Book Review: THE CURSE OF THE GODDESS

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Author: Satyajit Ray

Genre: Fiction, Mystery

Original: Begali

Translated in English by: Gopu Mazumdar

Cost: 99 Rs.

Publisher: A Puffin Original

First Published: 2003

We all know Satyajit Ray as famous and Academy award winner filmmaker. But he was mystery writer too. He wrote many detective novels on his detective character Feluda and Feluda’s adventure. “The Curse of goddess” describes one of those adventures. An old man goes out to picnic with his big family and dies there. Everybody assumes it was “The curse of Goddess”. But was it really curse or well planed murder. Feluda has to find that?

Book keeps you hooked up till the end like any mystery novel should. Book was originally written in Bengali but translated in English by Gopu Mazumdar.

It is a Must Read Book. If I have to rate this book I will give it 7 out of 10.

Other Books by Satyajit Ray,

·         The Emperor’s Ring

·         Trouble in Gangtok

·         The Golden Fortress

·         The Incident on the Kalika Mail

·         A killer in Kailash

·         The Royal Bengal Mystery

·         The Mystery of the Elephant God

·         The Bandits of Bombay

·         Trouble in the Graveyard

·         The Criminals of Kathmandu

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Book Review: The Murder on The Links

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Fiction, Mystery

Language: English

Pages: 319

Publisher: Harper Collins

First Published: 1923

“The Murder on the Links” is another detective fiction by Agatha Christie. It is as good as any of her work and must read for every Agatha Christie fans, even if you are not fan of her work you will surely enjoy this book. No one writes Mystery detective novels better than her.

Anyone who is familiar with Agatha Christie will be aware of her famous detective character Hercule Poirot. In this book, one day Poirot is visited by his friend Captain Hastings eager to tell him about a woman with whom he has fallen in love on the train from Paris. Meanwhile Poirot finds an extraordinary letter in his mails which came from France, requesting him to come immediately.  But when they reach France following the letter he finds the man who wrote him a letter Mr. Renauld is already dead. Poirot did not come on time to save the man; but now he takes it upon himself to unravel the mystery surrounding the death and find the responsible person.

As I said earlier no one is better in handling the mystery than Agatha Christie. She had put together this one so brilliantly that I enjoyed every page, every word of the novel and I was really eager to get through the pages as soon as possible. I could not keep the book down before finishing it. I am sure you will have the same experience. It is a Must Read Book. If I have to rate this book I will give it 10 out of 10.

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Book Review: "Miss Marple's Final Cases"

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BOOK REVIEW “Miss Marple’s Final Cases”

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Mystery, Short Stories

Language: English

Pages: 154

First Published: 1980

Agatha Christie undeniably the queen of Mysteries. As an avid lover of Mysteries I pounced on any Agatha Christie book comes my way. And none of them disappointed me yet. She must have written thousands of stories and created some fantastic characters. But two of her most famous characters are Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Out of which Hercule Poirot is one of the best fictional detectives in world literature. But Miss Marple is as brilliant character as him.

In this book, ‘Miss Marple’s Final Cases’ there are seven stories included. Some are most brilliant, some are average and some are predictable. But all the twist and turns in the stories are enjoyable never the less. Story like ‘A Case of Buried Treasure’ shows the brilliance and detailing in her story telling. There are two supernatural stories which were different and refreshing from Agatha Christie’s usual style. Every time I read Agatha Christie Book my respect for her amplified. She is a legend in world of literature. If anyone still to read Agatha Christie he is missing the paradise of Mysteries.

As for this book, it may be not the best of Agatha Christie’s work but it’s still worth reading once. If I have to rate this book I will give it 7 out of 10. I will recommend you must read Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie.

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Book Review: "The Curious Case of 221B"

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BOOK REVIEW “The Curious Case of 221B (The Secret Notebooks of John H. Watson, MD)”

Author: Partha Basu

Genre: Fiction, Mystery

Language: English

Pages: 277

Cost: 299 Rs.

Publisher: Harper Collins

First Published: 2009

Now most of us know Sherlock Homes and his friend John H. Watson. These two are legendary characters in literature created by Arthur Conan Doyale. Sherlock Homes is the great detective and John H. Watson his friend and one who kept account of their adventures, the story teller in this famous detective saga. Many of us grown up reading Sherlock Homes, I know I did. I will say Sherlock Homes nurtured the obsession to read in me.

Now the author of this Book ‘Partha Basu’ seems to be one such fan. He wrote a fiction on a fiction. He used the same characters, same incidents, and same stories in this famous Mystery series and turns it upside down. He actually retold the stories told by Arthur Doyale and made it even more interesting. It might not be original stuff but certainly imaginative and creative. He produced the other side of Sherlock Home’s stories, which makes ‘Sherlock Homes’ not so supercilious and successful character, what he is today.

This is Partha Basu’s debut novel and he did excellent job. It is must read book for all. You will enjoy the book irrespective of you read Sherlock homes before. If I have to rate this book I will give it 8 out of 10.

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Book Review: "The Englishman's Cameo"

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BOOK REVIEW “The Englishman’s Cameo”

Author: Madhulika Liddle

Genre: Fiction, Mystery

Language: English

Pages: 281

Cost: 295 Rs.

Publisher: Hachette India

First Published: 2009

Madhulika LIddle’s first novel “The Englishman’s Cameo” is a murder mystery set in Mughal Era of Emperor Shahjahan. It describes Delhi in early 1656 when Aurangzeb was advancing with his army to take over the throne. What can me more interesting than this, right? So I decided to read this one.

When Delhi was going through political turbulence (isn’t it always..) in 1656 as Aurangzeb advancing with his troops against his father Shah Jahan, the kotwali of Delhi are entangled in a murder mystery. Young Muzaffar Jang, in an attempt to save his friend from being executed, follows the trail of a dead merchant, a scheming eunuch, and “too many Englishmen”. As Jang, the poetry-loving nephew of the Kotwal, investigates further, we meet Mehtab, the legendary courtesan (who is murdered soon after), her mysterious step-sister Gulnar and Akram, the affable nobleman who follows Jang around.

The novel scores high on all grounds. Not only is the mystery in the book fascinating, but historically also it is simulating. Liddle’s depiction of Shahjanabad, its culture, life style is exciting and very much believable. I think this book is a movie material and I hope someone will make one very soon. The author has very good characters at her hand to start a detective series. I am sure she could find many murders in Mughal Era to solve.

This one is Must Read Book for everyone, do not miss it. If I have to rate it I will give it 10 out of 10.

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