A dull life of Prakash Ray is caught in frenzy as he visits his uncle at his bungalow to celebrate his 60th birthday.
As Prakash reaches the venue, he is introduced to a motley group of people, all gathered there for the old
man’s big day: his son, his reticent brother, a dignified middle-aged lady who once owned the bungalow,
a listless lawyer who manages his legal affairs, a mild-mannered young man who works as his secretary,
his beautiful, young biographer, and his mysterious friend, who has never lost a game of chess to him.
As the storm lashes on through the night, one of the people in the bungalow is murdered! In a game of cat
and mouse that follows, Prakash soon finds out that under the surface of apparent warmth and
friendliness, nothing is as it seems and that the bungalow holds one shocking secret after another! In a
bid to save his own life, Prakash hunts for the truth, which lies in a mysterious penumbra of shadows and
lights, covered in a sheath of deceit and guile, only to realize that the worst is yet to come!
What I liked about the book:
– The plot – fantastic storyline, the writer has ensured he keeps it to the point and does not lose the
readers’ interest
– Characterization – Each character’s appearance is very well timed and thought process well
described.
– Writing style – The reading is easy and fabulous description of scenes, especially the time when
Prakash walks from the bus stop to his uncle’s bunglow
Scope for improvement
– Some parts of the story felt a little dragged but that can happen with thrillers as you are eagerly
waiting to know who the murderer is
– Climax – I was expecting a little more on this front! However it did not sound unbelievable or
ridiculous.
Should you read it?
Yes, pick it up on a Friday and you will not put the book down till you finish it. Strongly recommended if
you like murder mysteries!
Goodreads Rating: 4.15/5
Sunshineandzephyr rating: 4.15/5
About the Author: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7869915.Bhaskar_Chattopadhyay
P.S. I know I have been away! But as they say difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. I was just treading a difficult road. Am back with no bang just the mundane 🙂
Wow wonderful review Shweta … And I am eagerly waiting for a thriller from Ur side….. U are beautiful storyteller too..and offcourse my favourite poetess(do I need to tell this 😉 )…missed you
Welcome back ?
And keep smiling and have a beautiful day ahead ?
Thank you so much Bhavik for all the encouragement…poem and thriller toh vaar lagshe! for now book review thi kaam chalavi lyo 🙂
Good to see you back and the review of Penumbra makes this a promising read, Shweta!
Thank you so much for the welcome! Am sure you will like it 🙂
This seems to be quite a promising read! 🙂 Glad to have you back in blogosphere after so long!
Thank you Maitreni am sure you will not regret picking up the book!
An apt and befitting review Ani 🙂 Thank you for making me read such an amazing book as the first on your gift 🙂 While my lovely reader is back with her review, I am waiting for the magic wand 🙂 Also, mundane is beyond!!! Let there be more sunshine and a lot more zephyr 🙂
Thank you Shashank. The magic wand has lost its spell and you are helping me find it 🙂 What do I get for writing a thriller! mundane is beautiful j….like your comment and like my responding smiling away 🙂 thats mundane!
I was looking for a quick read and this one fits the bill. Thanks for the lovely review Shweta
Long time no see…well I vanished! Am sure you will love it Ami 🙂
Liked your friday recommendation.
🙂 try it 🙂
Very well reviewed, Shweta 🙂
It’s great seeing you back on IB
Thank you so much Purba that you liked the review! its my first! Yes am back on IB but the new UI isn’t user friendly!
Murder mystery sounds interesting. Shweta, the faults in the book as you pointed out are passable I guess. Would like to pick this up for a weekend.
Let me know your perspective Bushra…would love to know!
I like how you have chosen to highlight both the highs and lows of the book under review. The author is indeed lucky to have grabbed your attention.
I have picked up another book by the same author, thriller is his genre. Not sure if the author is lucky but I am lucky that you liked this post 🙂
The suspense is calling me to pick-it-up! Seems some authors get carried away while writing…the more concise the plot, the more interest it would generate 🙂
Pretty interesting, Soul-sis.
I like reading murder mysteries & to test my detective skills 🙂
Hey Soul-sis you will love it am sure 🙂