The Pinnacle: The gripping and unmissable new thriller from the author of Hunted

by Abir Mukherjee

Brought to you by Penguin.

Every floor has its secrets...

Washed-up American heart-throb George Abercrombie hates India, even from the rarified heights of his apartment on the 68th floor of the Pinnacle, Mumbai’s grandest luxury skyscraper. He hates the noise, he hates the heat and maybe he’s even grown to hate his much younger wife, the newest queen of Bollywood, Sweety Sahota.

When George wakes from a drunken stupor to find Sweety murdered in their bedroom, he knows he will be the prime suspect. But where is her computer, her phone – and where has his personal assistant gone?
As George scrambles to piece together the night, others in the building are covering their tracks. Sweety’s assistant must find who is blackmailing her, and a servant who knows too much goes on the run.

Welcome to the Pinnacle. A place where murder meets luxury and the world’s most privileged depend on the most desperate.

© Abir Mukherjee 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Genres: Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Mystery

Audible Audio

Expected publication June 18, 2026

About the author

Abir Mukherjee is the Times bestselling author of the Sam Wyndham series of crime novels set in Raj era India. His debut, A Rising Man, won the CWA Endeavour Dagger for best historical crime novel of 2017 and was shortlisted for the MWA Edgar for best novel. His second novel, A Necessary Evil, won the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing and was a Zoe Ball Book Club pick. His third novel, Smoke and Ashes, was chosen by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 Best Crime & Thriller Novels since 1945. Abir grew up in Scotland and now lives in London with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Shannon Moeser · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE PINNACLE by Abir Mukherjee is the first book to be placed in my "2026-favourites" folder. I believe it's Mukherjee's best thus far, and I have given several of his books a 5 star rating. I give this one a 5+ star rating.

To reach this pinnacle for me (pun intended), a novel must have:
1) Excellent writing;
2) Well-rounded characters; and
3) Social relevance.

THE PINNACLE has, in addition, lots of humour, which adds to its enjoyment. I laughed many times while reading the first chapter and continued laughing throughout the book, even though there were also numerous serious scenes. It is this conjunction of humour and deep issues that gives the whole its strength. (Like the combination of strengths and flaws that create the well-rounded characters.)

Brief Synopsis

George Abercrombie was once a top-rated Hollywood action star, but he's aging, plus he pissed off the newly elected US president. Consequently, George is now reduced to promoting whisky (and other products) in commercials being filmed in India. Why India? Because George married his beautiful (and much younger) co-star, Sweety, while making his last movie. Sweety was, and is, a Bollywood star, who gets plenty of work in India. So, because of George's problems at home in America, they have moved to India, where they bought an apartment in the Pinnacle, a 70-story marble tower that is home to many VIPs living in Mumbai.

Their marriage isn't perfect. Still George loves Sweety, and consequently when he finds her dead—murdered—the morning after he spent the night sleeping off a bender on the sofa, he is reasonably sure he didn't kill her in a drunken rage, even though they had quarrelled before he went out drinking with his pals. Who killed her? Possibly his PA, Amit, who had brought him home the night before and was now missing.

The story is told from the perspectives of George, Amit, and Glenda (Sweety's PA). The question is who killed Sweety, and why.

Mystery, Thriller, or Social Commentary

Although structured as a mystery, I was quite sure I knew who was behind Sweety's murder by the 15% point in the story, and I think that many readers will identify the most likely villain from clues presented in early chapters. This is not a mystery; it's a thriller, following the travails of the main characters as they seek to discover the truth. It was their actions and the repercussions of these actions that kept me quickly turning pages, engrossed until the end, during this long, complex book.

I think that it works superbly as a thriller mainly because of the intersection of humour and social commentary throughout the narrative.

Plus, Mukherjee is a great writer. He uses imagery skillfully. Not only visual imagery; he also constantly evoked smell and sound images that greatly increased my enjoyment of THE PINNACLE.

This novel is about sexism, about extreme wealth inequality—that is occurring NOW—in India. It is highly relevant. Yet it made me laugh while contemplating these uneasy circumstances.

Highly recommended!!

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of this author’s 1920s Wyndham & Banerjee detective series, so I was super excited to read this. A contemporary setting and a thriller rather than an investigation sounds very good.
George used to be a Hollywood film star handing out autographs and posing for the paparazzi, but he pissed off the wrong people in the US and now he is living in Mumbai doing mediocre commercials. His wife Sweety is a pretty, young Bollywood star who can and will outshine him. One morning he wakes up and finds her dead in bed. Now what?

