THE STRANGLERS by George Bruce. 234 pages. Harcourt, Brace & World. $5.95.
In 1812, about 40,000 travelers died of "misadventure" on the lonely, dusty roads of India. Cholera, smallpox and snakebite were among the popular certified causes of death. The actual cause, in more cases than not: death by strangling at the well-muscled hands of murderous religious fanatics called Thugs, who perversely justified their killing in the name of the Hindu goddess Kali but robbed for the immense benefit of themselves. George Bruce, journalist and Orientalist, examines these remarkable evildoers and with British...
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