Indian-American author Rima Ray’s debut novel ‘Ruby Roy and the Murder in the Falls’ became the No.1 best-selling humorous fiction book on Amazon soon after its release. What’s more! The novel has recently been featured among the Top 10 best cozy mysteries of the year by Reader’s Digest and the critically-acclaimed site Goodreads. It has also bagged the Readers’ Favorite 2022 Silver Medal in the humor/comedy category.
Having grown up in culturally rich countries as varied as Kuwait, Qatar, India, the Philippines, Japan, Canada, and the U.S, Indian-American author and professor Rima Ray has experienced many adventures.
In the early nineties, Rima’s family survived the first Gulf War in Kuwait, where it was airlifted by the Indian government; an event which later became the subject of the hit Bollywood film Airlift starring superstar Akshay Kumar.
Rima also survived the triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster) in Japan in 2011. She was working on the 11th floor of her office building in Tokyo when the magnitude nine earthquake hit.
These and more experiences and atmospheres reflect in her award-winning bestselling debut comedy-mystery novel ‘Ruby Roy and the Murder in the Falls’, with its quirky and relatable protagonist Ruby Roy loosely based on Rima Ray herself.
The main character of Ruby is a goofy, yet lovable plus-size female professor turned amateur sleuth, with a wayward imagination heavily influenced by movies and pop culture. Being a murder-mystery book fanatic, Ruby’s world turns topsy-turvy when she discovers a shocking murder at her university campus. This prompts her to throw herself into the action she has loved the most in detective shows and novels.
As an author, Rima infuses her love for Bollywood, Disney, Marvel and the modern world through Ruby Roy having Bengali Indian roots. There are many cultural references to Hindu rituals, Bollywood and Hollywood celebrities, as the story takes unpredictable twists and turns, leading to an action-packed climax which is set in the backdrop of the imposing Niagara Falls in New York.
The novel features an incredibly diverse set of characters hailing from backgrounds and cultures from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North America, and some also representing minority and LGBTQIA communities.
Following the success of ‘Ruby Roy and the Murder in the Falls’, Rima is currently working on two more books titled ‘Ruby Roy and the Hawaiian Mystery’ and ‘Ruby Roy and the Fishy Affair in Kolkata’, which would kickstart the Ruby Roy mystery series.
