Deja Karma-Vish Dhamija

Book: Deja Karma
Author: Vish Dhamija
Publisher: Pan Macmillan India

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

If you had to choose, what would you choose- a win or the truth?

Jay Singh is the best defence lawyer money can buy. Flamboyant, wicked, lethal, he is yet to lose a case. No matter the prosecutor, he will arm you with an ironclad alibi and deliver a sure-shot win – so what if his methods are unconventional. But Jay has a dark and ominous past. His father’s murder from twenty years ago is the one case he cannot solve, his mother’s conviction the one truth he cannot accept. When a high-profile murder-accused comes knocking on his door, Jay finds himself embroiled in a case that can destroy him completely. If he loses, he must kiss his career goodbye. If he wins, he better keep his obituary ready. As his past threatens to catch up with him, what will the undefeated lawyer choose to defend: his sterling reputation or the vicious truth?

Vish’s writing of legal thrillers is always par excellence and the same shines through in Deja Karma. The story is fast paced and he explores the legal system through an intricate murder case through the eyes of the protagonist. Another interesting aspect was Jay’s backstory and certain parallels with his current case and his past. What I loved about the book was the fact that it kept me engaged throughout and as a reader, I was truly invested in the murder case, the evidence and the investigation. Referencing the Nanavati case and the abolition of the Jury system in India was an interesting touch, specially with the case Jay was handling. And as we talk about Vish’s mastery of writing legal thrillers, there is a surprise element in the book that plays a crucial role and emerges almost like a last-minute eyewitness to tell the story of the day. While talking about it in this review would be a major spoiler, my advice to anyone picking up the book would be to read the book carefully and not skim at all. Incorporating these undertones and messaging between the lines makes this book a superb read. Coming to the climax, be prepared for the twist of your life as Vish’s pulls out something that hurts you, specially with the way it is executed, and for me, that is the mark of a master storyteller who keeps you feeling exhilarated with the story and then suddenly pulls the rug under your feet.

Coming to the characters, Vish has created Jay Singh as a wonderful and enigmatic character who has everything one could hope for and yet he is missing something in life. The man who never loses a case is yet to come to terms with his past and that has been wonderfully painted in this book. Another character I loved in the book was that of Bhima and how loyalty and friendship has been portrayed through his character. Cooper and Akbar are characters that impressed me quite as well and specially how they represented two sides of Jay’s life.

Overall, Deja Karma is a wonderfully written story of how one’s past can not only haunt their present, but might also become the reason for their salvation. The book scores a 4.94/5 for me.

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

The Blogchatter Book of Thrillers: Multiple Authors

Book: The Blogchatter Book of Thrillers
Author: Multiple Authors
Publisher: Readomania

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you think a short story can give you spine tingling chills?

What goes on in the minds of people on the threshold of doing something drastic? A woman convinced there's a presence at her window that only she can see; a collector who has an unusual interest in fingerprints of her victims; an unsettled man blaming everything on his wife; a low-caste child trying to make sense of India's freedom; a haunted guest house room and the ghost that goes away; a reclusive and aggressive teenager who loves lizards—the stories explore times long ago, realms we never knew existed, the deep recesses of the human mind, and fears that become aggressions. The Blogchatter Book of Thrillers features 15 thrilling stories from Blogchatter's community writers—these tales will chill, scare and stay in your head and heart.

The book is a collection of 15 stories that explore various aspects of human & non-human entities and their interaction with the human world. The stories are not just thrillers or filled with spook, but they also comment on the society and evils that reside inside it. Each of the stories have been written wonderfully, and I loved that no two stories were similar. The fifteen stories keep you gripped as you turn the pages and the climax of the stories sent a chill down my spine. Out of the fifteen stories, the ones that really caught my attention were One Night by Tarang Sinha, The Dactyist by Anushree Saha and Hartoli’s Duty by Suchita Agarwal because of the amazing storytelling and the impact the climax had on me. One Night stood out because of the theme as well as the way it is narrated which makes you visualize the story as it unfolds. The Dactyist was something I didn’t expect and each paragraph brought a twist into the story. The way scenes unfold, you are terrified to the core, and the last paragraph just makes you look up from the book and check your surroundings. Hartoli’s Duty as a story was quite interesting and kept me wondering as to where this was going until the moment when the boat stops and you realise the point of the story.

