An Invitation to Die is set in the idyllic town of Ramsar. It is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and people leave their cars door unlocked without giving it a second thought. That is why Pia could never have imagined the trouble that would be stirred up when she left her grandmother's van unlocked after a tiring catering gig. Once the van is traced, Thapa, the local ASP and Col. Acharya, the local amateur detective, end up on a case of their lifetime when a dead body is found in the van.
The setting of the story is ideal because it provides a set cast, a beautiful backdrop and air of mystery and an element of surprise. A setting where almost every person knows more about the other than one wants to admit; sowing seeds of suspicion where the general air is that of trust; and a mostly laid back town thrown into turmoil by an apparent suicide that turns out to be a murder. It is perfect! The cast of characters that the author brings in to play the various roles in the story are quite dull and interesting at the same time. At the surface of things they all seem to be very mundane people living their normal mundane life - yet when a body turns up, we are sure that at least one of them has secrets that are important enough to kill for. Yet, you couldn't replace one character with the other as they do have something of their own to offer to the story. Colonel Acharya is probably the most interesting character with his little quirks. He is an amateur detective and as such his methods reflect that. He along with the local ASP and DSP, who by the way bring such contrast to the story, make for an entertaining team.
Simple narrative and layers of the mystery peeled one by one keep the readers going and turning the pages. The plot takes quite a few twists, revealing that not everything is as it seems in this idyllic town, before the climax and reveal. For a mystery aficionado like me, the plot turned out to be quite predictable and as such wasn't as much of a page turner as I hoped it to be given the setting and the beginning of the story. However, overall it was quite an entertaining read.
Review copy received from the Author
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