Murder in Mumbai by K.D. Calamur (Netgalley ARC) begins when two burglars discover a dead body and in a panic, decide to dispose of it themselves. When the body is eventually discovered, Inspector Vijay Gaikwad and journalist Jay Ganesh approach the case from different vantage points.Some of the most interesting parts of the novel have to do with the contrasts and conditions of Bombay/Mumbai. The novel is very short and the characters don't seem fully developed. I found it difficult to care much about the victim as she remained a bit of a cipher, but I did enjoy some of the details about Mumbai.
E-book from Netgalley/Penguin.
Fiction. Mystery. 2012. print version: 184 pages.
The White Forest by Adam McOmber is a little bit Gothic, a little bit Supernatural, and a lot less than I hoped for. Jane Silverlake has an unusual gift: she can see the souls of man-made objects. (?)Largely separated from society in her father's crumbling mansion, Jane has two close friends, Maddy and Nathan. When Nathan goes missing, Jane and Maddy believe his disappearance has something to do with Ariston Day's cult following.
The blurb sounded interesting, but the novel failed to really capture my interest or concern for the characters.
Netgalley ARC e-book.
Fiction. Gothic/Mystery. 2012. print version: 320 pages.
If you want to get a good sense of India, and read a fun mystery series at the same time, you might try Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri mysteries. I love them. And I have learned a lot about Delhi. Here is the irresistible site:
ReplyDeletehttp://vishpuri.com/
Nan - I've read one in this series, The Case of the Missing Servant, and I agree--fun and informative! I do plan on reading more of Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri mysteries!
ReplyDeleteIt is too bad you didn't love this series more.
ReplyDeleteKailana - I wasn't impressed with either of these books, but the series that Nan mentioned, the Vish Puri mysteries, are interesting and fun!
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read some of Vish Puri series to learn more about India. Sorry this book you reviewed was disappointing. Good premise. I'm not so much into the supernatural unless it's really handled well--it has to be easy for me to slip through the veil between this realty and another.
ReplyDeleteEdit: reality, though maybe realty works, too :)
ReplyDeleteTeresa - I think you'd enjoy Vish Puri! I do like fantasy and the supernatural, but agree that it must be well done. The White Forest didn't manage to let me slip into that reality. But their is some real estate involved :)
ReplyDelete