistress' service, but only after dark.A dead woman comes calling for her

devoted husband, the Collector of a colonial outpost.An unwelcoming

khansamah in a secluded dak bungalow hides a sinister secret.An ayah bewilders

her mistress when she sings lullabies to her imaginary charge.A missionary'halfcaste' Eurasian discovers the powers of a native goddess.And a stately hill station

home comes to be occupied by a family of four, happy for the surprisingly low

rent they must pay, until they discover why.

Drawing upon local legends, colonial records and Indian folklore, these gripping,

atmospheric tales will send shivers down your spine and yet leave you craving for

more.