In the Wyndham & Banerjee series, the stories satirize and critique the colonial setting and show how ridiculous and hypocritical it is. Here, it’s the immense wealth inequality that gets put through the ringer. George and Sweety are celebrities with billions in the bank. Assistant Gemma is just a working class American. Employee Amit is an Indian man barely getting by. The things George takes for granted are luxuries to Gemma and the things he doesn’t even bother with are the things Amit depends upon for survival.
As in his other series, the author creates an immersive setting from the gilded luxury apartments to the seedy alleys. Then, he fillets the workings of this unfair setting with sharp humour and a lot of irony. This particular combination is something that made me love his other series and it’s just as great here. The book is filled with little jokes about walkie talkies, king Midas getting drunk with French monarchs and shady agent Sal Copeland the third (grandson of equally shady agent Sal Copeland from 1926)

The perspective changes between George, assistant Gemma and other employee Amit worked well to obscure the truth. George was drunk that night, Gemma is blackmailed and Amit is in trouble with a crime boss. All of them act like they did not kill her, all of them suspect the other two. The author is great at revealing information at the right time, offering hints and posing questions in a way that kept me reading. This was not meant to be a detective with a protagonist following clues, but rather a suspenseful story of three secretive people with a murder between them. I wanted a thriller, and this book delivered it hands down.

None of them are particularly likeable people, but all of them are well written characters with the good and bad traits that come with being rich/an assistant/a poor man.
George isn’t outright awful, but too much of a coward to acknowledge that he isn’t great either. He thinks too highly of himself and not enough of other people. Sweety is Ms Sahota, not Mrs Abercrombie. Maybe she actually liked him, maybe she just wanted to marry him to make it big in the states. She disapproves of George letting the staff in the rich people elevator but interacts with them as people in a way that he doesn’t.
Amit is a sleaze who just wants to get by, doesn’t mind taking what his rich employers won’t miss and is a clever improviser. But is he actually that bad, or did he just learn from the worst? Gemma is the only character I didn’t fully grasp. Her plot is deeply intertwined with her loving some guy, yet I haven’t the faintest clue why they are in a relationship. I understand that she just wants to enjoy the fun and delights of being with him, very fair, but I didn’t understand why she stuck with him the entire time. We’re just meant to accept that she has a deep relationship with some man and it is never explained?
They all turned it around in the end, and I liked how they all ended up.

As for George, I described him to a friend as: What if Sam Wyndham married Estelle?? And he was acxused of murdering her?? And he was allowed to say fuck
His narration is nearly identical, filled with the jaded bitterness of a man who used to be happy but now spends his days hating everything. Yet Sam Wyndham was a world war 1 veteran with PTSD in a time when shell shock was considered for weaklings and everybody he cared for died, so I’ll begrudge him his cynicism. In fact, it made him realistic and somewhat sympathetic. George on the other hand is rich and famous, thinks he can make an award-worthy film and has no particular reason to be dramatic.
I did feel like Sweety’s death is genuinely impactful for his character. Sam Wyndham’s dead wife has always been a faceless plot device, but George’s thoughts and feelings about Sweety have a real depth to them which I missed in Sam.
In the second half, he proved himself significantly different from Sam, and I was happy to see him develop into his own character.
I still maintain he and Sam should start a whiskey-and-complaining-club though.

[Ridgerunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This murder mystery thriller put me in a good mood from the word go. The main character is George Abercrombie an ageing Hollywood film star living in a luxury tower block in Mumbai having married a Bollywood actress. The scenario reminded me of the George Clooney film Jay Kelly in which he plays an ageing film star who only ever lived for his work and for himself and finds his life fallling to bits in a foreign country. I liked the film and I liked this book too.
George makes lots of interesting and amusing comments on various aspects of his life and that adds a lot of enjoyment to this light hearted thriller. In a similar vein the author pokes fun at certain people especially the “fictional” President of the USA and I hope that the author is not planning to visit that country in the near future! It feels light hearted but throughout the book the differences in the lives of the poor and rich in Mumbai are always being brought to our attention. But I suppose the differences are much greater there than they are in the UK where I live so it is hard for them not to be mentioned often.
George’s beautiful wife Sweety , the darling of Indian cinema , is killed and George and his sleekit servant Amit are two of the suspects. Sweety’s PA Gemma also has a lot going on her life and end up being blackmailed. And Amit also has a complicated life and all these conflicts intertwine. It never gets ridiculously silly and as there are not too many characters it is not too difficult to work out some of the plot twists.
But the main enjoyment is not in working out whodunnit but enjoying the quality of the writing , the social commentary and revelling in the warm knowledge of how miserable a life the rich and powerful often have.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintagefor the ARC

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this one to start with but it didn't take long to intrigue and engross me. It got better and better as the story evolved. The writing was delicious - incisive wit and social commentary, set in Mumbai, India and covering all levels of society from the extremely wealthy and privileged to the very poorest.

