House of Cards is the story of Mridula, a bright young woman with enormous enthusiasm for life who hails from a Karnataka village. A chance meeting with Sanjay, a talented but impoverished doctor, leads to loveand the couple marry and settle in Bangalore.

The more Mridula sees of the world, the more she realizes how selfish and materialistic people can be. But she does not take the ups and downs of life to heart, and lives each day with positive energy. Trouble brews when Sanjay quits his government job and starts an immensely successful private practice. With affluence comes the neverending ambition for more, and the inevitable slide into corrupt practices.

For a long time, Mridula has no idea that Sanjay has sold his soul; when the truth hits her, she has no recourse but to walk out on him. But can she really find a space of her own?

This intricately woven novel explores human relationships in telling detail, and holds up a mirror to our society with candour and with conviction.

Padma Shri Sudha Kulkarni Murthy is a social worker and accomplished author. She is known for her philanthropic work through the Infosys Foundation. Among other things, she has initiated a move to provide all government schools in Karnataka with computer and library facilities. She also teaches computer science and writes fiction. Dollar Sose (Dollar daughter-in-law), a book originally she wrote in Kannada and later translated to English as Dollar Bahu was adopted as a television serial in 2001.