The Crows of Agra by Sharath Komarraju

"The Crows of Agra" by Sharath Komarraju. This book is published by Amazing Reads in 2015 and has 281 pages. This is a Birbal mystery.

Bairam Khan, guardian of Akbar and regent of Mughal empire, is ordered by Akbar to relinquish his responsibilities and proceed to Mecca. The night before his departure he is murdered. In an unrelated incident, Mahesh Das, who miraculously arrives on time to save Akbar's life and subsequently gains his trust, is assigned the task of finding who and why of murder.

Who is Mahesh Das? What is his secret? Why does Akbar entertain him? Who killed Bairam Khan? Can Mahesh Das find the killer? Whodunit?

Story is set in 1562 AD. The characterization is good. Ruqaiya Begum - Akbar's wife, Shamsuddin Khan - Bairam's friend and competitor, Maham Anga - Akbar's wet nurse and one he considers mother, Adham Khan - Son of Maham Anga, Gulbadan Begum - Akbar's aunt and Salima - Bairam's young wife and Akbar's friend are the main players in addition to Akbar and Mahesh Das.

The title has a reference to Akbar's famous question to Birbal 'How many Crows are there in Agra?'. Here the crows are the suspected individuals. Birbal has to find murderers from the crowd of Agra.

It's a good mystery that keeps you interested. The investigation and deduction take their time and keep the reader guessing. This is a mystery with a limited number of suspects and an amateure detective who's future employment is dependent on him finding the murderer.

It's a murder mystery with historical flavour. Historical characters and time period is used to provide a 'change' in regular murder mystery. It's a welcome change. The characters are real, the story is not. Bairam Khan was murdered, but not in palace. He was murdered by another person, not the one in this book. Birbal's background and agree is also changed. However it's a good read.

A good change. Recommend reading.

It can't be you by Prem Rao

"It can't be you" by Prem Rao. This book is published by Cedar books in 2010 and has 188 pages.

Colonel Beliappa (Belli), a retired army man and estate owner, is dead at his bunglow in Coorg. He is survived by his 30 year old daughter, Shefali, whose affair to an unemployed Muslim youth is opposed by Belli. A 24 year old son, Pritam, who is not interested in the estate or army and is a drug addict. His second wife, a German lady 30 years younger, Elena. A faithful servant, Bahadur and memories of his first wife Dinaz.

Was it a murder or a suicide? Who had the motive? Who had opportunity? Why did Belli write 'It can't be you' just before dying?

Story happens in year 2000. Build up of the story and characters is very good. All the relationships are strained. The tensions between Belli and Dinaz before her death. Tension between Belli and Shefali over her relationship and intent of marrying a good for nothing Muslim boy. Tension between Belli and Pritam because of Pritam's interest in art and architecture instead of army and outdoor activities. Tension between Belli and Elena of a old rich husband and young beautiful trophy wife.

It is a murder mystery till you reach 70%, then suddenly the murderer is revealed. Then there is another murder. Then the story suddenly goes haywire and becomes one of old vengeance in last pages.

What happens to Elena? The character simply disappears from the story and there is no mention again. Looks like author is confused as to exactly what he wants to write; a murder mystery or a vengeance tale.

The story revolves around sex lives of the four main characters which are mostly their affairs. But some of them really do not have a bearing on the story. Then why are they in the book?

Author has sowed the seed of a sequel towards the end of this book. I hope that author resists the temptation to write one.

This book has a small font. Otherwise the pages would have increased by 50-70. So even though the book looks small, it isn't.

A good attempt for debut novel. Good first part before story goes haywire in the end.

The Guilty by David Baldacci

"The Guilty" by David Baldacci. This book is published by MacMillan in Nov 2015 and has 352 pages. This is Book 5 of Will Robie series.

Will Robie, an assassin for CIA, executes a kill. The 4 year old daughter of the target is also killed by same shot, a collateral damage. Robie's estranged father is charged with murder. Robie decides to go to Mississippi, where he was separated from his teenage love, to investigate.

