Never Make a Bucket List-Shraddha Sahi

Book: Never Make a Bucket List
Author: Shraddha Sahi
Publisher: Vishwakarma Publications

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

What if a vacation becomes an investigation into the death of your spouse?

Capri - the land of magical beauty, glamorous yachts, the scent of lemon blossoms, and the famed Blue Grotto: Who wouldn't put it on their bucket list? Meet Pooja Sharma - shy romantic, wealthy, crazy about her husband, Ravi, and devoted to her daughters, now desperate to begin living for herself. She sets out to rekindle their romance and her sense of self with a new plan for life. It all goes horribly wrong on the penultimate day of their trip... Pooja goes overboard just as their boat exits the Blue Grotto and is nowhere to be found. Did she drown? Was it a tragic accident... or a sinister plan? A depressed socialite, a bankrupt husband, a sultry ex- lover - are these the real personalities of those involved? Inspector Roberto Batliwala stands in the way of the busload of remaining Indian tourists desperate to go home... surely the case is a simple, straightforward one, isn't it?

Shraddha’s book is an interesting whodunnit which explores the death of Pooja Sharma on her holiday in Capri. The author explores the idea of what happens when a murder investigation takes place on a foreign soil, and how things can get complicated quickly. Shraddha’s writing is interesting and the concept she explores is really gripping. While reading the book, I was almost reminded of Poirot and how he investigates crimes across the lands. Another aspect of the book that stands out is the slow burn and that the time it takes for the pieces to fall into place. The writing keeps you interested and as a reader, you are in sync with the investigator as he unravels the pieces. While the plot is interesting, there were certain aspects of the book that did not work for me. Firstly, while the book opens on a strong note, the spark fizzles out as the book moves as the interrogation becomes repetitive and non-yielding. Secondly, the writing becomes slower and we see a lot of events, but not a lot of thrill that should have been an integral part of the book. The climax is surprising and it does salvage the slow writing in the second half of the book.

Coming to the characters, Shraddha incorporates a motley of characters, and I loved that there are connections between characters that show up as the book progresses which increases the suspect pool. The character descriptions are detailed and you can visualize the characters as you read through the book. Roberto Batliwala as an Indian-Italian investigator flummoxed by the events is nicely created. My concern with the character arc was that it was superficial and as a detective, he could have been a wonderful detective to have been carried forward as a series.

Overall, the book is a well-written crime thriller that could have been improved. The book scores a 4.13/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a Bookstore near you.