Hello
Readers,
Thank
you Neena for giving me a free copy of your book in exchange for and honest review
A
mystery set in a small town in 70's India, Tied to Deceit is an awesomely
delightful read full of complex layers. Tied to deceit is primarily a
whodunit. I am a believer in that the strength of a good murder mystery is that
you should not know about the identity of the killer until the last scene. The
conflict in the story comes from the weaknesses of human character,
unsuccessful marriages, greed, human nature and blackmail: you name it this
book has it.
The
best thing I loved about Tied to deceit is its characterization. Neena did
a wonderful job of developing her characters, adding plenty of light and shades
to their personality. In delving into the personal lives of these people, we are shown the clashes of modern and old society, the difficulties faced
by women and the strictures imposed by social expectations.
Dr Rajinder Bhardwaj and his wife Gayatri are
a highly respected upper-class couple in a small town Sanover. Dr Bhardwaj runs
a hospital and has ancestral wealth too. Dr Rajinder’s is an unhappy marriage
but in reality, but Gayatri gives an illusion of a happy one. She knows full
well about his infidelities but chooses to turn a blind eye. One day she
catches him red-handed with Devika, a receptionist in the hospital.
Neena’s
writing style honestly made me detest Devika, I couldn’t feel
anything but detestation for her. Devika
is an attractive, cunning, thoroughly immoral, and vicious young woman. Devika
is unpopular at the hospital where she works and is disliked by members of her
own family because she chose to be independent and live apart from her
husband. One morning, she is found
murdered in her bed
It is up to SP Vishwanath Sharma and SI Rawat to solve the mystery. The
investigation looks straightforward in the beginning turns out to be more
complex as the mystery deepens. The story and
investigation follow Superintendent Sharma and his assistant Rawat, as they
painstakingly question all the suspects and unravel the hidden secrets of
Devika’s life. They slowly put together her final days and find out who killed
Devika and why. As the investigate gains
momentum it becomes clear that there are too many murder suspects and motives;
almost everyone who knew her seems to have a motive for killing her. Sharma rightly
believes that quite a few of the interviewees are hiding something, and he
receives a note that seems to point him toward a killer—or possibly a
scapegoat.
The book is much more
than a stereotypical murder mystery it has deeper layers; a story not only of
murder but of infidelity and its devastating consequences, human relations, and
social normality. I found the books
ending to be fast, to the point and nicely tidied up. Neena wraps the story up
quite well there are no long chapters or unnecessary details. I would like to
think of myself as murder mystery buff (I’m quite good at Cluedo) and this book kept
me guessing till the end I honestly had no idea.
L
x
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