Why does he go to Mississippi? Will his father welcome him? What had happened to Laura, his highschool sweetheart? Is his father guilty? Are there more murders? Who is behind all this? How will it impact Robie?

The story is OK and mostly takes place in Cantrell, Mississippi. Will Robie is a sniper who works for CIA. However in this book he becomes a private detective investigating murder, blackmail, kidnapping etc while trying to absolve his father. As if that was not enough there is also an angle of serial killer thrown in. Thus, although the book is not bad, it diverts from the storyline of the series.

Although it's a domestic story (Story of Americans happening in America) it has four murders and a number of gun fight deaths. Bloody.

The characterization appears to be shallow. Characters of Dan Robie and Victoria are not fully developed. There are a number of minor loop holes like why Will does not meet Laura? Why there is no communication between father and son? Why nobody wags tongues in a small town upon disappearance of Barksdale family? Why become a serial killer?

The murderer was very obvious. I guessed it halfway through the book. Murderer was not concealed from readers cleverly though the second identity of murderer was concealed .

This book appears off the track. Not a must read.

Career of evil by Robert Galbraith aka J. K. Rowling

"Career of evil" by Robert Galbraith aka J. K. Rowling. The book is published by Little brown book group in Oct 2015 and has 512 pages. This is Book 3 of Cormoran Strike series.

An unknown person sends a severed leg of a young girl to Strike and Robin. A lot of media attention comes their way due to Strike's fame and because he is an amputee. Strike identifies four possible suspects from his past, who may have a grudge. Body of the girl, owner of severed leg, is found. Investigation begins.

Why a leg is sent to Strike? What is the final objective? Who is behind this? Will Robin marry her long time boy friend finally? What is career of evil?

The big difference in this book, as compared to previous two, is that here the investigation becomes personal rather than professional. The answers lie in Strike's past.

The story is slow. Little happens in long stretches. Strike and Robin investigate there suspects based on Strike's hunch without an iota of evidence. Thus the book becomes a wild goose chase. It's monotonous. Readers continue to read only because they want to know who the killer is. And eventually when the killer is revealed, the clue lies in a photo.

Robin's upcoming marriage is on the verge of collapse. Why? Is there a hint of romance between Strike and Robin? Well this question remains in the minds of readers since Book 1, but again goes unanswered. In fact when the book ends, readers still wonder if Robin has married her fiancé or not. Would be clear in next book.

With every new book of the series, the quality of this series deteriorates. I have liked each next book less and less. Will I read next book of Cormoran Strike series? Probably not. Anyway, I will definitely not buy it.

Author has used titles of songs of American rock band, from 1970's, Blue Öyster cult as title of the chapters. But the relevance of the band to the story is flimsy.

I expected much more from J.K. Rowling.

Avoid.

The Hollow by Agatha Christie

"The Hollow" by Agatha Christie. This book is published by HarperCollins in 2002.

There is a gathering of distant cousins, friends and their families at Lady Lucy and Sir Henry Angkatell's estate, 'The Hollow'. Guests include Midge - Lucy's cousin, Dr. John and his beautiful but stupid wife Gerda, Henrietta - a sculptor, Edward Angkatell, another cousin David and Hercule Poirot. Veronica, John's ex, also gate crashes.

There's a murder. Who is murdered? What is the motive? Whodunit?

It's a typical Agatha mystery with a large house of rich people, many characters, murder in the house, many suspects, scattered clues and mystery.

What I liked most of this book was the fantastic characterization. It's an assortment of peculiar characters. Lucy who is absent minded, vague, has hyper active mind. Henrietta who is devoted to work, slightly ruthless, in love with John. Gerda who is slow and stupid, but not as much as everyone thinks. Dr. John, a magnet for women, who has had a number of affairs and is passionate about finding cure to Ridgway's decease. Edward who is book lover and would not marry if not Henrietta, Veronica a typical egotistical star who gets what she wants with her charm etc.

The interrelations between characters are also curious. There are tangled feelings of love, care, protectiveness, sympathy between the characters. Some questions remain with the readers. Why John did not marry Henrietta? Why did John marry Gerda? Why did Gerda worship John? Why Henrietta cared for Gerda? Did Edward love Midge?

