An Autograph for Anjali by Sundari Venkatraman : A Review

BOOK TITLE: An Autograph For Anjali

ISBN/ASIN: B01CM794TG

AUTHOR: Sundari Venkatraman

GENRE: Contemporary Romance/ Thriller

NUMBER OF PAGES: 303

FORMAT: Kindle

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: I thank the author for this copy.

SUMMARY:

Jayant Mathur is found murdered in his bed, shot at point-blank range with his own revolver. Though she’s extremely disturbed by his death, Jayant’s wife Anjali is way more upset about something else. Who stands to gain by killing the multi-millionaire businessman?

Parth Bhardwaj is a friend and neighbour of the Mathurs. Parth is an author who goes by a pseudonym. He appears more than a friend to Anjali; while he’s also on good terms with her son Arjun who lives and studies in the UK. What role does he play in Anjali’s life? Jayant’s relatives are curious to know.

Jayant’s brother-in-law Rana is convinced that Parth and Anjali are the murderers. But Inspector Phadke has his own doubts about this theory. In comes Samrat, the private detective who appears as quiet as a mouse. Will he be able to find the murderer?

Will Anjali find happiness and peace?

FIRST IMPRESSION:

For an author who has penned many romance novels, so much so that she has become synonymous with powerful romances dealing with uncertain but strong willed women, Sundari's writings have always, always captured my imagination. The first book I read from her carousel, The Madras Affair, was one of my all time favorites. So I knew what to expect from this novel, and I finished it in one sitting. After all, the book is a fairly new entry in my collection. It arrived only yesterday. 

REVIEW:

When I was offered this book for review, I grabbed the chance. I had read one previous work of the author, and half of another, before I got a chance to read her latest. Since her works stood well as standalones, I picked this up without hesitation and read it in one sitting.

Jayant Mathur is found dead in his own bedroom. A maid servant finds his corpse and alerts everyone. His wife of twenty years, Anjali Mathur, finds little emotion within her at his death, except pity. Parth Bhardwaj, famous author and their neighbour, appears on scene and helps the bereaved family finish the formal investigative procedures and the deceased's last rites. Arjun Mathur, the only scion to incredibly wealthy Jayant Mathur, is studying in the UK and returns home on hearing the news. Jayant's parents, sisters and their spouses enter the house to find Anjali sans any tears and the mysterious Parth helping out more than a normal friend would.

Doubts surface, aspersions are cast and before long, everyone comes under the police radar. Slightly miffed that his brother in law's immense wealth would go to a shrewy woman who did not even care to shed a phony tear, Rana tries his best to cast the tide of doubt towards her, deliberately pointing to the obvious closeness between the helpful Parth and the stony Anjali. A creative tale about Anjali's supposed affair turns tables and police are baffled. The story sets this wonderful premise and jumps six months back, giving more than enough background. When it came back to the present, the would be murder is solved and the case is closed.

What surprised me in the story is the beginning. Having expected a romance with thriller element, it was slightly shocking to see that the book opened with a crime scene. I did wonder for a few minutes about where exactly the romance angle would creep up. The obvious answer came within the first few pages and from then on, the story follows a casual whodunit plot. Starting with Anjali's indifferent behaviour to Rana's deliberate misinformation to Parth's seething anger, the book had a lot of suspects to work with, each with their own strong enough motive.

Jayant, for a character who was dead, invoked a strange sense of indignation in the woman in me, and I almost agreed with the treatment meted out to him by Anjali. Arjun, the son, was the one who captured my attention and made me wistful as to why good hearted people exist mostly in novels and stories. It is often parents who selflessly think about their children, but Arjun attracted the reader in me from his first appearance. The suspense of the killer's identity paralleled the suspense of the unexpected closeness of Arjun, Anjali and Parth.

But halfway through, I did forget that Jayant was actually a dead man and I was reading a flashback. The chapters involved too many scenes and details that slackened the pace of the romantic thriller and I did guess the 'murderer' by the time I was reading a part of the flashback, taking my time after that to only pile up evidence supporting my theory. Maybe I read too many books of the thriller genre, or maybe my mind automatically zoned towards the right vs wrong conundrum because of the author's descriptive writing that gave away more than it concealed. Anjali and Arjun evoked the strongest reaction in me, and I could write the whole review praising these characters and the depth with which they have been penned.

But focusing on the other aspects, the book needed tighter editing in its second half, the place where readers are prone to skim parts to get to the juicy areas where the real action happens. Keeping this part air tight would have made me more involved with the book. Other than the identity of the killer and the entertaining suspense, this book works well for fans of both genres, be it romance or thriller, though it does lean more towards the former.

WHAT I LIKED:

• The book kept up the pace in the initial few chapters, building the suspense well
• Arjun as a character was unrealistically great, someone I would remember for some time to come
• Where the 'autograph for Anjali' came by, is one of the best plot elements

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

• The killer's identity could have been a bit more layered suspense
• The book slacked a bit in the middle, picking up pace only after the 'trip'.
• The murderer's guilt was a bit overplayed, the emotions seemingly raw.

VERDICT:

A thriller that starts with a murder and delves into a flashback, resurfacing as a romance.

RATING: 4/5

EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback, Kindle

PRICERs. 325 for Paperback, Free on Kindle Unlimited

BOOK LINKS: Amazon