Author: Deepti Menon
Publisher: Readomania
I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
What would you do to find someone you love?
What connection does the sudden death of a young girl in a dance bar have
with an influential Tantric household in Kerala? As private investigator
Akshata forces her way into the Mumbai-based dance bar headed by a formidable
Madam and her trusted eunuch, the menacing Ahmad, she discovers a web of
intrigue with its origins in a Kerala village dominated by a powerful
Namboodrippad family of Tantrics. Can Akshata cut through the murky underbelly
of the sinister world that threatens to devour the pawns, big and little? The
Web of Shadows is an edge-of-the-seat thrilling ride.
A good thriller always lets the subtext tell you the story, and Deepti manages to keep you hooked with the subtext throughout. The storytelling is powerful and the premise of the story is quite unique, specially how the links come together. Another good aspect of the book is that while it is a short read, the message come across quite beautifully. As a thriller, you are constantly on your toes to guess what is going to happen next in the book. Correlating events that happen in a Dance Bar in Mumbai, and the tantric household in Kerala is something that you would not usually think in the same timeline, but Deepti merges them quite nicely. The climax, however is quite surprising, and while there are aspects of it that were predictable, the way it is executed is wonderful. The reveal puts a lot of things in context, and honestly, while I was expecting something a little different, this climax works just as fine.
The character development in the book is imaginative and I liked how small
details have been put into each of them to keep you intrigued. Starting from
the character of Madam, I liked how visually the entire scene is created and
that image stays with you, till the last page of the book. Akshata’s character
is also someone I thoroughly enjoyed reading, especially the tenacity and the
grit to solve the case. Ahmad, as the loyal man-Friday, was nicely written and
is described quite well. I liked how subtly Deepti shows the idea that love can
crop up at the most unexpected of places. Lathika and Kalyani’s story was
fleeting, yet powerful to show that the events of the book were not just
situations, but how each of actions have consequences that come to haunt us.
Overall, this is a nice thriller if you are looking for a short yet engaging read. The book scores a 4.75/5 for me.
Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore!
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