cover image Raj

Raj

Gita Mehta. Ballantine Books, $15.95 (480pp) ISBN 978-0-449-90566-1

Princess Jaya of Balmer, witness to bloodshed and insurmountable political upheaval, realizes that royal India's demise is imminent. ``Although the rich background detail is engrossing, Jaya remains a remote character to whom one never develops an attachment,'' PW said of this novel penned by the wife of Knopf's Sonny Mehta. Author tour. (Apr.)