Rajan, the hooch distiller, needs a couple of ghosts to scare off anyone coming up the mountain towards Ettunaad. Who better than the penniless Aadi and Saravanan, sons of Ettunaad’s legendary Theyyam artist Chindachchan? When Rajan’s plan works better than he could have imagined, Aadi comes up with a new, far more sinister one.

Over the next few month’s locals begin to mysteriously turn up dead one after the other. Meanwhile, Inspector George Alex and Sub-Inspector Anand make their way to Ettunaad following a double murder in a high-security army facility called Area 11. Is the spate of local murders related to these too?

Macabre and bristling with tension, Akhil K.’s debut novel unfolds in the densely forested mountains of Ekarmala. Published to acclaim in Malayalam, The Lion’s Tale is a slow burn that keeps you hooked until the very end.