George Abercrombie is an over-the-hill actor who has fallen out of favour in Hollywood and has moved to the titular Pinnacle (a luxury apartment block) with his young rising-star Bollywood wife - Sweety Sahotra, who is found murdered at the start of the book. There are several candidates for the perpetrator including George and the two Personal Assistants - Amit and Gemma. The story is told from the viewpoints of these three characters.

There is quite a lot of humor in the book, and I loved the bits about the unnamed US president ("That's a beautiful question", "he doesn't like me", "no-one loves the Indians more than me"). Also the mysterious 'fixer' Miss Singh, who seems to have access to everywhere, knows all the right people and uses wit, charm and quick thinking to get out of some tricky situations. The author also has much to say on the casual racism and assumptions made between the various races, religions and nationalities ("Maybe she had never been shot at before, but she was from America so that was unlikely").

The plot had plenty of action and mystery. The perpetrator was revealed near the end - I had more than an inkling of who was behind it all, but it was pleasing that all loose ends were tied up and there was a satisfactory ending.

I can really see this being made into a film. It has such a good plot, great characters and some amazing locations. Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Washed up American actor George Abercrombie is reduced to advertising gigs promoting Indian whiskey, while his wife Sweety's career has really taken off. They live in Mumbai, in the luxurious building known as The Pinnacle. George is resentful of Sweety's success, and when he wakes one morning after a night on the town, to find her dead, fingers are pointed at him as her murderer. However, her phone, her computer, her assistant and George's assistant are all missing and as George scrambles to make sense of everything, it appears that other might also be guilty of the crime.
The story is told from George's perspective and also that of Gemma, Sweety's PA and Amit, George's PA. Through these three characters the reader is able to see across the spectrum of life in modern India. Each character has very much their own voice and their own take on life and the clash of cultures and wealth is interesting and relatable. The social differences bring with it several instances of humour too.
The plot unfolds cleverly and at pace and although it isn't so hard to guess who was guilty, the way the story is told keeps the readers interest. I really enjoyed the settings and especially the contrasts between gold trim penthouses and dirt poor alleyways and goat poo smelling trucks.
The writing is excellent and although the book involves male chauvinism, abuse of power and the 'me too' movement, it is not heavy handed and the touches of humour lighten the mood.
I've enjoyed this author's books previously and I think this is another excellent offering from him.
With thanks to the author, Netgalley and Vintage Books for an early copy in return for an honest review.

[Jamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pinnacle is a contemporary murder mystery set in a luxury Mumbai high-rise, where a fading Hollywood actor, George Abercrombie, finds himself the prime suspect when his Bollywood star wife, Sweety Sahota, is found murdered in their apartment after a night he can barely remember. From there the story fans out, taking in missing evidence, uneasy staff, and a building full of people with reasons to keep things hidden.

I have read all of Abir Mukherjee’s books, so it was initially a bit of a jolt to find myself in the present day rather than the 1920s world of the Wyndham and Banerjee series. That said, the shift settles quite quickly. The humour is still there, and George’s weary cynicism is not so far removed from Sam Wyndham’s, just refracted through a different setting and set of problems.

Mukherjee handles the bigger themes—sexism and the gulf between extreme wealth and those who serve it—with a light touch. They sit in the background rather than driving the plot, which keeps the book moving at a steady pace. There are also some sharp asides, particularly the comments on the “fictional” US president, which felt rather on the nose, and I did laugh at the recurring need to “call Sal”.

It is an engaging, neatly constructed mystery with a broad cast and a strong sense of place. I am not sure it quite has the depth or distinctiveness of his earlier historical novels, but it is a solid, readable entry in a new direction.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐

Really liked this thriller! It's the first of Mukherjee's works I've read.

I was constantly trying to puzzle through the hints to figure out the ending before it happened.

I did feel like the antagonist(s) could've used some more elaboration since as it was they fell a bit flat for me. Their motivations didn't go much further than 'because they're bad'. Would've been interesting if they had some clear ulterior morives beyond that, too.

I liked the interconnections between everything and how those were slowly revealed further and further.

Some decisions by characters that seemed random at the time and were later revealed to have been part of some secret ploy were fun (in hindsight, when they happened it had me yelling 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!' at the book), but it also felt like that plot device was a bit overused, the whole 'ha the reader thought this but actually the character is way smarter and did this instead 😏'.

Overall I'd recommend this book!! Can't wait for it to come out so I can start recommending it to friends and customers who like thrillers!

Big thank you to Van Ditmar for giving me a copy of the ARC of this book.

[Lady Fancifull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite my cup of Chai 3.5

I requested this as a digital ARC because I have found Mukherjee’s 1920’s Calcutta set Wyndham and Banerjee series absorbing and immersive. This one with its more modern setting within the Bollywood and Hollywood film industry didn’t really draw me in, despite Mukherjee’s excellent twisty plotting.

