A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson - Book Review

Oh girl…! This was one of those books I have read non-stop, reading every minute I could squeeze in those 3 days of life. It was like I was almost literally glued to it. I guess, I need not say but still, I lOVED IT. I have read such a good book after years and it brought me back from my very long reading slump.

So, “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” is the debut novel by Holly Jackson. She has written quite a few more books after this one and I do hope I stumble upon them, and they are as good as well. Coming to our Good Girls Guide to Murder, written in third person, this is a murder mystery of a schoolgirl called Andie Bell who was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh. Everyone in the small town knows it and the case is closed and all. But as we would have it, our hero Pippa Fitz-Amboi, somehow has her own doubts over the story and picks it up as her school project. Then of course, things happen, stories unfold, secrets reveal, lot of other things happen. No! No way I am giving out any spoilers here.

What’s that I loved so much about this book?

Okay, so I have been struggling very hard to find some good books which could make me read more books for a really long time. I did read some good books this year eventually, but this was game changer. I am now craving to read more, and I hope that the next book I pick does not dump me back to my slump.

A murder mystery well written which at-least I was not able to predict at any given page or even line until the author wanted me to. The must have thing about thrillers and mysteries is they must be non-predictable. I mean, there are of course some things as a reader that things to our mind while reading such books, but the author took care of all of them quite cleverly. It was definitely a page turner, nail biter (all the stuff)  -  one which can bring to sleep deprived dark circles for a day or two. Then comes the characters. Do I have a favorite character? Ummm – not really, but all the characters had their required sufficient details. The language as we already said is third person, was quite a breeze to read through. There were a lot of things which a young adult reader will be able to relate to as well.

There was particularly one instance in the story which I will not talk about made me wipe my tears and put the book down for 5-10 minutes – yes, I do cry while reading….

To wrap it all, I really enjoyed reading this brilliantly written book and will be on my recommendations list for sure. Well done Pippa – wink wink.

Buy the book at amazon from link below:

The Ring o’ Bells Mystery by Enid Blyton

I found this little book with rusty pages in one of my cupboards. I picked it up out of curiosity and thought of being traveling back to childhood. And then, there was no stopping till it was finished.

It’s a mystery thriller meant for kids. The story goes as below:

When Roger, Diana and Snubby go to stay at Ring O’Bells village, their old friend Barney hitchhikes over with his monkey, Miranda, to join them. Barney has nowhere to stay so he decides to sleep in deserted Ring O’Bells Hall. Bit eerie things happen - bells start to ring, strange noises are heard in a secret passage, and there are some unfriendly strangers about. 

Something very mysterious is going on and the friends mean to find out what...

Now, I totally read it with a kid’s mind. There is a secret passage, a village and people resembling children’s favorite bed time story - “Little Red Riding Hood”. Last but not the least, there are dogs! The description of dogs doing everything they could possibly do to show off and to gain attention of is just hilarious. I was smiling really-really wide as I could so relate that to the Labrador – Skipper at one of my cousin’s house. He is always picking up shoes or anything he can possibly get his mouth on while we are at their place to make sure that we do not indulge too much in our conversations and forget pampering him. To sum up this paragraph, there is something for everyone who reads it. 

The plot is just perfect for the age group “Ring O’Bells Mystery” is targeted for. Although it is obviously a little predictable for an adult, I totally put that aside as I thoroughly enjoyed reading it all.

All the characters and the language also very good which kept me engaged and not wanting to put it down till the end. If I had the luxury of sleeping through the day, I would have sat all night up to finish and reach to the end of truly adventurous journey.

I am all praises for this and recalled the "Famous Five" series! There are more books for sure, coming up in my book shelf soon to accompany it! I am waiting for my kids to grow up to the right age to introduce it to them.

Pigeon-Blood Red by Ed Duncan

The painting in the background is the work of a Whale!

