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Publisher: Self
Pages:272
Price: Rs. 330 INR(paperback), Rs. 99 INR(Kindle edition)
ISBN: 978– 9353611828
Buy here: https://amzn.to/2TEW6hD

An egocentric and personable man with an unforgettable history that could emotionally haunt any ordinary human, Monty, still in his early thirties, was officially single despite a reputation of having plentiful amorous adventures. He was internally annoyed with the constant cynical jibes about his obscure profession; an independent investigator during the day of petty crimes like frivolous thefts, but an impeccable lady’s man by night. When destiny presented a sudden unanticipated chance, with the sole intention to shut the blabbering jokers up, he decided to investigate the mysterious murder of a lonely glamorous girl, with minimal aid from his apprentice and without any access to forensic science. What followed the crime scene investigation was a series of confrontation with perhaps the cleverest and astute accused people, strange events and confusing outcomes. Did he succeed even before the police and media could break the news to the innocent citizens of Kanpur? Remember, betrayals hurt more when they are wrapped in sweetness. Betrayals are encouraged by three selfish needs of human mind: Money, Love or Hate and Helplessness. The novel contains several betrayals which the reader might be fascinated with in every chapter. The novel also contains a focus on the culture, lifestyle and the wide social divide that exists among the people of the small Indian city, Kanpur. The novel is divided into nine chapters and each one has its own significance and is closely related to the ones preceding and following it.

About the author:

As an author, The Selfish Betrayals is the first novel written by engineer turned entrepreneur Abhishek Kapoor and is dedicated to his two little ones who were unfortunately lost a bit too soon.

My take on the book:

Monty the infamous private detective of Kanpur, is disappointed with himself, not to forget the million people who make fun of his profession and career. Adamant on shutting up his naysayers, Monty grabs the chance to investigate the murder of Scarlette White, a single pretty woman. Accompanied by his assistant Chetan Prasad, Monty sets about to thoroughly and perfectly investigate this murder, his golden chance to prove himself. There are the usual suspects, her ex-husband, her driver and her tailor. Will Monty be able to find the real culprit and how he goes about chasing the clues orms the rest of the story. 

The story starts slowly and picks up once Monty finds Scarlette murdered in her bungalow. As with any murder mystery, the story is all about the detective trying to put together all the clues and crack the mystery about the murder, finding reasons behind the death. However, what makes this story stand apart is the climax, and whether the book is liked or not by the reader mostly depends on how much they like and accept the way the story ended.

The story as the title signifies, is about betrayals and tries to narrate the story with the theme of why one person betrays other, their reasons, weaknesses and insecurities that lead to it. The characters are well developed, the vocabulary is rich and the scenes are quite descriptive. The narrative and plot keep the reader guessing till the end and engaged and entertained as well.

For a debut, the author has done an extremely good job while picking the storyline, with the narration and interesting characters. The descriptive narrative and the slow pace initially can be a turn off for few, for an otherwise brilliant book. If you are a fan of crime thrillers and murder mysteries, then this should be your next read. 

My rating:

4.5/5.