I expected it to be a good read, but not a cracker! Yet I was pleasantly surprised by Dead in a Mumbai Minute by Madhumita Bhattacharyya. What a reader really loves is a well-conceived story. Unfortunately, in India, anything goes in the name of the story. Normally the characters lack depth, storyline is weak and loose, and writing is plain dumb. A writer doesn’t give proper respect to a reader’s intelligence. We don’t possess your prowess to wax lyrical, but we do know that 2+2=4. Thankfully, Dead in a Mumbai Minute is not any other Indian novel.
Dead in a Mumbai Minute ticks all the right boxes in what a mystery novel should be. It is racy, gripping, NOT anti-climactic and ambitious in its scope. It starts out modestly (a straightforward murder on an actress’ island!), picking up pace as the things steam up, inexorably driven to an end, which I couldn’t guess for the world. A diversion, a sub-plot, through me off! And yet, this book ends with a promise, a promise that in future, the stakes are going to be much higher, tension much more palpable, nerves much more frayed and readers, perpetually, on the edge.
Reema Ray is a well-rounded character. I am yet to read the first book, The Masala Murder, but I do know that she is an independent, intelligent and diligent woman (and a food blogger who gets her Eureka moment while cooking delicacies!) who is quick on the uptake. Unlike other heroines, she is not drawn into every other man’s arms. And she likes taking risks. Yet, every man falls, head over heels in love with her. Do I sense here the author’s approach, of trying to get back at all the male writers who have forever sketched female characters as weak-willed and continuously drawn to our brawny superhero or is it just that Madhumita is trying to cater to a young girl’s fantasy? Whatever it may be, we have long-awaited a Reema Ray who could hold out on her own against a Byomkesh Bakshi.
Of course the premise is fictitious, yet my only complaint is against a wee bit westernized Mumbai Police in the form of DCP Ajay Shankaran. I was exasperated with the ‘date that wasn’t a date’ section.
Dead in a Mumbai Minute is a seriously well-written book, perfect for your weekend.
Madhumita Bhattacharyya had to say this about my review of her book:
Dear Vismay,
Thank you so much! Very nice review and I can’t tell you how much it is appreciated. It is hard to get the word out about books by relative newcomers, and reviews can make all the difference between someone choosing your book or not.
I will be sharing it on Twitter (@Madhu_Bee) and the Reema Ray Facebook page.
And I do wait to hear what you think about The Masala Murder 🙂
Thanks again!
Madhumita
Alienman 