Featured in the January 2026 issue of Kirkus Reviews Magazine.
Unreservedly recommended by Midwest Book Review for library historical fiction collections.

A sweeping historical novel of intrigue, betrayal, and empire set in eighteenth-century Bengal.

The Traitor’s Bargain unfolds during the turbulent years surrounding the Battle of Plassey—the conflict that transformed the British East India Company from a trading enterprise into a potent political power in India.

In the summer of 1757, Bengal, jewel of the East, stands on the edge of a precipice. The East India Company, once mere merchants, manoeuvres to unseat a dynasty. The fiery young Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah finds himself surrounded by treachery. A powerful banker pulls unseen strings behind the throne. A nobleman, torn between loyalty and survival, faces a fateful choice. A Company officer begins to question the masters he serves. And the son of an aristocrat rises to lead a peasant revolt.

Their lives converge in a crucible of shifting power and rising rebellion, as the fury of a devastated land collides with the ambitions of foreign merchants. Every decision becomes a wager, and every betrayal brings its reckoning.

Based on real events and grounded in meticulous research, The Traitor’s Bargain is a vivid portrait of ambition, resistance, audacity, and moral compromise at one of the most consequential turning points in Indian history.

Praise for The Traitor’s Bargain

“An enthralling story of nationalism filled with historical touches and lush details.”
— Kirkus Reviews

“Rajat Roy brings an original and genuine flair to his historical suspense novel… a fun and engaging read from start to finish… unreservedly recommended for community and public library historical fiction collections.”
— Midwest Book Review