Murder at Daisy Apartments-Shabnam Minwalla

Book: Murder at Daisy Apartments
Author: Shabnam Minwalla
Publisher: Speaking Tiger

Has the lockdown made you more observant of things around you?

Murder at Daisy Apartments by Shabnam Minwalla takes place in May 2020 in Colaba where on the 46^th day of the lockdown, Baman Marker, the chairperson of Daisy and Lily Apartments is found dead in his home, poisoned. As the two apartments are sealed  due to the pandemic, the murderer has to be one of the residents. The news shakes the fifteen-year-old Nandini Venkat, a resident of Lily Apartment and has a passion for murder mysteries. She realizes she saw some movement in Daisy Apartments on the night of the murder, and along with Shanaya, her best friend and her twin brother Ved, she decides to investigate. The question is, who was the person who veered off the ledge and committed the crime?

The setting of a murder mystery in the middle of a pandemic-induced national lockdown is an interesting one as it limits the scope of the story, and the characters are confined to a space. This have the plot a very authentic look as I could relate to the feelings of the residents as the buildings were sealed and the general emotion running through the residents of Daisy and Lily Apartments. Being a Young-Adult novel, the protagonist is a fifteen-year-old girl and looking at the world through her eyes was a wonderful perspective. I loved how Shabnam took her time establishing Baman’s identity and his relationship with the other residents. The plot moves with a comfortable pace with it being fast enough to keep the reader engaged and slow enough to connect the dots. The storytelling is very intricate, with subtle details being mentioned in the plot that come to bind the story in the climax. The language is good, and Shabnam has put some local words here and there to keep the flavor alive. The climax of the story is worthy of a mention, and I can say it was one of the best revelations in a murder  mystery and Shabnam does a wonderful job of keeping the identity of the murderer a secret.

Coming to the characters, I would commend Shabnam on creating a very Christie-like motley of characters. It was as if a move was playing out when the characters were introduced. Making people across professions, religions, and age groups a part of the story, it is a wonderful whodunnit that succeeds because of the strong character base. The descriptions are vivid and at a certain point of time, almost all people look guilty of the murder. Personally, the character of Nandini was a wonderful one, along with her mother.

Overall, the book is a recommendation if you like reading a well-cooked murder mystery for this one has all the ingredients and also has a dash of tadka in the climax. The book gets a 4.88/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.