About the Author: Ed is a law graduate and originally authored a highly regarded legal treatise entitled “Ohio Insurance Coverage,” for which he provided annual editions from 2008 through 2012. Visit his personal website for further details - Ed Duncan

The blurb says: For underworld enforcer Richard “Rico” Sanders, it seemed like an ordinary job. Retrieve his gangster boss’s priceless pigeon-blood red ruby necklace and teach the double-dealing cheat who stole it a lesson. A job like a hundred before it. But the chase quickly goes sideways and takes Rico from the mean streets of Chicago to sunny Honolulu, where the hardened hit man finds himself in uncharted territory when a couple of innocent bystanders are accidentally embroiled in the crime.

As Rico pursues his new targets, the hunter and his prey develop an unlikely respect for one another and Rico is faced with a momentous decision: follow his orders to kill the couple whose courage and character have won his admiration, or refuse and endanger the life of the woman he loves?

What I Felt About The Book
It was the title which attracted me to the book. I had no idea what "Pigeon Blood Red" meant until I found it's meaning in the book. The author has describe it in detail. It was only then I went to Google and searched for the precious Gem. According to WIKIPEDIA - "The brightest and most valuable shade of red called blood-red or pigeon blood, commands a large premium over other rubies of similar quality".

To be honest, I was not hooked right from the first line or page and It took me few chapters to get in the flow. But once I was there, I could not wait to find the climax. It was a straight forward gangster type thriller.


What I Liked:
1. Romance - Ok!, I Agree that its not a love story but then the tiny bit pieces of affection here and there were an icing on the cake. I am still in search of a girl who has not fallen for a bad guy once in her lifetime. Obviously I loved every bit of Rico.
2. To The Point - The author chose to keep the content crisp which worked well for me. There was hardly any line or section which I skipped or skimmed through.

What I Did Not Like:
One liners - I failed to spot any one liners in the book!

The story is full of twists and turns which kept me hooked.
It is one of those books, which is not great but still forces the reader to give good ratings. All the very best to the author for his future writings.

Follow following links to get the book:

                                                       

Note: I received a review copy of the book in exchange of honest review -

Book Review: Thicker than Water by Lexie Conyngham

About The Author:
Lexie Conyngham has written multiple series in historical crime.  Murray of Letho and Hippolyta Napier aare two of her series. Thicker than Water is tenth in the series 'Murray of Letho' series. Author can be found on her personal website ~ Lexie Conyngham and on good reads profile.

The Blurb:
When young Walter finds a dead body along with the dead fish in his tutor’s fishpond, he knows he should tell his old master, Charles Murray of Letho. The dead man leaves a pretty wife and child and a broken string quartet, but someone must have profited by his death – could it be the avenger from his past as his widow fears, or is it someone from closer at hand? St. Andrews is once again the setting for a murder mystery, and a puzzle that Murray must solve before the murderer strikes again.

About The Book:
I generally do not read Crime Thriller but whenever I read them, I am always surprised by the imagination of authors. I personally find it extremely hard to pen down a crime fiction and that too in a thriller genre.

Honestly, I had some problem initially with the tone of writing, but as I held my patience, I got the heck of at and was more and more comfortable. I would not say that it's an easy read but then it's not difficult as-well. The story starts with artist, leading to a pleasant journey. There were curiosity, mystery, accidents, murder, blood, shock and almost all elements of a thriller. The way each chapter ended with a surprise or a question or a shock made the reader jump on to next one without stopping or taking a break.  The transition from one revelation to another felt surprisingly smooth and as a reader I found myself connecting various clues and trying to solve the mystery.

I must mention that there is something about horses that almost all writer capture very easily. I could not help but imagine the "beautiful black stallion" at every mention.

I found the plot very crisp and the author did not took much pages to get to main scene. I could not stop reading ahead after that. The story has background of long long time back and thus I could very easily identify the generation gap in all areas - society, dressing up, studies, occupation and many other things.

Many might not relate it, but I found below lines too inclined or inspired by old Bollywood movies.
"There were two signs of hope, as far as Murray was concerned: the thrawn old man had managed not to die straightaway, hanging on till he was found, and while he was being tended to he did, just once, squirm under the doctor’s hands and mutter something entirely incomprehensible."

