A Murder in Dehradun-Siddharth Maheshwari

Book: A Murder in Dehradun
Author: Siddharth Maheshwari
Publisher: Papertowns India

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

How far would you go to seek revenge?

In the shadowed corridors of deceit, innocence fades to illusion, and trust becomes a deadly gamble. Amidst the lush hills of Dehradun lies the opulent estate of the Dinshaws—a family bound by legacy, torn apart by greed. When an unexpected fortune of 700 crore rupees lands in their lap, old secrets resurface, and chaos ensues. The family patriarch, Jahangir, summons his lawyer, Bejan Contractor, and his daughter, Shehnaz, to revise his will. As the weather turns for the worst and a snowstorm envelops the hills, a death occurs! 13 suspects. One deadly secret. Is it greed that binds them, or something far more sinister? Trapped within the grounds, someone needs to take control and navigate through a labyrinth of lies and greed to unmask the killer. With each passing moment, the danger grows, and the stakes rise. As you read, observe the traits of every character and follow the clues! Will the killer be pinned, or will their deadly streak continue? The clock ticks and the suspense thickens. Trust no one. Suspect everyone.

A Murder in Dehradun is the story of the Dinshaw family, whose patriarch Jahangir comes across a windfall, and decides to alter his last will and testament. Things take a turn when the weather changes, and a death occurs in the mansion. Siddharth takes the setting of a rich family, marooned in the hills, each member being a suspect and builds the plot around it. The book starts in an interesting manner and as the whereabouts and the mindset of each character is explained, you are drawn into the plot. The initial chapters of the book are quite gripping and you get a flavor of a Christie mystery brewing. The visuals that the author explains are quite vivid and painting a picture of the Dinshaw estate or Anahita’s bonsais is quite easy. This helps quite a bit in the reader living the moment. What did not work for me was the second part of the book where the investigation happens. I felt that section of the book could’ve done with a bit more of suspense and flair, given how the first half of the book had built up to the moment. A thriller works when the reader is engaged, and there were enough red herrings in the first half that kept me guessing on the whodunnit part, but the interrogations became repetitive, specially the second time over. The climax was a good reveal, but felt hurried to me.

The characters are the crux of this book, and Siddharth has crafted them quite well. Each of the characters has a nice story that explains their actions and their role in the entire scheme of things. What I also liked was that each character was given a distinct quirk which becomes important as the story progresses on. I particularly liked the way Anahita’s character was sketched, and how her relationships with the other characters were explored. One character I think who did not get his due was that of Bejan Contractor. I believe he could have been an excellent red herring for the readers to get stuck in at some point. Shehnaz, as a character was interesting, but felt a little monotonous in the way she was depicted.

Overall, a decent book that is a recommendation if you like to pick up a nice thriller. The book scores a 4.25/5 from me.

Grab a copy of the book from your nearest bookstore or on Amazon India.