I am a fan of Agatha Christie, particularly the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot created by her. There is a suspicious death in many of her stories. The famed detective is called to investigate. He visits the scene of the crime. Then he starts meeting people, visiting the neighbourhood, before calling all involved for a final meeting, usually in the living room of the dead person, to disclose the culprit with a flourish.

There is death in K Amol’s story as well. The culprit is revealed and apprehended in the living room of the dead person in the end. But that is the only similarity with the Christie investigator. The living room is the stage for the drama during the entire book. However, this does not slow down the narrative in any way.

Shivika, a young professional, falls to her death from her high-rise apartment three days after the announcement of demonetization. Initial investigations by the police point to suicide due to cash crunch caused by the demonetization or accidental falling from the balcony due to damaged railing. The case is closed as accidental death.

A year later, six people, close to Shivika, assemble in her living room for the first death anniversary, all asked to be present through a mysterious text message. They all want a closure to her death.

They start reading diaries maintained by Shivika. As the entries in the diary progress, each one of the six comes under suspicion, including her parents. The investigator is one of the six.

There are back references to incidents in Shivika’s life involving those present in the living room, as narrated by the dead girl in her diaries. There are also few references to the legwork done by the investigator during the interim one year. However, the narration does not slack anytime.

All the clues are there for the reader to indulge in own detection, since you know that one of those present in the room is the culprit. The end, when it comes, is still unexpected for the reader.

The book is a fast-paced crime thriller. I am looking forward to more investigative work by the detective in town.

The review is by Sanjay Chandra, author of Behind Closed Doors (2023), The Gymnast (2022), and The Life and Times of a Common Man (2019).

Contact sanjaychandra59@gmail.com for Book Reviews, The Author Show, Guest Blogs, and Creative Writing Workshop.

Halloween nights are not for the weak-hearted, what with all the scary masks. But the fun-filled laughter of the children and the young adolescents is enough to soon put one at ease and bring on a smile on the face of even the grumpiest. The death of a child during such a night is unthinkable.

But this is what happens in a village Halloween party in England. A young girl is found dead, her head forced down in a bucket full of apples bobbing in water, while the other children were shrieking with joy in the next room. The party is also attended by an author, who is a friend of Hercule Poirot.

This is the cue for the famous Belgian detective to make an entry. It is a small village where everyone knows everyone. Who could have murdered a young child, who was overheard boasting about witnessing a murder a few years back, only a few hours before her death? The girl was known to be a compulsive liar, whose tall claims could not be taken seriously.

Poirot goes around meeting people and sifting through evidence to eventually nail the killer before another murder could take place.

Anything more might spoil the chill of reading the book on a winter night. Let me just say… Another gripping case solved by the master detective.

The review is by Sanjay Chandra, author of The Gymnast.

Contact sanjaychandra59@gmail.com for Book Reviews, Author Show, Guest Blogs, and Creative Writing Workshop.

Aratrika Roy joins an engineering college in Panagarh enjoying the new-found freedom away from parental control in Kolkata. Jayashis Dey is another first year student who looks and sounds mysterious.

I have also lived in a hostel in teenage years. I can vouch that walking out of your room to the common toilets through deserted corridors in the dead of the night does get spooky sometime. You look for shadows where there are none.

Aratrika sees actual shadows lurking in the dark. She also overhears whispers not meant for her ears. Then there are deaths on the campus, which let us say, do not appear natural.

This is the detective thriller that the author has woven out of 17-year-old young characters (contradiction is intended). The narrative keeps you on edge till almost the end, as you keep guessing about the killers.

The author has created wonderful and sometimes spooky surroundings in great detail which adds to the mystery.

I am looking forward to solving more mysteries with the young detective and the young assistant.

The review is by Sanjay Chandra, author of The Gymnast.

Contact sanjaychandra59@gmail.com for Book Reviews, Author Show, Guest Blogs, and Creative Writing Workshop.