Overall, this is a wonderful collection of stories that will enthrall you, scare you but also make you think. The book scores a 4.5/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.

List of Authors in this Anthology:

1. Against my Windowpane: Rehana Sultana
2. The Last Rasam: Anuradha Shetty
3. The Secrets of Nandini Rutuja: Roma Gupta Sinha
4. Memory's Missing Piece: Kajal Kapur
5. What Tomorrow Holds: Deepti Menon
6. The Encounter: Chinmayee Sahu
7. Fragments of Yesterday: Huma Masood
8. The Fields: Nirmiti Narain
9. One Night: Tarang Sinha
10. The Dactyist: Anushree Saha
11. Black: Dr. Alpna Das Sharma
12. A Husband's Guide to Set a Wife Right: Rahul Vishnoi
13. The Silver Anklet: Harshita Nanda
14. What Runs in our Blood: Roshan Radhakrishnan
15. Hartoli's Duty: Suchita Agarwal

The Grande Matriarch of Malabar-Sajita Nair

Book: The Grande Matriarch of Malabar
Author: Sajita Nair
Publisher: Readomania

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you think that some traditions should adapt to changing times or should they hold fast like rocks?

How far will you go to hold on to your heritage? Is the house more important than the people who live in it? Dakshayani Amma—the grande dame of matrilineal Kalyedath—must ensure its longevity, but having a differently abled daughter jeopardizes her hope of an heiress. As her challenge turns into an obsession, she disregards her well-wishers and overlooks the stakes. But there is a price to pay.   When Rohini visits India from the US, she has only one objective in mind—the sale of the Kalyedath Tharavad bequeathed to her. But when unexplained hurdles befall her, she is forced to revisit the past.  How are the two women’s lives intertwined? What happens to the Tharavad? Does it become a relic like the traditional joint families?

Sajita picks up the continuous struggle people are facing today-retain your heritage or adapt to modern times. The book explores the struggle of a matriarch to keep the traditions of her Tharavad alive while the world around her changes. Opening the book with Rohini, the granddaughter of Dakshayani Amma, the matriarch, coming to the Tharavad to sell it off post the death of Dakshayani Amma, but she faces unnatural hurdles in doing so. This is when she revisits the past, and we get to know the story of the traditional matrilineal household and the history of the house as well as her family. Through the story, the author has tried to put forth the question of traditions versus change, and to think whether in this race of getting modern, are we leaving a part of our culture behind. Another thing I liked about the book was its descriptive nature and Sajita takes due care to paint a picture of the Tharavad as she explains the setup and the surrounding areas. The storytelling is powerful and Sajita explains the plight of the elder son of the family as he grows up keeping the wishes of the matriarch fulfilled. The book moves at a comfortable pace and keeping the drama in the story till the last page. The climax has been well plotted and Rohini’s decision brings the story to a nice close.

The beauty of the story lies in the characters and Dakshayani Amma’s character has been created intricately. There are multiple layers to her character and each one of them has been explored quite in detail. Her respect for the tradition as well as the well-being of the Tharavad and its members has been put forth in the story. I also loved the character of Achuthan and the way his character arc develops and closes the story in the end.

Overall, this is a wonderful story of family, tradition and changing times. The book scores 4.56/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India.

R.A.W. Hitman: The Real Story of Agent Lima-S. Hussain Zaidi

Book: R.A.W. Hitman: The Real Story of Agent Lima
Author: S. Hussain Zaidi
Publisher: Simon & Schuster India

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

In September 2011, the double murder of gangsters Raju Pargai and Amit Arya rocked the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Pargai, who was well on his way to becoming a national security threat by smuggling weapons into India, had risen up the ranks of criminals quickly – but that also made him the target of Indian intelligence agencies, which then ordered the covert assassin named 'Agent Lima' to put him down. The day after the murder, Laxman ‘Lucky’ Bisht – an NSG commando who had also been personal security officer of politicians such as L.K. Advani and then CM of Gujarat, Narendra Modi – was arrested from his home in Haldwani, accused of the double murder. Thereafter begins a tale shrouded in mystery and suspense. Was Agent Lima and Lucky Bisht one and the same person? And if they were not the same person, why did Lucky Bisht languish in prison for more than five years, being transported from jail to jail, his bail application denied, while he was working for the government?