Well, generally, some lines equivalent to quotes make a way to my diary, I am actually guilty rather being sad or disappointed that none did this time. Thanks to my bad vocabulary and difficulty in reading the style of writing. But here is one I typed:

"He was growing impatient to return to St. Andrews and see what progress had been made."
and so was I... I know its not funny. - wink wink.

It was a good and pleasant read which gave me a short break from the type of books I generally pick myself.

In case you wish to buy the book, here is the link to kindle edition:


Note: I received a kindle version of the book in exchange of honest review from  b00k r3vi3ws.

Blood in the Paradise -A tale of an impossible murder by Madhav Mahidhar

Source

About the Author: Madhav Mahidhar launches his first book in English with this suspense thriller. He is is a passionate thinker and a technology enthusiast as he describes himself through his Goodreads introduction video.

The Blurb

This is a tale of Madhumitha Nandan. Her courage, her determination, her mission and her pursuit.

This is a tale of DCP Vishwaroop. His honesty, his intelligence, his shrewdness and his focus.

This is a tale of Anupriya Gautam. Her theories, her influence, her credibility and her dependability.

This is a tale of an impossible murder. The puzzle begins.

Goal – Freedom from the fear of death

Weapon – Deceiving the minds

The Bait – Law—breakers

Evidence – Nullified because of the weapon

Crime designers – Unknown to the executor

The Cover

The title and then the subtitle very clearly states the contents of the book. Blood dripping from the corner of an eye is very obvious image for the title plot. For thriller lovers, despite all revealing details, I still found it good one to be picked up from the shelves.

What I Felt About the Book

The opening line itself does not disappoint its readers and the first and most important chapter makes sure readers is glued to the pages. The book has all elements of a crime, suspense and a thriller. The news debate, court room trials, police interrogations etc. made it look all real and attractive.

What I Liked About the Book

1. Last Chapter - I absolutely loved this one. Actually, the plot was very obvious and predictable. So, the last chapter makes it all worth reading the whole book.

2. It’s a Woman’s Story – I love any and all stories related to women and this one did not disappoint me.

What I Did Not Like About the Book

1. I know it’s not fair to include same point in likes and dislikes. But then, I so wish there were quite a few casual hints to the ultimate catch it in between the story - without making the reader think about it.

2. The author decided to pay attention to only the main plot and thus might have missed his chance to include some small yet interesting sections like the state of children - innocence, curiosity and the hidden fear.

The author – ‘Madhav Mahidhar’ did his homework well and came up with really interesting debates on news and courtrooms. The complete chapter of Madhumita’s interrogation wasan interesting read – I read it very slowly as if I were to answer those crucial questions!

‘Blood in the Paradise -A tale of an impossible murder’ is thus a good pick for a weekend or an overnight read.

The book can be purchased from following links.

Amazon Kindle Edition                     Amazon Paperback                            Flipkart Paperback

I won a review copy from The Tales Pensieve as part of Reviewers Programme. Register on #TTP for lots of #book fun and activities.

Secretly Yours by Vikrant Khanna

Image source

About The Author: Vikrant Khanna  is a caption with merchant Navy. He has the best seller – “Love Lasts Forver” to his credit. Head on to his website to know more about him - http://www.vikrantkhanna.com/

The Blurb:

Everyone has secrets but is hers the most shocking? Orphaned at birth, seventeen-year-old Sahil has always blamed himself for his parents' death. He has little interest in life until he meets the enigmatic Anya in a chance encounter during the Shimla fest. Soon he falls head over heels in love with her, but Anya doesn't reciprocate his feelings.

 An accident leaves him in a coma and when he wakes up he makes a startling discovery-he can read minds! Now he can find out what goes on in Anya's mind and maybe, just maybe, make her fall in love with him. But is Anya all she seems? Or is she hiding something? Deliciously plotted, full of morbid secrets and startling revelations, Secretly Yours will make you question what you see and who you trust."

The Cover:

The cover page has a beautiful girl lost in her own reflection which looks foggy. Would I pick the book from the shelf by looking at the cover? Well, may be yes. But the, wait for the complete review…

The Book:

Secretly Yours is the story of an unfortunate orphan who is in his teenage, has knowledge of music, plays guitar, loves reading and what more – Writing a book. Wait, I am not done yet. It’s also a thrilling murder mystery along with the element of supernatural power. Phew!

Yes, I book has so much to offer and to some extent, It did justice to some of the plots. I so wish, the other plots were also taken good care of.

What I liked about the Book:

1. Teenage - All of us love the time which has passed. Teenage is one of the best times of our lives. I was happy to relive some of my own teenage moments through this book.

2. Short Chapters - Chapters with the range of 5 pages are always a good pick.

3. Drugs, Self Harm – I never understand the concept of self-harm and suicides. I must refrain from stating my views on the topic especially on a public platform. The cutting of own body and delving into alcohol and drugs is depicted quite sensibly in the book from teenage point of perspective.

What I Did Not Like About The Book:

1. Poor Crime Scene Plotting - The depiction of gruesome murders could have been so much better. I have read books where a simple crime scene is written in such a way that they gave me shivers. The author chooses to write about horrible murders with an equally horrible scene explanation. I felt so unfortunate for the author. There was so much scope in those spine chilling plots. I did not think about them even once after reading.

2. Fading Thrill - The moment a murder is described, the context gets lost completely in the very next chapter. I actually waited for the next reference of the crime in true sense. This is definitely not a sign of any thriller.

There were a very few lines which did caught my attention;

"...apologies have an expiry date. If you wait long enough they lose their magic."

“Writing is about pouring your heart and soul onto a paper and feeling light after it.”

If I have to give a final opinion to the book, I would say, ”Secretly Yours does look a promising read by the cover page. The story and plot is an all-time hit. But, I would only prefer reading it on a boing flight or on my iPhone while I try to keep my eyelids open in some meaningless meeting. Go ahead and read it but do not expect any eye-popping thrilling experience.”

The book can be brought from following links:

Amazon Paperback                           Amazon Kindle Edition                                    flipkart Paperback



This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program  for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

The Claim by Sanjat Bordia

About The Author:

Charted Accountant by profession and a book lover by heart, Sanjay Bordia is making his dream of writing come true with this debut book. He can be reached via his official website - http://www.sanjaybordia.com/

About The Book:

The Blurb:

The recent foray of ‘3M Chandani Group’ in the life insurance sector is besieged with a large insurance claim.  All evidences and documents are in order but there is an eerie feeling that something is not right.  The case lands on the table of ‘Mohan Mohanty’ the ace internal auditor of the group.
Will Mohan be able to unearth the truth?  Laila and Iceberg, two trusted assistants of Mohan are confident that with Mohan at the helm of affairs truth does not need to worry.
And the investigation begins, which takes Mohan and his team to a village hospital where Compounder Tara Nath fixes the posting of Doctors. The team of auditors meets Madan Prasad, a sculptor who creates wax statutes which can chase London’s Madam Tussaud out of business.  The team has to find out whether branch manager, Sunil Shinde, is a victim or a culprit.
Time is running out since Mehra family, the parents and brother of the deceased, are threatening to go to media and courts, if the settlement of insurance claim is delayed further.
Mohan has to act fast and come out with clinching evidences or pay the insurance claim of Rs. 10 Crore.

The Cover:

Having received the pdf copy for review, I looked for the cover at Sanjay's site. The cover page is quite normal and may or may not prompt the reader to pick it up from the book shelf. Also, although, it does depicts some puzzle, but could have been much better - may be some hint to the clue without revealing it before its mention in the book.

What I Felt About The Book:

I would not lie that my thoughts of initial two chapters were not very motivating for the author. As the story proceeded and the turn of events were unfolded, I gradually got hooked to it.