While reading the book I learned a new word Yggdrasil. Search for the meaning yourself :) !!

One important thing that is almost missing from this book is the investigation, that tantalizing cat and mouse game, gathering of clues and deductive reasoning. Readers are left unsatisfied because murder mystery is not only about finding the murderer but also the process of finding the murderer. The mystery is revealed on its own. As a result Hercule Poirot's role is much smaller as compared to other Agatha mysteries. End is also unconvincing.

The buildup is good but then the remaining story and climax does not live up to the expectation. I sort of fizzles out.

An OK book. Not a must read.

Killer in the shadows by Amit Nangia

"Killer in the shadows" by Amit Nangia. This book is published by Red ink publishers in Feb 2015 and has 128 pages.

Allahabad. A man is Found dead in a public urinal. Naina, a young beautiful divorce lawyer with a troubled past, tells police that she might have killed someone. Pronto. Inspector Abhay Pandey in action. He is a fun and female loving, easy going, skirt chasing, shameless, handsome and intelligent cop. Do you remember Salman Khan of Dabangg? Well that's exactly what he is.

Who was murdered? Did Naina kill anyone? Why is her past troubled? Who is threatening her?

Character of Abhay Pandey is of a typical macho rowdy U.P. cop who loves bowdy language. Naina is the most beautiful, enticingly shapely lawyer who has a partial amnesia and doesn't remember her childhood. The book shows instant chemistry between the two and sex on the third encounter.

The book is full of sexual connotations and implicit or explicit sex overtures. One does not understand whether Abhay's day job is that of a cop or of gigolo. These things take the attention away from the main story. More page space is allocated to amorous activities than the real plot.

There are limited number of characters in the story. Thus the suspects become evident very easily. Experienced readers bring down the list of suspects to four before reaching halfway. Then it's a matter of going through the story to reach the end.

This is a small book. Such a small murder mystery is bound to be short on build up and matter, and so it is. However it is written in film style and I could not help allocating the roles for the film. My cast included Salman, Priyanka, Sonu, Deepshikha and Mohan Agashe.

The book was published this year that is much after film Dabangg. Why did author decide to use the same cop for this story thereby making it unoriginal? It's also not clear why Naina leaves her career in Mumbai to come back to Allahabad? Author seems to have nothing new to offer.

Thankfully it's a small book.

Give it a miss.

Chronicle of a death foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

"Chronicle of a death foretold" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez translated from Spanish by Gregory Rabassa. This book is published by Penguin India in 2000 and has 122 pages.

Bayardo San Roman, a mysterious young man weds the beautiful Angela Vicario in a Colombian town. On their wedding night Bayardo discovers that his wife is not a virgin. He takes her back to her parents. Her brothers want to know who is responsible. Angela names Santiago Nasar, a rich and handsome young man. Angela's brothers declare that they will kill Santiago. But Santiago is unaware of this. He starts his day like any other.

Will he know about threat to his life? Will Angela's brothers muster courage to salvage family honour? Will Santiago be killed? Will it reconstitute Angela's life?

It's a strange book. The writing style of author is very different. Story is slow but since it's a small book, you sail through. The whole book centers around the killing of Santiago. All the events of the day are detailed in the book. The atmosphere of the book is mysterious. Characterization is also mysterious. A lot of threads remain untold.

Pablo and Pedro, brothers of Angela, announce their intention to kill Santiago to everyone they meet, in the hope that if someone stops them they will not have to kill Santiago and they will get satisfaction that they had done everything to salvage family honour. However somehow no one stops them and they had to kill Santiago.

Some things have been left unanswered by the author. Is Santiago really responsible for Angela's loss of virginity? What does Bayardo do after he leaves Angela? Why does Angela write letters to Bayardo?

It's different, read for a change.

And death came calling by Mukul Deva

"And death came calling" by Mukul Deva. This book is published by HarperCollins publishers in 2014 and has 299 pages.

Ajit and Ashwin co-own a firm that provides solutions for smart homes. Ajit witnesses death of one of their clients through one of the camera installed to watch the main frame in this clients office. Ashwin notices that this client was transacting with his swiss bank account and steals his money. He wants to do it again. And again.

