Author · Entrepreneur · Storyteller
Creator of the Navrangpur Murder Mysteries
Gripping murder mysteries, explosive thrillers, and thought-provoking non-fiction — immersive worlds built to entertain while daring you to think deeper.
About the Author
Snehal Rana is an author, entrepreneur, and storyteller who creates immersive worlds across fiction and non-fiction. Whether unravelling a chilling murder mystery, exploring ancient wisdom, or examining the hidden patterns that shape human experience, the work is driven by curiosity, depth, and a passion for compelling narratives.
Snehal is the author of the bestselling Navrangpur Murder Mysteries — praised for their atmospheric Indian settings, intricate puzzles, memorable characters, and slow-burning psychological suspense — of the campus-mystery series The Tapri Files, and of the Mumbai corporate noir Velvet Knives. The non-fiction works — Before the Gods, The Manufactured Maze, and the practical AI masterclass Claude for Everyone — explore the intersections of ancient knowledge, modern systems, and how to think clearly in an AI-shaped world.
“I consider myself an agnostic who looks at the world through open and curious eyes — whether I’m crafting a murder mystery or exploring philosophical ideas, I approach each work seeking truth in the patterns of human behaviour and the mysteries that surround us.”
— Snehal Rana
Across every book the goal stays the same: to challenge assumptions, spark curiosity, and leave readers thinking long after the final page. Beyond the page, Snehal owns and manages a beach resort in Daman, and finds inspiration in history, travel, and the enduring mysteries of the world.
Published Works
From two mystery series to explosive thrillers and thought-provoking non-fiction — explore every title below and grab your copy.
Navrangpur Murder Mysteries · Book 1
Where it all began — the sacred waters of Navrangpur whisper secrets no one wants to hear, and Detective Arjunsinh Rathore takes his first case.
Navrangpur Murder Mysteries · Book 2
A luxury island resort, a historic lighthouse reborn, and a guest found dead before dawn — Rathore's escape to Dwarka Isle becomes his next case.
Navrangpur Murder Mysteries · Book 3
A locked room, a quiet storm, a family full of secrets — a patriarch lies dead inside a study sealed from the inside.
Navrangpur Murder Mysteries · Book 4
Aboard a vintage steamer on the Narmada, a guest dies behind a locked cabin door — and by the time help arrives, the body is gone.
Navrangpur Murder Mysteries · Book 5
Navrangpur's first Farsan Festival celebrates Gujarat's beloved snacks — until tragedy strikes and three unlikely investigators start asking questions.
Navrangpur Murder Mysteries · Book 6
A mysterious newspaper advertisement promises a murder at the Diwali performance — a crime announced in advance, hiding in plain sight.
Navrangpur Murder Mysteries · Book 7
A harmless murder game during Uttarayan celebrations spirals into something sinister when one guest doesn't get back up.
The Tapri Files · Book 1
At 11:51 p.m. a scream tears through the freshers' party. A student is found floating in the hostel lake — and three hundred honest witnesses swear he was alive moments before.
The Tapri Files · Book 2
Block C has been locked for ten years — untouched dust, sealed doors. So how does it hold the body of a student who vanished only days ago?
Standalone Thriller
Mumbai. Monsoon. Murder. A tech founder dies the night his successor is crowned — and a consultant who knows too much starts asking questions she shouldn't.
Standalone Thriller
Nine guests arrive at an isolated Himalayan retreat. The snow falls, the doors lock — and the deaths begin: elegant, symbolic, eerily timed.
Horror Thriller
A vanished deep-sea research vessel is found eerily intact. The recovery team boards — and something aboard already knows they've arrived.
Non-Fiction
AI is everywhere — most people barely scratch the surface. A practical, plain-language masterclass on using Claude well, no programming or tech expertise required.
Non-Fiction
Not a translation of the Vedas — an exploration of the civilization that gave rise to them: a world of sound, memory, and cosmic rhythm before religion took form.
Non-Fiction
Not a self-help book — a wake-up call. The lens to finally see the invisible systems of work, money, success, and identity that shaped your life.
The Flagship Series
Seven interlinked whodunits set in the fictional town of Navrangpur, where ancient tradition collides with modern crime. Sacred lakes, festival nights, locked studies and riverside palaces — each a fresh impossible puzzle, each pulling you deeper into a world where nothing is quite what it seems.
Start with The Sacred Lake Murder
Beyond the Page
When Snehal isn’t writing, he’s the entrepreneur behind Avron Beach Resort — a family-friendly 4-star beach resort in Daman, just two minutes from Devka Beach. The same eye for atmosphere and detail that shapes the Navrangpur mysteries goes into crafting a stay by the sea.
Visit Avron Beach ResortReader Questions
The official series order is: 1. The Sacred Lake Murder, 2. The Resort Island Murder, 3. The Sealed Study Murder, 4. The River Palace Murder, 5. The Farsan Festival Murder, 6. The Advertised Murder, and 7. The Mystery Game Murder. Every book is a standalone fair-play mystery, so you can start anywhere — but The Sacred Lake Murder is where Detective Arjunsinh Rathore's story begins.
Detective Arjunsinh Rathore — quiet, observant, and never quite part of the world he protects. He is joined by a recurring cast including the ever-watchful Miss Rosy, Sub-Inspector Shweta Patel, and the sharp-tongued Kalpana Aunty. The series is set in Navrangpur, a fictional coastal town in 1990s Gujarat, India.
All books are available on Amazon as Kindle eBooks (₹99–₹399), and every fiction title can be read free with Kindle Unlimited. Several titles are also available in paperback. Use the "Buy on Amazon" button on any book above.
Snehal Rana is an Indian author and entrepreneur based in Daman. He has written 15 books across murder mystery, thriller, horror, and non-fiction — including the Navrangpur Murder Mysteries, The Tapri Files campus mysteries, the corporate noir Velvet Knives, and the practical AI guide Claude for Everyone. He holds a B.E. in engineering and an MBA in marketing, founded the software company TatvaIQ, and owns Avron Beach Resort in Daman.
Velvet Knives is Snehal Rana's corporate noir thriller set in monsoon Mumbai. Newly appointed COO Raghav Malhotra should be celebrating — instead the company's founder is dead, an "accident" starts to look deliberate, and a brilliant consultant named Alisha Verma is asking questions she shouldn't. It's a story of power, desire, and murder for readers of Gone Girl, intended for adult readers (18+). Available on Amazon.in for ₹99, free with Kindle Unlimited.
Claude for Everyone is a plain-language masterclass on using Claude AI well — no programming or technical background required. It covers what AI actually is, choosing the right Claude model, writing better prompts with the CLEAR method, working with documents, PDFs, spreadsheets and images, using Projects, Memory, Artifacts, web search and deep research, and how to spot hallucinations and verify important information. Available on Amazon.in for ₹149, free with Kindle Unlimited.
The seven Navrangpur books share a town, a detective, and a recurring cast, but each mystery is fully self-contained with a fair-play solution. The Tapri Files (Nobody Drowns at a Party, Only Ghosts in Block C) follow the same group of hostel friends and are best read in order. The thrillers and non-fiction are standalones.
The Final Retreat: Reckoning Awaits is a standalone psychological thriller in the tradition of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None: nine guests are invited to an isolated Himalayan retreat, the snow seals them in, and the deaths begin — elegant, symbolic, and eerily timed.
Connect
For speaking engagements, interviews, review copies, or just to say hello — I’d love to hear from you.