Book Review- Salvation of a Saint- Keigo Higashino

  

Author- Keigo Higashino

ISBN- 978-0-3491-3934-0

Price- MRP Rs 350/-

Publisher- Hachette India www.hachetteindia.com

I had the privilege to review "The Devotion Of Suspect X" here all thanks to Blogadda and now I am reviewing the sequel. The last one by Keigo Higashino had me hooked all night and I couldn't sleep before finishing it. Well, comparison is natural and I am glad to say that this one is better than the last one. While the last one was a tug-of-war between an intelligent murderer and an experienced detective, this one is more of a Whodunnit and also a Howdunnit ie how the killer actually committed the murder. 

About the author

 Keigo Higashino is an engineer and that attention to detail attitude is visible in his work. There are no lose threads. He is also a Japanese author and these books are translations. Thankfully very little is lost in translation and the thrill and pace of the plot is intact. His "The Devotion of Suspect X" was nominated for Edgar award 2012 and Barry award 2012.

About the plot
Detective Kusanagi and junior detective Kishitani are back with new female recruit Utsumi and department head Mamiya. They have their hands on this new case which spins their heads right off their head. A business-man Yoshitaka is found dead and the two prime suspects are his girlfriend and his wife. Next comes an intricate plot of alibis, doubts and revelations. The book cannot be simply put down once you pick it up for reading. Detective Kusanagi is well on his way to become a cult character with a fan following. New character Utsumi keeps impressing with her keen observation and attention to detail. The way she joins the threads, you are left craving for more such novels with her in the center.

About the cover
The cover is simple with white and black theme and a face looking downwards as if laden with guilt. The red back-cover introduces you to the plot and features accolades for the previous and the current novel. The styling is neat with no frills. I personally am likely to pick such books from the rack.

About the language, style and pages.
Hachette India lives up to its name. The pages are crisp and good quality, there are no printing mistakes, misprints or problems with paper. The language has been kept simple, sentences are short and lucid. First time readers will like it very much. Fonts are big and there will be no difficulty reading or understanding the text. The author has used italics to highlight the sentences which are either muttered under the breath or not spoken at all. Sometimes, it may seem abrupt but you'll get used to it.
The characters are well-defined. We already have been introduced to the detectives so no time has been wasted introducing them again. For the first timers, it's enough to know that they are really smart people with great observation skills. The characters of the two prime suspects- Hiromi (the girlfriend) and Ayane (the wife) are well-drawn and there is an air of sympathy created around both of them. It is interesting to see the air change as the plot progresses.

So, all in all, I recommend the book and suggest that you finish it in one or two sittings to maintain the continuity and excitement. A great companion for long train journeys, but careful, you might miss your station!

Happy reading.

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

Book Review- Tantra By Adi

Here is the official trailer of the book. That's right folks! This one comes with a trailer. I am talking about the latest offering from Blogadda.com - The book called- "Tantra" By Adi.

 

Publisher- Apeejay Stya Publishing

MRP- 195/-

Website- www.tantrabyadi.com

Twitter- @dearadi

Facebook- fb.com/DearAdiPage

ISBN- 978-81-908636-2-9

This one brings back the memories of the golden era of thriller fiction novels like Devki Nandan Khatri's Chandrakanta. It took me back to days when children used to hide under the covers and read Indrajaal, tulsi or Raj comics pretending to be asleep. It has a racy plot, larger than life characters and thrilling turn of events. I enjoyed reading it and once I picked it up, it was very difficult to put down. 

The protagonist is a vampire slayer who isn't modest to say the least. She is Anu Aggarwal. She is a guardian and wears her attitude on her sleeve. As you can see on the cover, she stands on the top of a building taking guard with a dagger in her hand and gaze fixed on the cityscape. The city here is New Delhi which has been shown in a very nice way through the descriptions by the first time author Adi. Adi, the author, comes across to me as one of those comic book enthusiasts who loved reading about mystical creatures and imagined himself to be the hero killing the bad guys. The boyish charm of the author is evident on the pages of the book as he plays with his characters and has a lot of fun in the process.

Anu comes from New York to New Delhi on a mission to destroy a crime link and soon realizes that she has opened a huge can of worms. She seeks help from several gurus and tantriks as she fights the evil. There is a certain haunting character about the novel as evil always lurks in the background and is one step ahead of the good.

The novel also has a bollywood-like hilarious side-plot where Anu's aunt is trying to set her up with a suitable boy. The novel has been made with the intention of creating a reader base who can get to acquaint themselves with and start liking the characters. I foresee it to be the first novel in a long successful series.

