Book Review - Let the Game Begin

A historical back story and a series of mysterious murders – this was the deadly dual combination that drew me to read “Let the Game Begin” by Sandeep Sharma. I cannot say that I was disappointed. The storyline is an interesting mix of the events that happened a long time ago in a kingdom called “Chaturanga” and the unsolved series of seemingly unrelated murders that puzzle the authorities in current times.

Sandeep has done a good job keeping the pace tight and weaving back and forth between multiple timelines. All the loose ends are tied up at the end and then the epilogue ends with a teaser for Part #2. Of course with a name like “Let the Game Begin” it should be obvious that sequels are a possibility.

A lot of research has gone into the writing of this book to build the history angle. However, call me conservative, but I would rather read a historical book and a murder mystery separately. I am not taking anything away from this one, by saying that Sandeep could consider writing historical fiction as one genre and crime stories as another without melding the two into a single novel. While the twists and turns keep things interesting, it also makes the reader slightly dizzy towards the end.

Having said that, I must reiterate that reading this confluence is extremely enjoyable and I regretted having to read it in small bits and pieces due to lack of time. I could also find a few grammatical errors and typos in the book, which a round of proof reading should have caught.

All in all, you will not regret buying “Let the Game Begin” and it will leave many of you thirsty for more. Full credit to the upcoming author, Sandeep for delivering such a complicated story with panache. You have a long way to go Sandeep, and we expect a lot of interesting reads from you soon!

Don’t miss out on reading “Let the Game Begin”….

The Sinister Silence - A real page turner!

Crime fiction and I go back a long way. When I was a child I used to love reading Nancy Drew stories. The red-haired sleuth with her enthusiastic approach to solving mysteries captured my imagination and I spent many a happy hour reading the stories, curled up on my bed. As I grew older, I got introduced to Agatha Christie and her brand of crime and mystery books. What can I say about the master of crime fiction? The intelligent and subtle way she drew out the plots had me in a thrall. Till date I enjoy reading her whenever I get a chance. In the recent years, I have also developed an addiction for watching crime shows, particularly, Law & Order SVU, which I download and watch. My husband gets amazed when we go for a thriller movie and I can guess where the body is buried or immediately know which story the movie has been based on. 

So, when my good friend, Moitrayee Bhadhuri, wrote her first book, “The Sinister Silence”, a crime thriller, I was excited about reading it. It was quite an experience reading this book. The thing that most struck me was how well she described the IT industry and the way it works. The young crowd, coffee breaks, the meeting rooms, the “onsite” in lieu of a promotion – I could identify with it all.  Using the IT industry as a base, Moitrayee sketched her characters very well and kept me guessing till the last page as to who the killer was. I particularly liked the way she has written Mili Ray – her detective. Tough, strong, confident yet with her own set of faults – Mili is the 21^st century woman most of us aspire to be. She is a woman in a man’s world doing her job with competence and panache. I do not want to say too much about the plot, since I could be giving away key details, which would spoil it for anyone wanting to read the book.  Suffice to say, that I read it at one go and enjoyed every minute of it. The only complaint I have is that I feel it ended too soon. I could have done with reading a few more hundred pages. A toast to Moitrayee for her first book! I am eagerly waiting for the next one now…