What I Liked About The Book:

1. I was in love with Laila. Her immediate urge to eat anytime, anywhere added the required little amount of humour to the narration. Other characters were also plotted nicely.

2. The small inclusive suspense plots added every now and then solved the purpose of giving a new short story to the reader and soon the reader is back to main story line with a fresh mind. I liked the idea and enjoyed it thoroughly.

What I Did Not Like About The Book:

Predictability - Yes, any regular reader irrespective of his or her interest in thrillers would be able to predict the turn of some events. But this did not stop me from reading further.

To conclude, I found the book a major candidate for big Television programs like crime patrol series. Had the author been able to make it unpredictable, it would have been a big screen blockbuster.

Congratulations for a decent debut and best wishes to Sanjay Bordia for his future writing projects.

The Book can by purchased by following links

Amazon-Paperback    Amazon-Kindle Edition      Flipkart

Note: I received a PDF copy of the book for an honest review

Book Review - The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian

About The Author:

An alumnus of IIM Bangalore, Ravi Subramanian is the author of multiple best-selling commercial novels. Head on to his official website for more details - http://www.ravisubramanian.in/

The Blurb Says:

Paperback King, Aditya Kapoor, seems to have it all. Not only is he India s hottest and best-selling author, his enormous stardom is perfectly balanced by a lovely home, a loving wife and a stable career in banking. With everything he touches turning to gold, Aditya is on a winning streak. Shreya Kaushik is a student with a heart full of big dreams. Young, beautiful, and ambitious, Shreya speaks her mind and knows what she wants.

What happens when their worlds collide? Is it possible to love two people at the same time? Can ambition come in the way of passion?

The Bestseller... She Wrote is a story of illicit love, destructive jealousy and overriding ambition. As master story-teller Ravi Subramanian delves into the world of publishing and explores an unlikely romance between a best-selling author and his nubile protégé, faces will be unmasked and truths will be revealed. Sit tight and read on...

The Cover:

Bright Yellow base makes the book stand out from others in the bookshelf. The caption ‘Love, Betrayal, Redemption’ below two beautiful faces under a book clearly portray the basic plot of book.

About The Book

Ravi Subramanian is an established author and the efforts he has put in romance thriller are clearly visible in the book. May be it's because of this visibility of efforts; I have mixed review on this book. It liked reading it, but then there was something missing.

The story is not new, but the addition of details of writing and publishing a book gave an extra edge to all time it extramarital affair gossip.

What I Liked:

1. Simple Language and Short Chapters - The language us quite simple with just the right amount of fancy words used here and there. The chapters were crisp and short making sure that the story line is not dragged upon.

2. Book Writing - I absolutely loved the idea of getting to know the details of writing a book and getting it through publishing and in book-stores.

3. Society Viewpoint – In the society we live in, man generally blames his mistakes upon the woman itself – “She was too busy with kids”, “She stopped paying attention to me”, “I was deprived of love and pampering” etc. I was glad that Aditya openly accepted his mistake and made no excuses for the same.

What I Did Not Like:

1. Predictable - From the very beginning I could sense the end of story and was hoping that it might turn into something else. But I was disappointed. Even the reason of character who messed up the lead Aditya's life was same old cheap reason.

2. Unreal characters – Aditya to be precise. I could not digest the fact that Aditya loved his wife dearly and still he went weak in his knees when he saw Shreya while Maya was lying on the death bed. Even after he was sure that the girl made his life a living hell, he was attracted to her with lust. Hero of the book emerges out as a complete looser and total snub.

3. Missing link – The story completely skips the link where editor of publishing house found Maya’s manuscript a real-life story.

Mr. Subramanian has tried his level best to do better than Chetan Bhagat (nor that I am hi fan, but I do not hate his writing as well). I read at some review that the book is quite near to Nicholas Sparks! The ending speech of Aditya was very emotional, but it nowhere matched the density and warmth of Mr. Sparks (I am a fan of his letters). Still, I must admit that I could not put the book down till I had finished reading it.

