In Kota, success is measured in ranks.
Failure is measured in silence.

When a teenage student is found dead on a hostel rooftop, the police call it another case of academic pressure. But Detective Suleman sees what others overlook — a detail too small to matter, a pattern too deliberate to be coincidence.

Narrated by his son and assistant, Zahir Suleman, The Boy on the Rooftop follows an investigation that pulls apart the city’s carefully maintained narrative. What begins as a suspected suicide unfolds into a dark web of manipulation, fake counselling, and a hidden trade in focus-enhancing drugs that targets the most vulnerable students.

As bodies rise and files vanish, Suleman and Zahir confront not only criminals, but a system designed to protect itself. Each truth uncovered leads to greater danger — intimidation, violence, and a final revelation that arrives too late to save everyone.

Set against the real streets, hostels, and coaching culture of Kota, this novel is a psychological crime story about power, silence, and the cost of ambition.

Told with sharp observation, restrained emotion, and unexpected twists, this is not a story about solving a case — it is about witnessing one.

⭐ Perfect for readers who enjoy:
Dark investigative fiction

Psychological crime thrillers

Indian contemporary mysteries

Father–son partnerships

Stories that question systems, not just suspects

Author: Mohammad Kaif