Author: Kumar Kinshuk
Publisher: Poetic Imagica
What is the one thing you like to see in a
crime thriller?
Two Indian Girls by Kumar Kinshuk explores the mystery behind
the alleged suicide of Khushbu and Ajit’s family is under the scanner under
suspicion of abetting it for want of dowry. The case is handed over to
Inspector Rajiv who starts confronting the people associated with her to
reconstruct the events leading to her death. Amrita, Khushbu’s closest friend,
is in a relationship with Rajiv and is trying to help him link the clues to
clear the fog. With all the players in the case having a personal stake, would
Inspector Rajiv be able to solve the mystery, or would it be filed as a
suicide?
The plot of the book is a bit confusing as
the central premise of the book does not get established until almost half the
book is done. The story is told primarily from Amrita’s and Rajiv’s Point of
view but neither of them add too much to the story. Another thing that drags
the story down is the excessive use of fillers to add volume to the story which
has nothing to do with the primary plot. There is discussion on politics, society,
religious customs etc., which did not have almost no bearing on the main idea
that the author wanted to convey. The good thing about the book is that it
picks up pace in the second half and the things start falling into place. The
murder mystery starts making sense and the important characters start jumping
out. The climax, however, is abrupt and sudden.
Coming to the characters, this book is
primarily character driven and propels forward through their emotions and their
beliefs. The author takes his time, setting the pace of the characters and that
is something I appreciate about the book. I loved how different examples were
taken to establish Amrita as a character. However, one drawback I noticed here
is that the presence of too many characters starts creating a confusion as the
storylines start jumbling up. Rajiv’s character was well sketched, and I would
love to see more stories featuring him.
Overall, a decent attempt at a murder mystery
that requires a second round of editing and trimming to make it better. The book
scores a 3.13/5 for me.
Get your copy of the book from Amazon here.
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