AustLit

'In LOOKING FOR A KINGDOM, Christine Mangala presents a galaxy of characters, Indian and Australian, in a masterpiece of wit and intelligence, romance and horror. Krishna Deva Raja, disillusioned with being a mere ‘Mr Maharajah’ in modern India, hits rock bottom when an Australian business-delegation visits him, seeking his help to manufacture condoms. An unexpected bequest to his niece of a vast property in Australia ignites his nostalgic dreams; so he sets sail with his niece and princely entourage, to re-found his defunct kingdom on the banks of the Clarence River, Northern New South Wales. In Sydney, they recruit Ziggy Martin, a war-worn photojournalist who is tormented by a psychic power known among aboriginals as the ‘strong-eye’. Ziggy, pursued by his ex-girlfriend, romances the Princess. With a galaxy of characters of every class and hue – white, brown, aboriginal and ethnic – their individual dreams tangled up with the fate of the princely state, the story moves towards the ‘Coronation’ held in a stately home in the Australian bush. All seems to go well until a dead body is found whilst the Maharajah’s ‘Pan-Princes Conference’ is in progress . . . Looking for a Kingdom is a racy tale of romance, adventure, idealism, murder and mystery where elegant India meets vibrant Australia, its people and landscape, and celebrates the richness of both.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.