The book is a wonderful blow-by-blow narrative of Lucky Bisht’s trial after being accused of murdering two gangsters in Uttarakhand. True to his style, Zaidi delves deep into the crime and the impact it has on Lucky and those close to him. The writing is interesting and keeps you hooked as you go through Lucky’s life, his training as a commando as well as subtle commentary on changing times as the transitions take place in the political world as well. Zaidi’s forte lies in the research and adding minute details to the story to fill the gaps and this is what he does in this book as well. Not one to mince his words, Zaidi’s writing focuses on the case as well as the psyche of Lucky as he awaits the decision from the court and hobnobs around other criminals, both small-time and big in the jails as he is shunted around. It is a book that would impress any one who loves to read a good true-crime book and is interested on the political scenario. One thing that the book lacks, however, is a round of proofreading and editing as there are glaring typographical errors peppered across the book, specially in the names of the characters and that is where the attention of the reader starts dwindling.

Overall, a wonderful true-crime story of being relentless and that of grit. The book scores a 4/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book at a bookstore near you or on Amazon.

The Naani Diaries-Riva Razdan

Book: The Naani Diaries
Author: Riva Razdan
Publisher: HarperCollins India

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What would you choose if you had a choice between being happy and making a compromise?

When overachieving New Yorker Radhika Anand is dumped by Siddhant, her boyfriend of two years, she is devastated. With the threat of loneliness looming large, she turns to the only woman she can expect empathy from-her grandmother: her beloved Naani, whose own legendary love story in the 1960s has been recorded in an old diary. Radhika abruptly decides to relocate to Bombay-to the comfort of her Naani's home and the veritable circus of the Arranged Marriage market. But if Radhika is serious about finding a suitable match, she must pay no attention to Zain Rajan, the sexy 'bad boy' next door. A big-hearted novel about love and family, this book has it all: from witty banter and clever observations to a Big Fat Indian Wedding.

There are very few books that capture the essence of good old romance so perfectly, specially in a book that is 500+ pages. Riva captures the idea of love and romance across 3 generations beautifully and through the eyes of Gayatri, Mangala & Radhika. Influenced by the love story of her grandmother whose love story is recorded in the pages of a diary which becomes Radhika’s comfort read and begins to look for something just like that. Riva explores multiple themes in the book, right from infatuation to first love to unrequited love. The idea of spanning this story across generations is quite impressive as it also brings perspective into the story and keeps it interesting. What I loved about the story was the simple storytelling that keeps you hooked through the pages and yet there are moments where simple words leave a deep impact on you. Riva also puts a spotlight on how the arranged marriages are arranged and subtly questions various practices that have become a part of it. Another aspect I loved about the book is how Riva shows that while we might have a rosy outlook on life and want to look at the best parts of our past, there are shadows which might come back to haunt our present. Apart from love and marriage, friendship is a key aspect of the story and that aspect has been explored extremely well. There are multiple friendships that have been wonderfully penned and those add a wonderful aspect to the entire story. The climax brings the story to a close with as much grace as the storyline and I loved the way it ends.

The characters in the story are quite powerful, and the author has detailed out the background of the primary characters so that their intent and the motivations have context. Gayatri Anand’s character drives the story with her being headstrong and assertive through the ups and down of life. As a reader, there are quite some takeaways from her that can be implemented in one’s life to make it a bit better. Apart from her, Radhika’s journey is another one that inspired me, specially how she handles the downs in life.

Overall, the book is highly recommended because it addresses some very important questions as well as draws attention to the pressing issues that today’s generation faces. The book scores a 5/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book at a bookstore near you or on Amazon.

The Zamindar’s Ghost-Khayaal Patel

Book: The Zamindar’s Ghost
Author: Khayaal Patel
Publisher: HarperCollins India

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do if the ghost of your past comes back to haunt you?

