Confessions of a Thug

Be firm, be courageous, be subtle, be faithful; more you need not. These are the highest qualifications of a Thug . . . and lead to certain success and high rank. Welcome to the feudal India of the early nineteenth century where a band of thugs--cold-blooded, ruthless assassins, and dacoits--are rampaging on the streets, luring unsuspecting travellers only to kill and loot. But the most notorious of their band, Ameer Ali, has been imprisoned, and he has a lot to confess. Responsible for 719 murders, he recounts his extraordinary life story which begins on a grave evening when he is the victim of a Thuggee attack. And the events unfold to envelop him in the lives of his perpetrators . . . till he becomes one of them. A gut-wrenching memoir, Confessions of a Thug, which offers a glimpse into the feudal history of India, is one of the most sensational crime novels of its time.