My absorption in that historical series was an absorption in a far more alien time and, primarily, in the complexity and layers of the principal characters, Surendernath Banerjee and Sam Wyndham, and, specifically, the developing friendship between them, despite the challenges of class, race and culture.

In The Pinnacle, the characters and the relationships seem much more superficial – a failing American film star married to a blazingly adored and successful Bollywood actress, and a background of the kind of seedy misogynistic power imbalance that has been uncovered with Weinstein, Trump, Epstein et al

Because I never really got absorbed by any of the characters in this one, who are less nuanced than those in the Calcutta novels, this stayed purely as a whodunnit journey for me, without emotional involvement, despite the issues

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waking up to find your wife murdered, blood on your shirts and no memory of what happened after you got blackout drunk- this is the predicament George finds himself in the morning his wife is dead in their bed.
He can’t trust the police- he’s a foreigner in Mumbai but he also can’t just leave the body there.

Gemma, formerly George’s PA and now his wife’s, finds herself a victim of blackmail after her illicit affair with a well known politician is threatened to be exposed. The information she needs is at the crime
Scene and she can’t get in to help herself.

Then there’s Amit- the manservant who robbed George and his wife that night and is now being blamed for murder himself. That’s not his only problem though as he already has more dangerous folk than the police after him.

So whodunnit? Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC so I
Could find out

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has-been American film star George Abercrombie lives in a luxurious penthouse apartment in Mumbai with his much younger and more successful wife Sweety who is a Bollywood star. After spending a drunken night on the couch George wakes to find Sweety lying dead in their blood-soaked bed.
He stumbles around trying to make sense of what has happened; some of Sweety’s personal belongings are missing and so is her PA and one of the servants. As George comes under suspicion for Sweety’s murder he sets out to find out what has really happened.
Told from three different points of view, The Pinnacle is a fast-paced murder mystery set in a world of luxury and privilege where corruption and abuse of power are to be found at every turn. Amusing in parts, full of social commentary and with a neat, satisfying ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this story - an American living in India and the murder of his Bollywood star wife. The story is told in 3 POVs; the husband, his servant, and his wife’s American PA. I really liked how the author was able to weave their stories together and each one was written with a clearly different, distinctive voice. It also helped me understand the political and social structure of India a little better. I did guess the eventual culprit fairly early on, but the ending still brought it all together in an interesting and satisfying way. I’ll definitely be looking for more of this author’s work in the future.

[Jill Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When failing actor George Abercrombie discovers his wife Sweety Sahota murdered in their bedroom in ‘The Pinnacle,’ their grand luxury apartment in Mumbai, he’s horrified to realise he remembers little from his drunken night before and worse than that the realization he’ll be the main suspect.
But it’s not only George who has secrets to hide, their servants, employees and other residents are panicking but who is responsible?
This action packed amusing book, with a great plot, immerses the reader into the unique ambience of Mumbai and surrounds.
Another fine gripping mystery from Abir Mukherjee

Many thanks to NetGalley & Random House UK, Vintage for the ARC

[Kerry Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not for me. The main problem I had was that I hated every single viewpoint character. I understand that you weren't really supposed to like them but it just didn't keep me engaged because I did not care at all what happened to any of them. The other problem I had was how hard the author was working to SAY SOMETHING. While I agree with his points, I found it a little too on the nose and it was so repetitive. If this hadn't been a netgalley read, I would have DNF'ed this after the first chapter.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason, this one just didn't resonate with me. I never felt pulled into any of the characters or even the overall story. There was enough intrigue to keep me reading and the story was well-told, even though not exactly captivating. I also felt the ending was a bit rushed. I really liked Hunted and hoped this would live up to that one, but it just fell short of my expectations.

Thanks to Little, Brown, and Company and Net Galley for this ARC. #netgalley #thepinnacle

[Mehva · Rating 3 out of 5]

multiple storylines that are connected , interesting look at the culture but often too much telling and giving points of view that i agree with but didnt make the book read better. lots of unlikeable characters and an interesting premise but it was a little, not sure if monotone was the right word but didnt feel all that invested

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A genuinely entertaining modern day set novel from Mr Mukherjee that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The characters are all challenging and cleverly drawn, the mystery element is honestly fairly secondary, its the people and the humour that make this eminently readable.

Overall very good and you'll happily while away an afternoon with this one.

[Ola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very strong 50-60%, I was hooked - but it teetered out a bit after that. I think it could’ve been a tad shorter to keep the fast-paced intrigue, and some elements of the resolution were pretty predictable. Still a fun read though!

[Amina Ali]

The first page has me laughing because I got reminded of a scene of chandler from friends but after that I couldn’t connect to the story