BOOK TITLE: The
Murder of Sonia Raikkonen
ISBN: 9788172345679
AUTHOR: Salil
Desai
GENRE: Crime
Fiction
NUMBER OF PAGES: 336
FORMAT: Paperback
REVIEW BY: Dhivya
Balaji
HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: I
thank Fingerprint! Publishers for the review copy.
SUMMARY:
Late one November
night, the mutilated corpse of a young Finnish tourist is found in a public
garden in Pune. It looks like a case of brutal rape and murder, but Senior
Inspector Saralkar and PSI Motkar find themselves probing further....delving
deeper.
Standing virtually clueless, except for a single white sandal found on the scene of the crime, the policemen duo start looking for suspects.
Standing virtually clueless, except for a single white sandal found on the scene of the crime, the policemen duo start looking for suspects.
Things get
murkier when Saralkar's old friend and colleague, Inspector Patange, seeks his
help to establish the identity of another murder victim - an old man found by a
wooded hillside on the outskirts of Pune. Not only do the old man's injuries
match the wounds inflicted on the Finnish girl, but he is also found wearing
the other white sandal.
As Saralkar and
Motkar struggle to find the link that connects the two murders, nothing is what
it seems....The emerging truth seems far more dangerous and the motive far more
bizarre!
Who murdered Sonia , and why? The truth will chill you to the bone!
Who murdered Sonia , and why? The truth will chill you to the bone!
REVIEW:
A woman is found brutally murdered in
a park. She is found with multiple slab wounds and has bled to death. A lone
clue is a white sandal – nothing else. Suspects range from her boy friend, (who
is incidentally portrayed as trying to remove what might very well be the
evidence of the crime from his clothes and hands) to her cab driver, who just
wants to go into the safety of his home town.
The book starts with a thrilling,
chilling prologue and it only gets better from there! The careful missing of
the pronouns he or she cannot be overlooked, and this stands as a best example
of the book is going to proceed. Inspector Saralkar sends out reassuring vibes
from his entry scene – not in the sense of ‘he will surely solve this gruesome
murder’, but in the sense of ‘he is just another life sized policeman who will
try his best to find answers to the puzzle’.
He sees the corpse with some amount of
indifference and conducts the investigation as per procedure (kudos to the
author for detailing this so intricately). The number of suspects keeps mounting
and to a seasoned reader, they are narrowed down as the book progresses. The
climax is, to a certain extent, an anti – climax. But still, the author makes
us feel, by that time, that this is the most logical climax.
The characters are introduced at
breakneck speed and the suspects keep increasing, each with strong enough
motives. But the charm lies in bringing out the real culprit and his other
worldly fanatic motives. The chilling description of the crime and the
consequences, not to mention the troubled upbringing, is sure to be an eye
opener.
The story is brilliant. The plot is
elaborate and the scenes described in depth. The hero is life sized, with no
over the top antics. The pace is good, with no slack, and the book, even if not
exactly the ‘can’t put it down once you start’ type, it most definitely holds
the readers’ interest. The language is clean and pleasant. The book is a decent
murder mystery, keeping the readers engrossed and occupied.
WHAT I LIKED:
The story, language, and Saralkar.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
Too many suspects, too many motives –
it becomes slightly confusing.
VERDICT:
Go for this one! You will find this
book interests you even if you are a casual fan of this genre.
RATING: 4.4/5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Salil Desai is an
author and film maker based in Pune. The Murder of Sonia Raikkonen is his
fourth book and the second one of the Inspector Saralkar Mystery Series. He has
penned two more crime novels, Killing Ashish Karve and Murder on a Side Street
as well as a collection of short stories, Lost Libido and Other Gulp Fiction.
His books have received good reviews in The Hindu, The Pioneer, DNA, First City, The Tribune, Afternoon Despatch & Courier etc.
An alumnus of Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), his dramatized training videos (www.relivingindia.com) are much appreciated in the corporate world, while his short films ‘Making Amends’ and ‘…To Khayega Kya’ have been screened at various film festivals.
His books have received good reviews in The Hindu, The Pioneer, DNA, First City, The Tribune, Afternoon Despatch & Courier etc.
An alumnus of Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), his dramatized training videos (www.relivingindia.com) are much appreciated in the corporate world, while his short films ‘Making Amends’ and ‘…To Khayega Kya’ have been screened at various film festivals.
Salil also
conducts workshops in creative writing and film making for aspiring authors at
British Library and leading educational institutions. Over 400 articles written
by him have appeared in The Times of India, Indian Express, DNA, The Tribune,
Reader’s Digest etc. Know more about Salil at www.salildesai.in
EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback
PRICE: Rs.
229 for Paperback
BOOK LINKS:
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