Judge this racy detective novel by its cover and content, too! Author Nilanjan P. Choudhury’s second novel, The Case of the Secretive Sister , has Bangalore in the skin of a detective story. “This book is my labour of love for namma Bengaluru through the eyes of a middle-class migrant,” he says, adding, “It explores the quotidian challenges of establishing a life here – for which you sometimes wish you had the services of a world-class detective! This is the Bangalore of traffic jams, of unscrupulous auto drivers, of villainous policemen with arresting moustaches, of overpriced coffee shops that serve tasteless muddy fluids, and gated communities that are insulated from the angularities of the city. But going beyond the surface, Bangalore is a like the quiet neighbour in your apartment block, of whom you know very little, sometimes not even his name. Unlike some cities, which immediately enfold you in their embrace, Bangalore opens up to you only when you have made an active effort to engage with it and it is only then, that you discover its soul and its interesting little secrets – like my hero, Mr. Chatterjee does.”
With this case, Nilanjan’s imagination has opened new earning avenues for the common man. “Thematically, The Case of the Secretive Sister is strongly influenced by the Mma Ramotswe novels by Alexander McCall Smith and Agatha Christie’s Parker Pyne. Both these detectives make their living by solving the commonplace problems of ordinary people – but one often finds that the commonplace is not so common after all and can provide the fodder for a gripping thriller, which is what I have tried to do,” he beams. Nilanjan has kept the thriller succinct, by following the motto: Thou Shalt Not Bore. “This motto is especially critical to the detective/thriller genre. So, I’ve tried keep to keep it tight and with an edge of the seat quality, which I must admit, has been quite a challenge since I don’t have a murder happening in every second chapter,” he reveals. So, the characters and the conflicts came first – the plot and all the accompanying secrets followed as a result. Clue the reader into the secret of the plot. “The Case of the Secretive Sister features India’s first Crime Fighter for the Common Man and will have readers frequently tottering on the edge of cliff-hangerchapters even as they try not to fall off from uncontrollable laughter,” responds Nilanjan.
And this is just the first of the series from the Chatterjee Institute of Detection — is the second case already on Nilanjan’s mind? “In a way, yes. I even know the ending – Mr. Chatterjee goes viral and becomes an Internet celebrity, although he has no clue what all that means. I only have to work on the beginning and the middle now,” he beams.
As far as the first of the series goes, the cover speaks for the plot, with acclaimed cartoonist Paul Fernandes’ rendition of the ‘Sister’ in the case. “Paul’s illustration has been a boon to this book. People pick it and start smiling right away – it sets the tone of what’s inside and I can only hope that the book will live up to its cover!” signs off Nilanjan.
The Case of The Secretive Sister from the Chatterjee Institute of Detection is priced at Rs. 195 and available at all leading bookstores.
