With or Without You
‘None is indispensable in the corporate world'. This one-liner is the crux of the Penguin Metro Reads series' novel With or without you by Partha Sarathi Basu.
The narration in simple straight language backed by a powerful storyline makes one finish the book in one shot. Basu has captured the real backdrop of the corporate world which is smartly hidden behind the celluloid of deceptive smiles.
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The author, having worked with the leading brands in the Indian business world, it is no big surprise that the novel has a strong storyline supported by technicalities though not to an extent to bore an outsider with the jargon.
Aarav, an ambitious young man, striving to prove his mettle, achieves success at the cost of his personal life only to realise later that it was all goofed up and “if not him, it would 0have been someone else” . The author has also driven home the point that it is not worth chasing numbers or success at the cost of one's peace of mind and family.
The end has been crafted well with Aarav's wife coming to his rescue and bringing him back to his senses. The author has also played well with twists and suspense in the story to keep the reader hooked on till the end. I enjoyed the
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Close Call in Kashmir
Bharat Wakhlu has taken a bold move in choosing mystery as the subject for his first novel Close Call in Kashmir . Mystery requires a good backdrop supported by history or tradition along with lucid narration to sustain the readers' interest. Wakhlu has handled the subject quite impressively in spite of having chosen a controversial historic background.
Dr. Mike Zutshi, Professor of the South Asian Art and History at the State University, New York, receives a call from India that his rakhi - sister and senior scientist Dr. Namrata Wazir has been abducted by militants. On a mission to save his sister, Zutshi travels to Srinagar where the plot is set. There is also this shrine at Aishmuqam near Srinagar that supposedly houses the “Amanat” or secret treasure protected and concealed from the public.
Prof. Noor Ali joins Zutshi in unravelling the mysteries of the shrine when they find themselves in the jeopardy of “antique thieves”. The plot unfolds all at a time finally culminating with an “All is well” end.
Though the final scene leads to an abrupt finish, the story is well written. The author may have been inspired by Dan Brown's works. A constructive feedback could be to include references to the numerous facts related to the Mughal Age.
The Premier Murder League
A murder mystery from the world of cricket from a doctor! ‘ Commendable' is the word that comes to the mind as one finishes the novel. I am not a ‘mystery enthusiast' but to be very honest, this book of Dr. Geetha Sundar glued me to my seat with my eyes racing through the fast-paced novel dealing with the story of investigation of random murders.
As a result of the stupendous work of Rahul and Ravi, two super-smart sleuths, it turns out to be a chain of murders.
The key player is kept in the dark and caught at the end which adds spice to the nail-biting finish.
The epilogue where the possible genesis is traced and the way Rahul and Ravi are portrayed as socially responsible cops is a feel-good factor and the moral of the story is even murders can bring about positive outcomes. After all, even ‘a stopped clock is right twice a day'!
The only slack which could have been avoided is the last IPL match which is connected to the arrest of the ‘mastermind' that turns out to be dragging.
Otherwise, a nicely-written tale with no loose threads. Hats off, doctor ! We would expect more of murder mysteries from the world of medicine from you.
Publisher: Penguin
Price: Rs. 150 each.
Archana Balasubramanian, Design Engineer, AREVA T&D India Ltd.