Book Review - The Murder Suspect by Rani Ramakrishnan

The Murder Suspect — by Rani Ramakrishnan

Publisher: Independently Published
Pages:222
Price: Rs. 853 INR(paperback), Rs. 125 INR(Kindle edition)
ISBN: 978– 1688361065
Buy here: https://amzn.to/2kzstkt

Nalini Bose is single, independent, and making waves at a bustling technology start-up in the happening city of Pune. Only one man knows about her other life. And she wants to keep it that way.

He ends up dead.

She’s the murderer — scream the evidence, the circumstances, and Inspector Avinash Choudhary of the CBI.

Choudhary is coming dangerously close to unearthing the skeletons of her past that will seal her fate.

As Choudhary’s net tightens around Nalini, she is desperate to find a way out. Will she escape the clutches of the law or will her karma finally catch up with her?

Nalini Bose is guilty of many things — but is she a killer?

About the author:

Rani Ramakrishnan writes contemporary thriller novels. In another lifetime, she was an entrepreneur, a management professional, a trainer, even an author of study materials for distance education. She is an occasional blogger and a regular bookworm. Two things influence her writing: people she met and the places she has visited.

She lives in Coimbatore, a picturesque city on the foothills of the Nilgiri Mountains, in South India. She loves the outdoors and of late, she has developed a healthy passion for marathons.

My take on the book:

Piyush, CEO of Indegen company takes his best team on a pleasure trip to an island resort as part of the yearly tradition at their organization, to reward and motivate high performing employees. By the end of the first day, in the middle of the night, Chirag, Piyush’s brother-in-law is found missing from his room. What is more shocking is the amount of blood found in his room with a long blood trial, and adding to the shock, Piyush is also missing from his room. By the next day, one of them is declared dead and Nalini Bose, the HR head of the organization, who was also on the trip and one of the first to be alerted about the mishap, turns the prime suspect under shocking circumstances.

The case is soon handed to CBI for further investigation and Ashish Choudhary from CBI finds evidence from Nalini’s house to prove she is the culprit. Is Nalini the real culprit or just a victim of circumstances? Does Nalini has more past skeletons ready to tumble out of her closet forms the rest of the story.

The story starts with two men gone missing from their respective rooms from a remote island resort and soon finding one of them dead in mysterious circumstances. The first day on the island with description of its beautiful landscape, the mystery that follows, the unique traits and backstories of each of the employees who were part of the trip are very interesting. Even the reason for the sudden death and the circumstances that lead to it are designed smartly by the author. The narration and details around all the complications involved in running an independent startup and the ambition to grow business and its implications are well handled. The highlight however are the conversations between Nalini and the CBI officer, for the sarcasm and forthrightness they bright about.

What looks like a murder mystery in the first few pages turns out to be more of Nalini’s life and her past as the story progresses. While Nalini has a very interesting past story, the story steering more towards her without much spotlight on other characters can be disappointing to the reader, especially in the second half. The characters are mostly grey and come across as cold and insensible and their like-ability depends on the reader’s taste.

Pick this one for a story with elements of suspense, unique character traits, set against a corporate backdrop. A more tighter second half could have elevated the story further.

My rating:

3.5/5.

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