Twisted, Tangled and Trapped-Siddharth Maheshwari

Book: Twisted, Tangled and Trapped
Author: Siddharth Maheshwari
Publisher: Papertowns Publishers

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

How can two murders change the lives of multiple people?

One murder three confessions!! A prominent movie producer, Rajat Rai Handa, is found murdered in his posh Mumbai apartment. And three people have confessed to the crime. His beautiful wife, Lipika Handa, His opportunistic childhood friend, Jatin Maini and His business partner, the financial wiz, Vidit Kapoor. But why have three people confessed to the crime? Inspector Vijay Waghmare follows the clues as a pesky ambitious reporter; Anirban Chatterjee follows around and enthusiastically tries to meddle in. A story of deceit, cunning and vile human tactics, where ambition knows no bounds and survival is the only instinct. A trap is set but will the killer be ensnared? And what is the price One is willing to pay for exacting revenge? Told through shifting perspectives and without an author’s voice, this story lets the characters take control, each with their own truth, bias, and secrets. But someone’s lying. Maybe all of them are.

The book is written as a crime thriller and an investigative fiction, but the book explores a lot more than just the crime and the investigation after that. The book explores the idea of how far can someone go to protect their own. The writing in the book is interesting, specially with the changing perspectives with each chapter. Through the eyes of his characters, Siddharth presents contrasting views of the events of the evenings where the events take place. Another interesting aspect of the story was that each of the characters had a motive for their actions, and how the author actual reveals them slowly as you go along. The book is legally savvy and the references make the plot even more gripping. The descriptions are quite vivid and I specially loved the jail scenes and how he uses that at crucial junctures in the book. He does break the fourth wall at times, making you feel as if you are sitting across the character who is narrating the scene to you. The chapter titles and the illustrations are quite a good part of the book and elevate the reading experience quite a bit. I do, however, feel that the plot could have been developed a bit more. The investigative aspect of the book ended quite abruptly and I did want to see a bit more of Waghmare and his antics. The climax of the book was unpredictable for a bit, and I liked the revenge curve that the author puts in.

The characters in the book are wonderfully created and are quite fleshed out. Starting from Anirban, the reporter who can do anything for an exclusive is penned in a manner that reflects the media of today, and how we can go to any lengths to succeed. Another character that impressed me was that of Vijay Waghmare and his doggedness in the pursuit of justice. The character that was the highlight was that of Eka and how she works the system to her advantage, right till the very end.

Overall, this is a nicely written book about crime, investigation and how revenge is a dish best served cold. The book scores a 4.75/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book at a bookstore near you or from Amazon India.

P.S. The chapter titles are some amazing songs, check out the playlist below: