#342 : Murder in Amaravati by Sharath Komarraju : Review

GENRE: Fiction - Mystery

NUMBER OF PAGES: 209

FORMAT: Fiction

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: Review copy from the writer in exchange for an honest review. Thanks a lot Sharath :) 

REVIEW:

A proper mystery should be savored slowly like the famous South Indian filter coffee – The first sip will hit you like a tornado and simply would keep getting intense. The last sip would leave you intoxicated and floating in heaven – this story to me was just like that. From a true-blue filter coffee lover, this is the maximum compliment that can be doled out.

The village hostess is found murdered and body is sprawled in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. An inexperienced constable is tasked to investigate the case. Given her profession, the villagers are secretly happy that she is gone for good. This simply adds every other villager a suspect. With the help of the temple priest, the constable tries to solve the case.
With a plot which was simple yet well-developed and airtight logical, the book was an absolute utopic read for a hard core mystery lover like me. However, the writer followed the tried and tested method in solving a crime – Periodically add and delete every other character to the suspicion list and end with the most unsuspecting character. The characterization was equally good and matched the caliber of the plot. The writer gave equal importance for all the characters leaving no room for me to complain about the lack of focus on specific characters. The writing, needless to say is flawless and hugely reminds me of RK Narayan’s books. I’ve mentioned the same in the review of this other book – Donoor’s curse and I still stick to it. There was this debate in an online forum as to how writers fill the narration with transliteration of the local language to bring in authenticity. Sharath’s writing is the perfect example of how to bring in that Indian feel with minimal usage of transliterated local language. The highlight of the narration would be the visual imagery. Visualizing the quaint little village, the temple and the characters were no trouble at all

I really couldn’t find a single flaw. Been ages since I enjoyed a good mystery like this. 

MY SAY: A must read book.

RATING: 5/5

AUTHOR LINKS: Goodreads

BOOK LINKS: Goodreads, Amazon

PS. There was a strong accusation from a certain reader of my blog that I’ve been generous with the ratings as I receive books for free. I take this chance to reiterate my stand on being honest – My reviews are honest to point. I have no qualms in calling a rotten apple rotten. As far as the rating is concerned, I am no Shakespeare to rate writers. I ensure that the ratings are in accordance with the review I write. Amazon/Goodreads forces me to put out a rating, I wouldn’t really if given a choice. Using abusive language or giving out a one star rating doesn’t really solve the purpose of a review. A review is meant to be a critical criticism and not a mere rating. 

In fact, I have a large collection of "To-Read" books which I purchased from my own hard earned money. Don't really have the need to write a stellar review to keep the supply of free books coming. Been book blogging for three plus years now, I've turned down more requests than I've accepted.