The language has been kept lucid, the sentences are short and easy to understand so that the novel can percolate deep into the Indian readership. There is also enough sexuality in the pages for the, umm.. how do I put this delicately, low-minded audience. I mean it's entertainment, nothing wrong with it but, I expect a little less of it and more of action in the sequels.

A word about the author- The author confesses that he has been a fictions books' buff and has loved the characters from Indian mythology. That explains the theme of the novel and his grip on the subject. He also has degrees from Stanford and Harward and that explains the intelligent weaving on the plot and use of suitable language. His acknowledgements are heartfelt and were fun to read. I think he should stick around and write many more such novels. India does need to revive its story-telling culture.

So, all in all, it's a good, nail-biting, edge of the seat thriller with enough masala to shame a South Indian masala flick. I'd like to suggest that this book is meant for those who can handle this kind of fiction and have grown with the mysteries of vampires, zombies, fairies and angels; and can enjoy the romance behind it all.

Happy reading.

A hero around us.

Well, I was moved when I first heard of Blogadda's initiative with Gillette. Soldier for women; well there are so many bad apples in the basket and they stand out by their sheer rotten smell- teasing women, throwing taunts, disrespecting them and doing other unmanly things; but there are good ones too. People who stand up for women. Many women have objected against the idea of chivalry and misunderstood the whole movement as is evident with the comments on Blogadda's blog. Well, it's not that they need to be helped or saved; rather, it's actually about whether a man who disrespects a woman or lets it happen under his watch, is a real man? Just like we need good citizens in this country, we need better men; who can take responsibility. We also need better women who can stand up against crimes of all kind but, this is about men- men who can be soldiers. Every woman as she battles the various challenges in society is born a soldier but among men, soldiers are made. Proper education, moral background, an alive conscience- all go into making them. Here are a few examples I can think of-

1. I was in 11th class, annual function was right around the corner. The girls of the class were performing, they thought they'd rehearse their dance in the classroom itself in a free period. A few guys started clapping and whistling as they saw the girls dance. The girls were getting annoyed and soon the situation escalated as one of the guys used some derogatory words for the girls without any provocation. A few guys in the classroom started laughing with him. One of them wasn't. He stood up against the gang and asked them to keep quiet or leave. He was beaten black and blue by the rowdies. He sat in the corner crying as no one really cared, and the rehearsals continued.

2. There was a discussion forum on Facebook where people were allowed to post anonymous comments about their college life, you know, sort of a confessions page. Someone posted that he liked a particular girl in college; upon reading that, the girl didn't really reciprocate and not-so-subtly turned down the creepy anonymous proposal. The next anonymous comment that followed was a sexist slur in disrespectful, mean and rude language. The girl was appalled at this audacity. One of the members of the forum posted a link to the cyber laws prevalent in India and the punishments for such a person who abuses someone publicly on the internet. Next anonymous comment was an apology.

3. On a bus journey from Davangere to Bangalore, a woman passenger was constantly getting harassed by the passenger sitting behind her he tried to touch and grope her with the excuse of constantly trying to adjust the curtains. One of the fellow passengers saw this happening and informed the conductor immediately. The passenger was made to alight in the middle of nowhere as the bus zoomed past him. Till date this example scares the hell out of mischief-mongers.

F?@K KNOWS Review.

Author- Shailendra Singh

Pages- 234

Publishers- Roopa

Genre- Self-help

Roopa publications have been striking a cord with the audience ever since their tryst with Chetan Bhagat. This book also goes into the club of those young, unabashed, truthful books that speak their minds without much beating around the bush. If you go by the biography of author Shailendra Singh, you'd come to know that he is a go-getter. Every go getter has a winning policy. His policy has earned him results and he has done many things from his to-do checklist in life. A list most of us give up on too early.

About the cover- 

The bright yellow with that huge F-word title is like a shout out. If you are in a conservative family, you might need to hide it from your parents. I think the title could have been a little more subtle and have still carried the point across. Anyway, the artwork is funky and makes you pick up the book.

About the book-

This book is divided into 72 chapters. The chapters are small and are like chunks of life wisdom. You might want to read them at your own pace to imbibe it all in. Yes, 72 chapters! Hours of preaching you say? This book is no yawn-fest. Why? Firstly because it's your friend. Not your teacher. As if  that wasn't evident from its cover, the book uses the F-word profusely. It's for those who have sought for happiness and have found themselves lost in the search. I, in my personal opinion, have always been skeptical about books that try to lead me somewhere. Those motivational, guides which claim to lead me to the truth become dust-collectors at the top shelf in my cupboard but not this one. This one doesn't take itself too seriously. It has its light moments. The author is not trying to seduce you to his ideas. He is subtly persuading you to win. Very subtle, it works. It works because it doesn't try too hard. But like any other self-help motivational book, it does make judgments. It does try to generalize and you might end up hating the book for slyly pointing out your follies. People who do not like too much honesty or are on a different intellectual plane might require the author to be present in physical form so that they can cross-question. Of course, that is something that can't happen unless people at Blogadda are thinking about convening a promotional conference. Anyone listening?