Can he do it? Can he keep it from Ajit? Who is the beautiful nurse Shilpa? Can he find another victim? How does the death come calling?

The story is tech intensive with cameras, sensors, bypasses, controls and software used liberally. It revolves around obsession of the rich for smart home where you can control the locks, lighting, temperature, fire suppression system, safes and security devices remotely.

Narration is decent. Story is mostly narrated by Ashwin in first person. Pace of the story is not uniform. Too many factors and players have induced a few lose ends like what happens to Shilpa? Why does the police wait till all damage is done? What is the angle of Dr. Batra? Etc.

Although the story is plausible it lacks the finess and finishing that are hallmarks of Mukul Deva. Readers do not sit on the edge of the chair. Suspense is not tantalizing.

The death indeed comes calling with almost everyone dying. Although the book is not bad, it's not in the league of other Mukul Deva books.

Read if you have time.

Dead in Mumbai minute by Madhumita Bhattacharyya

"Dead in Mumbai minute" by Madhumita Bhattacharyya. This book is published by Pan Macmillan India in 2014 and has 320 pages.

This is second book of Reema Ray mystery series (but first one I read). Reema has accepted Shyek Gupta's job offer and joined Titanium securities in Mumbai. A murder takes place on a private island owned by Bollywood queen Kimaaya Kapoor. Shayek entrusts the investigation to Reema.

Can Reema crack the case? Who is the murderer? Is there another murder? Is there more than what meets the eyes?

It's a murder mystery with lady detective as protagonist. I expected it to contain analytics, emotions, brilliance and courage in equal parts. This story falls short on above and the real detective work.

Everyone has his own favorite activity that stimulates ones thinking and analysis. Reema finds this stimulus in cooking. The electrifying chemistry between her and her boss Shayak is shown very well. mysterious, aloof and reclusive character of Shayek is also interesting.

It is evident that these murders are not the real game but just the surface of a bigger plot. However Madhumita has chosen to only scratch the surface in this book and leave the real plot for next one. That's disappointing.

Author has spent a lot of page space narrating the settling of Reema in Mumbai after relocating from Kolkata. It wasn't really necessary. The narration lacks focus. It appears that the entire book is a preamble for the next one.

Give it a miss.

Compass box killer by Piyush Jha

"Compass box killer" by Piyush Jha. This book is published by Rupa publications India in 2013 and has 240 pages.

A police inspector, a doctor and a child welfare social worker are murdered. Each one is murdered in a different way and methods indicate that the murderer is highly intelligent and skilled. A compass box is found after each murder indicating the identity of next victim. Inspector Virkar is assigned the high profile case.

Can Virkar solve the case? Will he be removed from the case? Who is Raashi Hunterwal? Why does the murderer leave compass box? Are these murders related? What is the common thread? Will the murderer be apprehended?

This is a classic murder mystery. Readers meet Inspector Virkar again after the novella 'Injectionwala' from authors first book 'Mumbaistan'. Virkar is an interesting character. He stands for rightfulness and firmly believes that guilty should be punished. He does not mind taking unconventional measures or breaking rules to get to his goals. He is intelligent, fit & smart and likes to drink rare Godfather beer. He is also human.

The story is interesting. Pace is uniform. Narration is not dramatic. Author has used a number of Hindi proverbs like 'Dimag ka dahi' in the book giving it typical Mumbai touch.

This is the second time (that's two out of two so far) Inspector Virkar sympathizes with the killer but finds him.

Read if you like mysteries.

Memory Man by David Baldacci

"Memory Man" by David Baldacci. This book is published by Pan McMillan India in 2015 and has 352 pages.

Amis Decker's (a detective) life is devastated one day when he finds his brother-in-law, wife and daughter killed brutally. He looses his house, job, life and starts living life of a homeless private investigator. One fine day a person walks in police station and confesses murders of his family. There is a shooting in local school on same day.

Amis has hyperthymesia. Hyperthymesia is the condition of possessing an extremely detailed autobiographical memory. Such a person can recall almost every day of his life in near perfect detail.