Below are some life/writing lessons to be noted from the book:

‘Nerdy and well-read are two completely different personality traits,’

‘Relationships with the right people always pay in life,’

‘One day, Sunaina, I am telling you . . . one day. I will be a world-famous author. You will be proud of me.’

‘Life is all about choices you make…’

'If instead of malls we built libraries, the future generations would be a lot smarter.’

Without these bookstores, there will be no books, and without books, there will be no culture

A male mind can process so much information in nanoseconds when it comes to a woman’s body that no supercomputer can match it.

The problem with trust is that if it is broken, then all acts committed by the perpetrator come under the purview of suspicion.

Nothing in life is more wretched than the mind of a man conscious of his guilt.

‘Cheating is never a mistake. It is a choice’,

A lottery gives you a better chance at success than getting a book published."

The vestiges of the past, unless buried, will always keep cropping up and impact relationships

‘Life is binary in many ways. There is no way that we can move away from each other slowly and painlessly. There has to be a complete exit’

Would I recommend “The Bestseller She Wrote” to someone?

Well, I might do so if when the person asks me for its feedback. 

The book can be brought from following links:

Amazon-Paperback    Amazon-Kindle Edition      Flipkart

  

Read my Book Review for Ravi Subramanian's another thriller -  God Is A Gamer

Have you read Ravi Subramanian? If yes, which genre did you liked more - Romance or Thriller?

I am reviewing ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Book Review: God Is A Gamer by Ravi Subamanian

About the author: 
As I always let the author speak for him/herself - http://www.ravisubramanian.in/

The Blurb (as on Good reads):
Aditya runs a gaming company that is struggling to break even. A banker slips off a
high-rise building, plunging to her death. The finance minister has made some promises
that he is finding hard to keep. The LTTE has unleashed terror in America that sends
the FBI on a wild goose chase, bringing them to Mumbai.
Enter Varun, part-time drug dealer and full-time genius. He turns around the gaming
company before disaster strikes. Meanwhile, the investigators plunge headlong into
the shady world of bitcoins and the Dark Net, websites that only exist for illegal
transactions—drugs, sex and money. God Is a Gamer culminates in a stunning climax
where money means nothing, assassination is taught by the ancient Greeks, and nothing
is as it seems.

Review: ★★★

Cover Page: 
I found the cover average - similar to Ravi's previous books. I liked the Bitcoin currency symbol highlighted in GOD.

What I Felt About The Book:
The first catch that comes along with the book is - "World's first bitcoin thriller". Honestly speaking, I had no idea of the term Bitcoin. I even searched google but had no luck - I did not ouch much effort though. It was when one of my friends happened to see the book on my table and told me what Bitcoin is. Ravi Subramanian has taken extra precaution to educate the readers about Bitcoins.

The plot travels across different parts of world – Washington DC, Mumbai, Delhi, Goa, New York etc. The author made is best effort to entertain the reader and has successfully managed to get them hooked to the pages. Romance, scandal, murder, virtual gaming, drugs, money, politics and the list continues. Name an angle and this book has it all. The author also utilizes his technical knowledge on various aspects – banking, internet etc.., to full use.

‘God Is a Gamer’ is a nice weekend read with great blend of suspense, crime, love and technology.

What I liked:

• Short Chapters – maximum 4 to 5 pages each
• Fast paced plot – made me skip few pages out of curiosity.

What I did not like:

• The tagline – ‘Is Revenge a Crime’ is not utilized and the reader keeps wondering and waiting about the same till end.
• The different locations could be a hindrance to some readers. Initially, I had to make an effort to remember what this was in connection to.

I also found a trailer for the book:
 
Note of Thanks:
Blogadda sent me this autographed book almost a month back and I am very late in putting up the review. I hope I have not put my name in their list of bloggers who do not receive any more books.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers.
Participate now to get free books!

What does it take to hook you to a thriller? How did you like the book? Would you go ahead and read it after my thoughts on it? Write your heart/mind in comments section. I would be glad to read out your end of thinking on the book.