PLOT: 3.5/5
CHARACTERS: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
CLIMAX: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5
After many days I got my hands on a murder mystery and that too a Bollywood one. The Bollywood Murder Mystery is written by Saurav Chakraborty who is a debut author and is a practising chartered accountant. That a chartered accountant can be such a good storyteller surprises me to no end.
The book, as the name suggests, is based on a series of murders which happen in Bollywood.
On a cold December night of 2012, gunshots are heard from the colossal mansion of Vikram Raichand. Subsequently, it is discovered that his entire family is murdered.
As the police investigations start and Inspector Roy starts digging, it is soon found that the murder may be linked to another similar mass murder of filmstar Arjun Kapoor and his family some twenty-five years back and alleged murder of a Bollywood actress Saraswati Khanna which happened twenty-seven years back.
As the investigation progresses, another mass murder happens – that of Bollywood star Arjun Kapoor and his family.
So who is behind these murders? What is the motive? Will inspector Roy be able to unravel the seemingly unsolvable mystery?
Know this and much more in this roller coaster ride of a murder mystery.
The plot is well-conceived and perfectly delivered. There are little diversions but none of them let the focus wander away from the main theme.
The way the plot moves between past and present is also good. The addition of two-decade-old murders adds to the mystery further.
The story is interesting and well written in the sense that the mystery keeps the reader hooked on till the end.
In a murder mystery, it is imperative that the reader feels the tension and suspense at the turn of each page. If the author is able to make you feel that, he has surely done a good job and in this book, the same can be said of Saurav’s skills.
The characters, however, didn’t come across as very impressive, they were all like a fleeting memory in the vast expanse of the novel.
In a thriller, if you develop the main character well, attach a few memories here, develop a tiny subplot there, give him a personal life and a unique style, you have a chance to spin multiple sequels revolving around the same character.
I would have loved if Roy too was given a life and a few memories of his own, or something which would have made the readers fall in love with him.
The next important thing that is the climax was good and justified the suspense and tension built up to the end.
Also, the author’s writing style was good and breezy. The Bollywood Murder Mystery is concise and I was rather surprised at the ability of the author to pull it all together in just under a hundred pages. That was indeed some accomplishment.
One thing where the book disappointed me was poor editing. There were several grammatical errors and silly mistakes in the text which surely dilutes the reading pleasure.
In the end, the book is indeed a good read and I will recommend it to all my readers.