Will Amis avenge the killings? Is confessor the murderer? Are the two incidents related? Will he go back to normal life, ever? Can he solve this?

The book is nicely paced. Hyperthymesia, a very rare disorder, makes the book interesting. It's good to see that the protagonist, though having hyperthymesia, is tall, fat and overweight person and has characteristics of a common man. David is a master story teller and he does not disappoint. Characterization is unusual.

The book starts with triple murder but then the mystery thickens with school shooting, another murder, another one and then a double murder. However when the mystery is unraveled and the reason behind murders becomes clear, one can not help but think 'is that possible?'

Book ends with definite seeds of a sequel.

Read it for a change.

Malice by Keigo Higashino

"Malice" by Keigo Higashino. This book is published by Little brown in 2014 and has 288 pages. This is a murder mystery. First of Detective Kaga series.

Osamu Nonoguchi is a children's story writer in Tokyo. He is a childhood friend of famous author Kunihiko Hidaka. One day Nonoguchi and Hidaka's second wife Rei find Hidaka dead. Detective Kyoichiro Kaga is assigned to the case.

Whodunit? Why? Is there more than what meets the eye? Is the key in the past?

This is a murder investigation but is very different from the usual whodunnits. In a normal mystery the process of investigation is concentrated on finding the murderer. Readers come to know the identity of murderer in the last few pages of novel.

This book departs from this formula. Here murder takes place, investigation starts, murderer is identified and murderer confesses; all within first 30% of the book. Then on starts the investigation to find out motive and reason of murder. That's done by the time book reaches 70%. What happens in the remaining book?

Keigo Higashino Is a famous Japanese author. I think this was my first ever book by a Japanese author set in Japan. I had some difficulty remembering Japanese names (but I had same problem when I first read American, English or Swedish novels). But it was a good change from usual.

This book had a number of twists. When you think that author has run out of all his tricks, Keigo produces more and bedazzles you. It's a complex and intricate plot. Some of the findings could have been easily determined by chemical analysis, but the detective Kaga prefers to go traditional. I found eventual motive for murder on the weaker side.

After 'Silkworm' by JK Rowling, this was my second literary thriller. Interesting! This book is first book of Inspector Kaga series. Readers can expect more to come.

It's a different murder mystery. Recommend reading.

Crooked house by Agatha Christie

"Crooked house" by Agatha Christie. This book is published by Harper in 2002 and has 416 pages. This is a Agatha Christie murder mystery not featuring Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple.

A rich old man is murdered by poisoning. He has a big family, all living in the same house. Sofia, his grand daughter is the fiancee of the narrator of the story and his father is assistant commissioner if police. A little girl knows something. Murder victim's young wife is roumored to have an affair with little girl's teacher. Company of victim's son is on the verge of bankruptcy. Other soon of victim is jealous of this son. Sister of victims first wife hates victim.

Is the murder in the family? Or is the murderer an outsider? Will there be another murder? Whodunit?

This is a typical Agatha novel. Rich man, big family, murder, many suspects, an outsider, clues scattered intelligently & revelation towards the end.

This is a relatively short novel. As a result it's decently paced making it crisp, instead of usual slow pace of Agatha novels. As I read the book, I realized that I had read it a few years ago. Since I knew the murderer, the suspense was lost on me.

This is another mystery, based on a nursery rhyme, by Agatha Christie (Others include Ten little Indians, Hickory dikory dock, Pocket full of rye etc.). The characterization is good and story is also good. Actually, for a change, there is no detective in this novel.

A good book. Recommend reading.

Awara (आवारा) by Suhas Shirvalkar (सुहास शिरवळकर)

"Awara (आवारा)" a Marathi book by Suhas Shirvalkar (सुहास शिरवळकर). This book is published by Amol Prakashan (अमोल प्रकाशन). This edition was published in 2012 and has 240 pages.

This book contain three stories, all of them mysteries. Two murder mysteries and a bank robbery. The detective who solves them is Mandar Patwardhan, famous protagonist (मानसपुत्र) of Suhas Shirvalkar.

