The Grand Samara-Trisha Das

Book: The Grand Samara
Author: Trisha Das
Publisher: Bloomsbury India

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

What would be your definition of Home?

Home has always been a temporary arrangement for Samara Mansingh, a wayfaring wedding photographer and the daughter of a diplomat. When her father is uprooted once again, Samara needs a place to stay in Delhi. Next stop: the Khanna family. Samara’s memories of the Khannas are vague at best, but she doesn’t remember their home feeling so much like a war zone. And the last thing their surly eldest son, Sharav, wants is a houseguest eavesdropping on the chaos. Sharav has a melodramatic sister pushing back on an arranged marriage, a withdrawn leadsinger brother who won’t sing, and a widowed mother hiding her grief in the garden. Sweeping into the household like a tornado, irrepressible Samara is a practically perfect distraction. She has a mind to help a girl find true love, push a young man to find his voice, and bring a lonely and loving widow out of mourning. Maybe Samara can even get on Sharav’s ruggedly handsome good side. The only sure thing is that the Khanna family will never be the same again. Neither will Samara, who may finally find what she’s been missing her entire life: a home.

The book is a wonderful story of how the idea of home is something we are all looking for, sometimes in a place, sometimes in a person, but the pursuit of that home is what makes our life. The writing of the book is quite engaging and keeps you hooked. What worked for me in the book was the linear storytelling and the manner in which the situations develop in the book. I loved how a “pre-Samara” dinner at Sharav’s house is shown, and the change that happens when Samara comes to live with them. Samara’s interactions with each family member have been planned and written quite nicely. Trisha takes each family member and their interaction with Samara to bring out various aspects of the plot. Another aspect of the book that I loved was the Sharav-Samara interaction. Right from the first moment to the last page, Trisha writes a roller-coaster ride of emotions. The whole scene about Sharav’s arranged marriage was just so perfect and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The humor in the book is on point and you’ll definitely laugh like a crazy person whenever you come across a humorous part of the book. The climax is the highlight of the book and the comedy of errors is quite a fun part to read and at the same time, heartwarming in the manner it is written.

The characters in the book have been written in detail. Trisha has given due thought to the characters and each of them has been crafted to fit into the story perfectly. I liked the manner in which Samara’s character has been written. She has her own flaws, but I loved how she makes the lives of those around her better. The way she helps Sharav’s sister find love, his brother his voice and herself a place she could call home. Sharav’s character as the “in-charge” of the Khanna household who likes to take charge and keep things in control was also something that was fun to read. Nonita and her family deserve a mention just for the fun they brought into the plot.

Overall, this is a book that is equal parts funny and heartwarming. The book is highly recommended to anyone who loves reading a well-written story. The book scores a 4.81/5 for me.

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

Revenge of the Dark Spirits-Namratha Raj

Book: Revenge of the Dark Spirits
Author: Namratha Raj
Publisher: Readomania

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

Do you like reading books with black magic as a plot point?

What happens when humans foolishly meddle with the dark world of black magic? What happens when the dark spirits are denied what they are promised? A child goes missing at a quaint resort situated inside a coffee estate, bordering a jungle. The holiday turns into a nightmare for his family and the other guests, along with the Manager and staff members of the resort when they get to know that a tiger is on the prowl in the vicinity. While everyone at the resort is frantically trying to locate the child, there are powers beyond their control pulling the strings. There is a tussle between the good and the sinister in deciding the plight of the child. Will the child be found? Or rather, will the child be found dead or alive? Revenge of the Dark Spirits is a gripping mystery that will keep you on your toes.

Namratha’s book was interesting to read because of two reasons. Firstly, the book balances the trio of mystery, thrill and paranormal quite nicely. Secondly, the attention to detail while plotting the book is excellent and that keeps you hooked. The primary plot of the book revolves around the idea of black magic and what can happen if it goes wrong. Set in a quaint coffee estate, the detailed description of the location is enough to give you the creeps even without bringing black magic into the fray. The writing is crisp and keeps you engaged with the plot, right from the setting of the plot when the author is describing the cottages and the guests and the pets on the premises, right to the climax where the entire plot unfolds. Another good part of the book was the interconnectedness of events. There are sub-plots in the book which might seem frivolous in the beginning, but all of it starts making sense once the climax is revealed. I also liked the fact that the author spread crumbs across the book but each character in the story was a suspect at one point or the other, and you have to keep your guard up if you wish to play the detective in this book. The climax did stand out for me in the context of poetic justice. I did feel that with all the buildup, the climax could have been a bit more dramatic and it ended quite fast.

Coming to the characters, I loved the manner in which Namratha penned each character in the book. There are layers to most of the characters and as a reader, you start connecting with them as you explore them in the book. Abhayankar’s character was fleshed out in detail and I loved how the author has explored his past to establish the reasons for his actions. Shruthi’s character was quite a surprise and the crumbs the author has left in the story were quite fun to explore once you finish the book. The characters of Karan Nair as well as Ranjan deserve a mention for the wonderful descriptions as well as the critical role they play in the plot.

Overall, this is a book I would highly recommend to anyone who loves reading a thriller with a serving of paranormal on the side. The book scores a 4.81/5 for me.

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

Party to a Crime-Rohithari Rajan

Book: Party to a Crime
Author: Rohithari Rajan
Publisher: Rupa Publications

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

How do you separate truth from the lies when everyone is lying to you?

Founder of a highly valued start-up, Karan Chopra is young, famous and unpredictable. He is also missing, last seen at his birthday party seven days ago. Investigators try to make sense of testimonies from four people close to Karan. Karan’s wife Maya is in a loveless marriage that she portrays as anything but. Is that all she’s hiding? Karan’s deputy Abhinav is madly in love—just not with his own wife. Who is he scared of? Mohit recently joined Karan’s company. Why did Karan fire him? Venkatesh is one of Karan’s oldest friends. Why did he leave so early? Everyone was at the party, and everyone is lying. What are they guilty of?

The book is a crime thriller where the investigators are presented with versions of one night when the crime occurs. The author paints a picture of the events through the 4 primary suspects and as the book progresses, the stories develop, slowly peeling off layers of the true sequence of events that had occurred. The writing of the book is engaging and keeps you hooked till the last page as you uncover the truth. Another aspect of the book that stood out for me was how the author uses multiple rounds of interrogation to unravel the layers of the truth, and after each interrogation, you try and figure out the truth. It is almost as if the investigators were playing two truth and lie with the investigation. However, while the book has its positives, there are a few things that dampened the reading experience a little bit. First and foremost was the typesetting and the book quality. There are a few locations where the font size and style are inconsistent, especially on the first page, and that is a dampener. Secondly, the book becomes repetitive in the events because of the interviews, and the tone becomes a bit drab towards the end. The climax was nicely written and I liked how it was written. The way the means, motive and mastermind were revealed was quite fun.

Coming to the characters, the book is driven through the character development. I loved the manner in which the characters have been introduced and detailed out. The manner in which their motives are revealed one-by-one was impressive. Another aspect of character development that was good was that of Menon and Shukla. As investigators, I liked that they have been given their individuality as well as quirks that are an integral part of the story, especially the part about Menon’s coffee. The two characters that definitely stood out for me were that of Venky and Maya and the brilliance stands out especially when the big reveal happens.

Overall, the book is a good crime thriller and a definite recommendation. The book scores a 4.38/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book from your nearest book store or on Amazon India.