#BookReview :: The Monsoon Murders by Karan Parmanandka

Dishonourably dismissed from the police force, Roy has been condemned to a life of obscurity. The twist in the tale comes with the murder of a well-known man in the Mumbai finance circle. Roy is hired by the self made tycoon Jayesh Kumar to probe the case. While Roy is excited at the chance at redemption, he fails to understand why he became the chosen one.

What looks at first an open and shut case, quite rapidly evolves into a tale of deceit and revenge. Roy must take care not to fall for the suspect, and not to see things as they appear. As his personal life gets tied to the success of the case, the question becomes, not whether he can have faith in strangers, but whether he can trust his friends.

Inspired from real life cases, The Monsoon Murders is a fast-paced detective novel, taking the Indian crime fiction genre to mysterious depths. 

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Roy is a forensic expert who was discharged from his service. That is when he starts his private investigation agency. At first, he handles mostly petty cases till he is approached to solve a murder case. This case could make his career as it is not only a high-profile case, but also involves his previous employers. At a glance, it is an open and shut case which points towards the victim’s sister as the perpetrator. But Roy isn’t someone to take the case at its face value, instead he launches his own investigation which leads him to think that may be not everything is as straight forward as it seems. Will he be able to solve the case?

The Monsoon Murders has everything that one expects from a murder mystery; it has trills and twists with ample amount of excitement. The author has narrated the story in a perfect pace to keep the readers engaged from the very beginning. The characters compliment the story by adding useful parts to it. I enjoyed the character of Roy, the protagonist. He seems like a well-balanced character with equal amounts of intelligence and street-smarts. His past adds to the many shades of his characters and help solidify his position in the story.

I am not sure if a romantic angle was needed to the story or not. Also, there were some very clichéd moments in the story. The only other flaw of the book is its poor editing. Otherwise this is certainly worth at least a one-time read. 

Review Copy received from Shrishti Publishers