First story is 'Awara (आवारा)'. Helen Spylane (हेलन स्पायलेन), a scantly clad wet beautiful American girl, gets a lift by a handsome young man on a rainy night. They go to a lodge on Mumbai-Pune highway.  A man is murdered in her suit but he is not the one who gave lift to Helen. Two more murders are committed. Whodunnit?

In second story titled 'Gahan (गहन)'; Satlaj Mayawi (सतलज मायावी), a 21 year beautiful young girl, is about to inherit her father's fortune from the trustees. She loves a poor boy, Shailesh (शैलेश), and wants to marry him upon receiving the inheritance. But her father's will has a condition that she can't fulfill. Shailesh is murdered. Whodunnit?

In the story 'Watch-eye (वॉच-आय)', branch manager of a bank makes a plan to rob his bank with his beautiful lover. The bank is robbed. Whodunnit?

Writing murder mysteries is a work of patience. You have to introduce the characters, build the background, set the murder, scatter the clues, build the momentum, detail out the investigation, show either everyone or no one under suspicion and finally reveal the murderer. Doing all of it in a story of few pages is very difficult. There is a possibility to miss out on more than one things or risk sounding like a bulletin rather than a story.

Suhas has managed to avoid both, but the short length has put a few limitations that readers have to live with. All the stories are good and interesting.

I was a fan of Suhas Shirvalkar in my teens. All his stories sounded awesome. His characters appeared larger than life. His characters had interesting and innovative names. Did I feel the same while reading this book? Not really. It may be because I have read a lot in quantity and variety since then or it may be because the literature that was published after him improved a lot. Any way, what I felt was pure nostalgia. I remembered hours spent buried in Suhas Shirvalkar books. His characters Mandar (मंदार पटवर्धन), Ramy (रमी), Dr. Bankim (डॉ. बंकीम), Inspector Saigal (इ. दिनेश सायगल), Danny (डँनी), Firoz Irani (फिराेझ ईराणी), Barrister Amar Vishwas (अमर विश्वास) etc. I met some of them in this book after a long time. Had a good time.

An OK book. Read it for nostalgia.

Banquet on the dead by Sharath Komarraju

"Banquet on the dead" by Sharath Komarraju. The book is published by Westland Ltd. in 2012 and has 265 pages. This is Sharath's second novel.

An eighty year old matriarch (Kauveramma) of a well to do house dies by falling into a well within the compound of house in a town named Hanamkonda. But the lady was extremely terrified of water. Autopsy shows that she died before drowning. Her house consists of three sons (one unmarried, one lame and one married with wife and children), one widow daughter with her married son & unmarried daughter and servants.

Upon request of a family member police inspector seeks help of Mulla Hamid Pasha (An ex criminal who has 'gone clean' for 15 years) as private investigator. When the investigation starts skeletons start tumbling out of closets. Every family member seems to have something to hide.

Was it an accident? Or was it a murder? What was the motive? Whodunit?

It is evident that the story does not take place in present times. Author has placed the story in indeterminate recent past.

I found a lot of similarities with Agatha Christie mysteries. Rich lady murdered, big house, number of relatives, meticulously laid out plot, slow pace, polite detective, too many clues and lot of sub plots, revelation of murderer at the end etc. Sharath has demonstrated a completely different style of writing from his previous book. He has shown his versatility.

The book has a noir title, but it's a murder mystery, a classic whodunit! How ever I was able to guess the murderer early enough.

It would have become more interesting if author had provided map of the house and property around.

Author has left a few loose ends and minor mysteries unresolved like why Swami and Karuna hate each other? What was the tipping point about decision of murder? What is the mysterious illness troubling the doctor? Why book is titled the way it is? These may not be significant things but would have tidied the story.

If you like Agatha Christie mysteries, you might like this.

The monogram murders by Sophie Hannah

"The monogram murders" by Sophie Hannah. This book is published by HarperCollins in 2014 and has 384 pages. This is the first time some one other than Agatha Christie has written Hercule Poirot mystery.