Presumed dead in a bloody coup to quell Indian revolutionaries, Arjun Rana returns to the sleepy town of Ooty after six years, throwing the townsfolk, and his household, in disarray. Troubled by the suicide of his father, Zamindar Digvijay Rana, Arjun tries his best to live up to the town's expectations as he takes up the mantle of zamindar. Little does he know that his detractors are many, and formidable. Within days of his arrival a spate of unexplained deaths occur. The town doctor does not have a clear assessment, the local head constable thinks they are the work of a spy sent by the revolutionaries to bring down the British East India Company, but the townsfolk speak in hushed whispers: The ghost of Zamindar Digvijay Rana is responsible for the deaths. As events hurl towards a chilling climax, the residents of the quaint little town will discover that each of them is right in their assumptions and each of them is wrong.

Khayaal tells us an interesting story in the book that blends together relationships, horror and crime in a beautiful manner. The story has been set up in the hills, pre-independence which adds another layer of plot where the small town acts as a character in the story as well. As we meet the Ghost on the very first page, the book hits the ground running. What I loved about the book was that the book never has a dull moment. Each moment in the book is carefully written and fits into the plot perfectly. While the book looks like a run-of-the-mill horror story, there are undercurrents and sub plots that add volume to this book. The storytelling is gripping, and keeps you turning the pages as you try to figure out what the intentions of the characters are and what is happening in thus idyllic town. The descriptions of people and places are detailed and one you reach the climax, there are moments you would revisit and realise that the smallest of details in the plot have immense importance in hindsight. What stands out about the book specifically is the attention to detail and timelines. The climax is something that will blow your mind away, with a reveal so powerful that it can be a textbook example of how to unravel a thriller or a horror story. There are very few books that can achieve the shock and awe as they do the reveal but Khayaal achieves it perfectly so much so that for a moment I was just staring at the page, making sense of what had just happened.

Coming to the characters, Khayaal’s book has a very Christie-feel to them and reading this horror-whudunnit was made enjoyable by the detailing he has provided to them. Right from the Zamindar and his ghost to Arjun, each of the characters has a distinct personality that brings out an interesting flavor in the story. I was quite impressed with Sharvani’s character and how she becomes a key person driving the narrative till the last page.

This book is definitely recommended for anyone who loves a well-crafted horror-thriller. The book is definitely one of the best books I have read so far, and just for the climax I would give it an extra star. The book scores a 4.94/5 for me.

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

The Creatom (Initiated)-Sameer Saxena

Book: The Creatom (Initiated)
Author: Sameer Saxena
Publisher: Self Published

I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Hundred years have passed, and world's geopolitical system has changed. India, the superpower of the 22nd century, is responsible for maintaining world peace. Advanced Technologies and Artificial Intelligence have made people’s lives easy. To take a step further, physicist Neil Rolston discovers a way to telepathy to change the world until a mysterious illness that was buried centuries ago resurfaces and wreaks havoc as it spreads among all mankind. Humanity's collapse is almost inevitable unless Neil Rolston comes to rescue. Will he succeed and find the hidden secrets of the ancient Himalayas? Or, will it all fall apart? Only a miracle can save the human species.

Sameer has explored an interesting concept of being connected through our consciousness. The book traces the journey of Neil as he battles his personal as well as professional life to find this way of telepathy. Sameer has blended science with mythology to pen this story and has set the story in the future where he imagines a changed world order. The setting of the book has been nicely done and as the story progresses, Sameer presents his vision for the future in terms of travel, education, culture and communications. Another aspect that Sameer touches upon is the idea of human emotions and how they impact us, both individually as well as a community and society. The idea to show how our collective consciousness can manifest the way it does in the book is wonderfully written. The climax is quite interesting and the message that the author wanted to project does come across nicely.

Coming to the characters in the book, I liked the way Neil’s character has been portrayed in the book, right from scientific curiosity to the personal setbacks and finally the climax, the hero’s journey has been portrayed to the letter. Dylan’s character as an antithesis of Neil was almost as if Sameer wanted to personify matter and antimatter, however their collaboration was of a positive nature, rather than that of annihilation.

Overall, the book is an interesting read for the fans of science fiction, and the book scores a 4/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India.