An alumnus of Presidency College (Kolkata), Delhi University, and XIME (Bangalore), Sonia Chatterjee holds two post-graduate degrees in Chemistry and Management and an MFA in creative writing from Writer's Village University. With eight years of experience in the banking sector as a Branch Head, she took a sabbatical from the corporate world to start her blog soniasmusings.com. Her blog consistently featured in the Top Indian Blogs list from 2019 to 2024.
Her articles have been published on various digital platforms such as Women's Web, Youth Ki Awaaz, Tuck's Magazine, and Period Magazine. She was invited as a speaker at the Breaking Barriers, Kolkata 2018 event by the Women's Web, at the Women Writer’s Fest, Kolkata, 2020, and the Crime Writers Festival, Kolkata,2025.
Sonia has written two detective thrillers titled ‘Deal of Death – Introducing Raya Ray’ (2019) and ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death – A Raya Ray Adventure’ (Vishwakarma Publications, 2024) and a non-fiction book on true crime titled ‘The Sanyasi Who Became a King’ (Sristhi Publishers, 2025). Her book ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ was shortlisted for the PVLF Awards 2024-25 in the Best Fiction Category.
Sonia lives in Kolkata with her doctor husband and nine-and-a-half-year-old son.
‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ gets the much coveted ‘BESTSELLER’ tag on Amazon. Quite a coincidence that its colour matches with the color of my book cover.
It’s a Bestseller now
Thank you Srishti Publishers for the guidance.
The true story behind the mystery of the Bhawal Raja set in pre-Independent India is available both as a paperback and an e-book. Grab your copy here –
My first book signing event for the non-fiction true crime book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ at Bahrisons Kolkata and Storyteller Bookstore happened on 23/1/25..
I’ll be signing copies of my non-fiction book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ based on the true murder mystery of the Bhawal Raja on 23rd January across two bookstores in Kolkata.
My non fiction book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ was released by Srishti Publishers & Distributors this month. It’s the true story behind the mystery of the Bhawal Raja in pre-Independent India.
The book
This post is my way of expressing gratitude towards all those who believed in my craft, supported my journey, and ensured the book is out for the world to read. Thank you Suhail, Arup, Stuti, Alisha, and Shouvik for making this happen. It’s just the beginning of an amazing journey for my book.
The gratitude video
To Prasun and Rrashima, I’m overwhelmed by your kindness and selflessness. Thank you for the endorsements.
The endorsements
Have you read this murder mystery based on true events yet? Grab a copy now –
This raises the question: who would benefit if the sadhu gains the wealth and status of the Maharaja?
The King of Bhawal dies under mysterious circumstances. 12 years later, a sanyasi returns who claims to be the king. But his wife refuses to accept him as her husband. Who is telling the truth?
Read this intriguing true-crime murder mystery set in pre-independent Bengal. Read the book now to find out.
Get your copy of the book from bookstores now. You can also order it online from Amazon:
Here’s one last appeal to vote for my detective thriller ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’ in the Best Fiction category of the PVLF Author Excellence Awards.
Today, Jan 17th is the last day when the voting lines will stay active. It’s an earnest request to all my readers, friends and acquaintances in my network to please vote for this detective thriller to make it a winner.
Steps to vote –
Click on the link below, scroll down to Book no. 4 ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’ and click on the Vote button. A pop up window will appear where you need to enter your name and Mobile number/email ID. Type the OTP received on the same number/ID and click on Verify. You can see the red colour Vote button turn into the Green coloured Voted button.
About the book –
‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ is a thriller about greed, betrayal, and masked identities of two families spanning three generations in four cities over five decades. The attached video where I read out the prologue should give you a better idea of this detective thriller.
Announcing the release of my new book – ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’, which also marks my debut in the nonfiction genre.
The Sanyasi who became a King
Represented by The Book Bakers and published by Sristhi Publishers, this is the true story behind the mystery of the Bhawal Raja set in pre-Independent India.
Here’s a small synopsis of the book –
May 1909: Ramendra Narayan Roy, the second King of the Bhawal estate, dies under mysterious circumstances in Darjeeling. Twelve years later, an ash-covered sanyasi resembling the deceased King is seen. The King’s family rejoices, but his wife, Bibhabati, refuses to accept the man as her husband. With support from the British government – which does not want the man to reclaim his lost power and wealth for selfish reasons – she demands proof! Was the Sanyasi a fraud? If he was the real King, then whose body was cremated in Darjeeling? What role did Bibhabati’s brother play in this mysterious death? The Sanyasi Who Became a King is a true murder mystery set in pre-Independent India that highlights the intricacies of raw emotions, relationships, power, money and betrayal.
The back cover with endorsements from two best-selling authors
The book is available as a paperback and an e-book. You can grab a copy from the link below –
About the evening of Jan 5th – The author session hosted by ‘Readwithus’ Book Club in association with Kolkata Bookworms at the Storyteller Bookstore turned out to be a vibrant and lively event where I met and interacted with a bunch of young and curious minds.
The books on displayBefore more than half of them were sold out
I ended up signing a good number of copies, posing with my readers and giving a few interviews as well.
‘Readwithus’ Book Club in association with Kolkata Bookworms is hosting a Bonfire and Books event tomorrow (Jan 5th) at the Storyteller Bookstore, Picnic Garden from 3:30 p.m.
The event
If you are in Kolkata, please join us for an Author Discussion Session on my book ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’. I’ll also be signing copies of the book after the session.
About the book and the author
Looking forward to meeting you for a fun and intriguing discussion
Thank you 2024 for reinstating my belief in persistence and hardwork. The year began at the bookstore Story and ended with copies of my new book getting shipped to the major bookstores in Kolkata. The year started with a bunch of people and it ended with those who I call friends like family. The first trip of the year was just the three of us while the last trip of the year was with my closest family. Here’s to 2024 for being kind, joyful, productive and enjoyable. 2025, I hope you turn out to be even better.