Poirot has taken a vacation, but stays in London anonymously and shares an apartment with Inspector Edward Catchpool. Three murders are discovered in Hotel Bloxham. Richard Negus, Ida Gransburry, Harriet Sipple are murdered exactly in same fashion. Each dead body has a monogrammed cuff link in its mouth. A note is left on the hotel counter that says 'May they never rest in peace'.

Prime murder suspect is Nancy Ducane, a famous portrait painter. Poirot and Catchpull start the investigation and it takes them into the past and in a village.

Who is the murderer? Is this a revenge? Will Catchpool find the murderer or will it be Poirot? How many love affairs are there? Can the readers guess the murderer?

It's a classic whodunit. There are a number of suspects. Everyone seems to be innocent. No body seems to have a solid motive. Clues are strategically placed all over the book. Largely speaking Sophie Hanna has written the book in Agatha Christie style, thus the readers do not feel alienated.

However since this is a Hercule Poirot mystery, one can not but compare finer details of author's writing to that of the original author, Agatha Christie. All Agatha books are immaculately organized and are very orderly. This book appears a bit scattered or in slight disarray. It's minute, but noticeable. Hercule Poirot is politeness personified in Agatha novels. Here he appears to be a bit harsh. It is not clear why Catchpool refuses to see what the readers can see easily. He is shown to be thick. A bit overdone. Is it done only to show him in contrast to Poirot? If so it should have been done more subtly.

I would have preferred if the book was a bit shorter. Then it would have been more enjoyable. All in all, Sophie Hannah was a good choice to write Agatha Christi novel.

It's a  good book. Recommend reading if you are an Agatha Christie fan.

Gone girl by Gilian Flynn

"Gone girl" by Gilian Flynn. This book is published by Crown Publishing Group in Apr 2014 and has 422 pages.

Nick Dunn & Emmie are married and then laid off during recession. They relocate to Missouri from New York to be close to Nick's parents. Nick opens a bar with his twin sister by borrowing money from Emmie and Emmie becomes a home maker. On their 5th anniversary Emmie disappears.

There is evidence of scuffle and blood loss. Police start investigation. A number of credit cards are taken on Nick's name and overdrawn. Nick is suspected of killing his wife.

Is Emmie alive? Is she kidnapped? Did he kill her? Is Nick guilty? Will he be arrested? Where is the gone girl?

The book tells us how husband and wife look differently at the same thing or incident. How they can not read each others expectations and feel miserable because the spouse does not behave the way they expect.

Narration is somewhat drab. There are two to three major twists in the tale that keeps reader interested. Character of Emmie is an enigma. Her intelligence, planning and ability to get what she wants by whichever means is amazing. Character of Nick is of an easy going husband. It's intriguing.

The story is centered around Emmie's disappearance and what really happened. Characters like Go (Margo, Nick's twin sister), Boney, Andy, Daisy etc play their part but it is essentially the story of two protagonists.

The end of book was an anti climax. Readers are baffled as to why Nick does what he does. It appeared like the 'sudden death' of the story. If length of this book was shorter, it would have become more effective and interesting.

I understand that this book is being made into a motion picture.

Not a must read.

Pocket full of Rye by Agatha Christie

"Pocket full of Rye" by Agatha Christie. This edition of the book is published by HarperCollins in 2012 and has 128 pages. This is a Miss Marple mystery.

Rex Fortescue is a successful businessman. He knows how to exploit things by less than legal means without breaking the law. One day he comes to the office, drinks tea and dies. Police are called and it is quickly established that the reason of death is by poison called Taxine but it was not given through his tea. Mr. Fortesque's pocket is full of cereal Rye.

He is survived by his beautiful second wife, Adel, 30 years younger and having affair with a young man, Two sons Lans & Percy and a daughter. Lans has been estranged after attempting money swindle, years ago. He lives in East Africa and returns after hearing the news. Percy is the obedient son helping his father in business. Daughter wants to marry a man with socialist leanings and the union is disproved by Rex. The household consists of wives of the two sons, sister of Rex's first wife, Mary Dove the house keeper, Mr. Crump the valet, Mrs crump the cook and Gladice the young servant girl.