The book sometimes slaps you for not giving life a fair chance. I got reminded of Gerald Butler's "Ugly Truth" movie while reading the book, although of course this book doesn't totally focus on sex. For those looking for some undiscovered pearls of wisdom, or secrets of life, the secret elixir, I am sorry- there is nothing for you there. The book only tells you what a good friend would. You know the truth already but doubts, suspicion, procrastination clog your system. This book frees you of your doubts. It will help you make a decision that you wanted to make but never did because you had other stuff in mind. Think of it as a mental broom clearing away dust from your thought processes. 

The author's bio on Blogadda had a fancy line saying that he has launched the careers and "egos" of country's  biggest celebrities. Now what do you mean by launching an ego? You'll come to know when you read this book. It might be about harsh reality but it boosts your ego. We all are craving to discover some self-worth. This book helps you find that. It helps you admit that you need help and then helps you. 

This Book Review is a Part of the Book Review Program On Blogadda. Join to participate and win free Books!

The Hurt

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

"Do you want to get back together?" she asked. It was the second time she had come back to me. She cheated on me with this guy in her class and later realized that I was her "true love". I was happy. I was madly in love with her. I wanted to take her back but this had happened before. It was like deja vu. She was strongly attracted to this other guy and couldn't resist him when her was around. He, like a douche, used to follow her around, knowing that she was with someone else. I can't blame the guy. She just wasn't herself with me. She had a thing for bad guys while I had none of those qualities.

If I was put in the guy's scenario, I'd never have made a move. Heck, I'd have stopped the girl from making a move. I value honour and integrity much more than the temptation to flirt with someone else's girl.

But here I was. She was in tears, this felt like a dream. She missed me and wanted me back again. She had cheated on me before and I had lost all trust but, there she was. ‘My heart was saying “Yes” but my head was saying “No”‘. I wanted this moment to pass and directly go to the ending where me and her drive into the sunset and we live happily ever after. I said "yes". It wasn't easy, a lot of questions plagued my mind, would I be able to trust her again? Would she stop talking to this other guy? What if she starts talking to him again? Will I be able to handle it?

I jumped into the relationship right back with my eyes closed. I trust blindly because that's the only way I know to love. I held her tight, told her I missed her. She smiled. She was happy too. We took trips together.

We went to a fish spa on Valentine's day, held hands. Exchanged cards. I made her cry with my love. It was picture perfect. I wanted it to live on forever. Then something came up, I had to leave the city for a few months. It was a big deal for both of us. Ever since we had got back together and it had been a while, one month to be precise, there wasn't a day we hadn't met. How badly I was going to miss her. I told her I'll stay connected. I told her to wait for me. I was the knight in shining armour who was setting sail just to come back for his damsel. It was my fairytale.

One week before my departure, she was feeling a bit sad. Said she didn't want to talk. The next morning, I called her for lunch but she said she wasn't hungry. I said I'd just come and pick her up, asked her location. She reluctantly told me where she was. I went there. As I entered the street, I saw a guy hiding his face, tiptoeing away. She froze with fear. I had reached a minute too early.

The day we truly met!

Why do I love her?

Before actually sitting down to write this, I was under the impression that this would be the simplest thing to write about, being so close to my feelings. Turns out- it isn't. I love her but don't exactly know why. Maybe because my thinking and reasoning abilities aren't at their best at the moment or maybe because if I knew *why* I loved her, it wouldn't be called "love" then. I just love her because I love her. I don't love or couldn't have loved any other girl because any other girl wouldn't have been her.


I love her 'cause she deserves to be loved. She is love personified. I can feel her heartbeat when she talks to me, I know her. I know that behind that young girl there is a sensible, mature lady. When she whispers those three magical words in my ears, my heart takes a plunge. She says- "I love you." and I close my eyes, take a deep breath as my heart stops beating and freezes in the moment; goosefleshes run through my skin. My heart sinks deeper in my chest, as if firmly announcing its victory over other realms of my thought sphere.


I love her because I know I can be all that she needs. I can swap skins with her, I can be her and no one will spot my camouflage. I know her from within. When I close my eyes, I hear her; when I open my eyes, my eyes search for her. When I do anything, her happiness remains my top priority. I want her to get happier by every breath I take. I just want to make her the happiest girl on earth and I know nothing else.