Every psychopath has a story, clearly not a good one. For most, their stolen childhood serves as an excuse to kill or destroy lives and emotions. This and their lack of remorse make them almost inhuman.
In Devashish Sardana’s The Girl in the Glass Case, there are two such individuals, one desperate to better the other in terms of murder count. The Clipper uses the scalpel like we use the toothbrush — every day. The Doll Maker kills children, particularly boys.
Both tirelessly relive what made them what they are. The thirst for bloodshed and revenge drowns their reasoning each time they go on their killing sprees.
Simone Singh, assistant superintendent of police, steps in to restore sanity. She has DSP Zoya Bharucha to help her crack the cases. The chapters alternate between the two killers as the police try to make sense of the similarities and differences in the murders that shake Bhopal.
The story is full of twists and turns, with one suspense giving way to another, as more and more characters team up to take down the serial killers. The man in a hall of mirrors, his mysterious tenant, a reporter running after bylines, a master hacker, and Superintendent of Police Irshad Hussain who drinks to stay awake till the killers are found, are characters to look out for.
A typical thriller makes you break into instant sweat and feel stalked. Sardana’s, for a change, makes you pause and mull over life’s gains and losses.
The Girl in the Glass Case; Devashish Sardana, Penguin Ebury Press, ₹250
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