Inspector Niel starts investigation. There are more murders. Mrs. Adel Fortesque is killed in her study after taking tea. This time the poison is potassium cyanide. The servant girl Gladice is found dead, strangled. Then enters Miss Marple.

Who called Miss Marple? Will Inspector Niel accept her presence? What is the mystery of Rye? Who put the black birds in the pie instead of veal? Are there any more murders? Whodunit?

The story is small and crispy. Miss Marple enters after half way. Everyone seems to have a motive. Most of them seem to have an alibi for atleast one of the three murders. Who is it?

Agatha has delivered another murder mystery nonchalantly. You do not lose interest in the story and keep trying to find the murderer. Miss Marple eventually find the murderer for us, but she gets a vital help that readers don't. Readers think that Miss Maple had an undue advantage over them.

The reference and significance of nursery rhyme 'Sing a song of sixpence...' is used intelligently, though this was not the only time she has used the idea.

A good book. Read if you liked the review.

The Accidental Apprentice by Vikas Swarup

"The Accidental Apprentice" by Vikas Swarup. This book is published by Minotaur books in 2014 and has 448 pages. Famous movie Slumdog Millionaire was based on Vikas Swarup's book Q&A.

Sapna Sinha, the only bread winner in her house, works as a salesgirl in an electronic showroom. One day while she has gone to a temple a sudden opportunity presents. Sapna is offered the position of CEO of 8th biggest conglomerate of India by its current CEO Vinay Mohan Acharya. The condition is that she should pass seven tests. If she fails any one, she is out of contention. Six or seven candidates have already failed before her.

Is this a prank? Is this part of aTV show? Is the offer genuine? Will she agree? Will she fail? Would she have to make a deal with devil? How does the story unravel? Who is murdered?

Author has attempted to package this book as much more than entertainment. It contains a story. It has lessons of management and it also tackles the social issues.

The book takes issues like khap panchayats, child labor, corruption, exploitation of women, acid attacks, human organs racket etc.. It also give lesson in soft skills like leadership, integrity, courage, foresight, resourcefulness & decisiveness. Author should be congratulated for this bold attempt.

Only regret is that while trying to balance all three aspects, he has fallen just short on all of them landing in 'Jack of all trades' situation. There were also a few lose ends that should have been tidied up like how does the killer know that Sapna will purchase a knife? How does the killer know that Sapna will go to his house?

Look at it as a social novel disguised as thriller and then you will like it. Not for those who want only fun reading.

Private India by Ashwin Sanghi & James Patterson

"Private India" by Ashwin Sanghi & James Patterson. This book is published by Random House India in Jul 2014 and has 448 pages. This is 8th book in the 'Private' series of Patterson and his first collaboration with Ashwin Sanghi.

Private is world's finest PI agency. Private India is located in Mumbai. Santosh Wagh, ex RAW agent, is head of India office, Private India.  He is a brilliant investigator with encyclopedia like knowledge. He is also an alcoholic since the death of his wife and only child.

A serial killer is killing females by strangulating them with yellow hand woven silk scarves. Private India is asked to investigate the case on behalf of police with a tacit agreement of police assistance in lieu of credit for solving the case.

Are the murders connected? Is this the work of a psychopath killer? Is he a female hater? Is there a common thread to murders? Or there is more to it? Has it anything to do with a cult that dates back 500 years?

Authors don't waste page space for the buildup to the story or to introduce the characters or to create the background. Readers jump into the story headlong from the world go. The background of the characters is provided on the fly.

The characters, the events and the storyline are neatly woven into a fabric that is cohesive, attractive and interesting. Nine murders on nine days of navratri and murderer leaving clues relating to Goddess Durga add another dimension to the story.

Although two writers have written the book, it is uniform and reader can not differentiate the writing styles. Character of Jack Morgan, Head of Private, appeares in the story only to emphasize that this is the book in Private series. Hari's running away seems unjustified and his character was wasted unnecessarily.

The story and narration is gripping. Make sure you have continuous time to read this as you would not like to break. A sequel to this book seems to be in order.

A very good book. Recommend reading.