Crime Thrillers are perhaps the
single most common genre in writing – thus, impressing the readers in this
genre is perhaps the most difficult of all. And, in addition to the above, if
you have an author who has not only managed to impress the reader, but also
carve a niche for herself, then the pull of both this, the current book, as
well as the forthcoming titles, becomes even more alluring. And this is exactly
what the author of the current book, Ms Neena Brar, has managed to achieve in
the pages of this book from her pen – Tied To Deceit…
THE BOOK
This is a murder mystery, with a
twist; or – to be more accurate – with several twists, to be very precise. A
lady receptionist gets killed at her home – a simple, seemingly, whodunit, isn’t
it? Well, not quite. Apparently, this lady receptionist has an affair with the
Lead Doctor. I know – still simple. And, the wife catches the good healer, our
Doctor. Yup, still straightforward. Except for one detail – she doesn’t just
happen to stumble onto the cheating Doc by chance; she gets an anonymous letter
from someone.
Who sent this anonymous letter? And
more to the point, why? With what motive? The couple have no children; only one
nephew, who knows he has it {the money} coming to him. Said nephew is also in
the same hospital, incidentally the couple’s hospital, and there are no
contenders either. The only motive can be the affair, apparently. Problem:
Solid alibis of the couple; established. Complicating matters is the nature of
the deceased…
THE ANALYSIS
Rarely has a murder mystery been so
intense, so involved in its narrative; I was surprised by the intensity of the
narrative used. This went very well indeed with the backdrop of the crime it
was dealing with, lending it added credence and power. The style makes an
instant connect with the reader from page 1, quite literally, as it pulls you
in, even before the facts begin to pour in. This narrative style is unique for
this genre so far as I can recall.
The character development is par
excellence; the author has delivered a credible, instantly connectable set of
strong well defined characters you can relate with. The character set before
you seem increasingly thoroughly logical as their actions are revealed. Add to
this the devotion of sufficient {but not too much} time and space to background
development, and the entire edifice of the character plot makes a strong
impression. These characters stay with you long after you finish the book.
The combination of these three
aspects – a complex and involved plot full of twists & turns, plus the
narrative style, plus the character plotting, is topped off by the icing on the
cake : and that is the investigative phase, which is handled with surprising and
remarkable aplomb. This phase floored me totally. Involved, painstaking, full
of proper investigation and deep interrogations – each paragraph in its proper
deserved place. Miss even a page, and you
miss the flow of the story. Simple outstanding!
In conclusion – an outstanding crime
whodunit novel that is deeply involved, with a strong set of reasons that make
it thoroughly entertaining. It is a medium-paced book – that is neither nor too
slow. This set of 5 factors {story, narrative, characters, pace, plot} allows
you to fully connect with the story, keeping you glued to the pages. I rate it
5 stars on 5; one of the best in this genre
I have read. I look forward eagerly to other contributions from the pen of Ms
Neena H Brar….
Comments
Post a Comment