Murder in Amaravati by Sharath Komarraju

"Murder in Amaravati" by Sharath Komarraju. This book is published by Amaryllis in 2012 and has 209 pages. This book was longlisted for Commonwealth book prize 2013.

The village hostess (prostitute), Padmavati, is murdered. Body found in Kali temple by priest Krishna Shastri. Head constable, Venkata Reddy, investigates. There are various characters. Sarpanch Seetaraamaiah, his young son Kishore and crippled daughter Indira. Satyam the postmaster and his wife Lakshmi. Shekhar a man who is wasted below waist and his wife Vaishnavi, a drunkard Sanga, Shastri's wife Annapurna etc..

Who killed Padmavati? What will come out of investigation apart from murderer? Who is the murderer? Why was the murderer committed?

The characterization is good. The village atmosphere, it's intricacies, affairs and enmity is depicted very well. Idea of a constable and priest playing detective is also innovative. Murder of prostitute kicks a scandals in a small village.

Story keeps you interested till the very end. The timeline, alibies, confirming the statements from other witnesses etc. shows influence of Agatha Christie.

When I purchased the book I thought it's a murder mystery in God Indra's Amaravati. However it turned out to be a village in Andhra which was the capital of Satvahana kings, once upon a time. So rather than a mythological mystery, it turned out to be a modern day mystery.

There are some avoidable errors in the book e.g. When the Kali mandir was built by Seetaraamaiah much later, how did his mother, Jagdamba, prayed at Kali temple?

I guessed the killer halfway through the book but as the book converged it appears that I had missed the mark but then I was again proved right in epilogue.

If you like murder mysteries, read it. If you want to venture into murder mysteries then this is not the book to start with.

The Ginseng Hunter by Jeff Talarigo

"The Ginseng Hunter" by Jeff Talarigo. This book is published by Grijalbo Mondadori Sa in 2014 and has 234 pages.

This is a story of a Ginseng hunter, who lives on the bank of Tumen river that divides China and North Korea. The only work he knows is hunting for Ginseng root and the only pleasure he knows is the visit to brothel in the city of Yanji, once a month. One day he meets a prostitute, at the brothel who has run away from North Korea and slowly falls in love with her. Through her he understands the situation across the border. This book is a portrait of what happens in the lives of the hunter and the prostitute, memories of hunter and memories of prostitute .

Will the Ginseng hunter marry the prostitute?. Will he take her home? What's in her past? Would she like to go back to Korea? Will the hunter get the Ginseng root of his life? Is being so close to North Korea hazardous?

Author has presented a beautiful story. It is a subtle noir. Hunter's feelings for the prostitute are portrayed delicately. On one hand he wants her but on other hand he is happy with his solitary life and Ginseng hunting. Eventually he finds the purpose in life and marriage in the form of a little North Korean girl, but can he?

It's a story of love, empathy, survival and Ginseng hunting with the backdrop of changes in China with the rise of Mao and communism and with the backdrop of miserable life in North Korea and atrocities heaped by the government on North Korean citizens.

A Ginseng (अश्वगंधा) route is very precious. It is interesting to know that it has two legs and beard (Interested? See the images on internet). It is excavated with great care to avoid damaging it. The shovel used for excavation is made of bone as it is said that Ginseng is afraid of metal. The person who finds Ginseng routes is called hunter. Finding Ginseng is much like a hunt.

The story is concise and gripping. One can not help feeling sad for the North Korean citizens and appreciate what the hunter does. Though the introduction of the soldier towards the end seemed unnecessary.

A very good book. Recommend reading.