QBR: SUSPICION BY FRIEDERICH DURRENMATT

   
                                                       Suspense

                                                       156 + pages

                                                       Pushkin Vertigo

                                                       Originally Published in 1962
                                                       RT Rating: 3.2/5

This work first came out in the 1950's, almost two decades ago, but still it makes for an interesting read. 

The Verdict:This vintage thriller is quite an engaging read!
Synopsis: Inspector Barlach is suffering from Cancer. He notices that a successful Swiss Surgeon bears a striking resemblance to an infamous war criminal.Suspicion is Barlach's journey to un-mask the criminal hiding in plain sight. Or is it all a ploy by someone with vested interests?

The Good:the setting, the characters,suspense
The Bad:predictable at times
Recommendations: Borrow it!

-nikhimenon

QBR: Morning, Noon & Night by Sidney Sheldon

                                                        Suspense

                                                       372 + pages
                                                       Originally Published in 1997
                                                       RT Rating: 3.5/5

This work first came out almost two decades ago, but still it hasn't become dated and manages to be a racy read. Sidney Sheldon was truly the 'Mr Blockbuster' and will remain to be so and I can confidently say that no Tilly Bagshawe or James Patterson can replicate Sheldon.

The Verdict:On the whole,Morning,Noon& Night is  racy,entertaining pulp.
Synopsis: The Great Harry Stanford, one of America's richest businessman has drowned mysteriously while cruising on his yacht.He was never fond of his three children during his lifetime and soon a young lady appears claiming to be his illegitimate child and a share of his fortune. Is she an imposter?
The Good:enough twists and turns which makes it a racy read.
The Bad:the characters are quite shallow and you never get to invest in them that much.
Recommendations: Buy it!

-nikhimenon 

QBR: Buffering Love by Issac John

                                         Anthology/Urban Fiction                                                                                                   209+ pages, Penguin Metro Reads (2017)
                                          RT Rating: 3.9/5

The Verdict:'Buffering Love' is an enjoyable work. Most of the stories are quite good with relatable characters. I haven't really liked any of the earlier books which have come out of this imprint (metro reads) but this debut work by Issac John has turned out to be a pleasant surprise!

 
Synopsis: 'Buffering Love' is basically a collection of short stories set in Urban India. Some of the stories are inter-connected and works as some sort of follow up to the previous ones. All the stories explore through the escapades of their protagonists on mobile apps .Though Love is also a recurring theme,the book is not an anthology of love stories per se.

 
The Good: relatable characters, interesting twists, unpretentious prose, the stories have a 'Jeffrey Archer' feel to it (IMHO).The pick of the lot- Smart Lass and Daft Watch.

The Bad:some stories had abrupt ending, the 'app' element seemed forced at times

Recommendations: Buy it!

-nikhimenon

QBR: BOMBAY fever by Sidin vadukut

                                             

                                              
                                                    Bombay Fever by Sidin Vadukut
                                                           RT Rating: 2.75/5
                                                           Medical Thriller
                                             370+ pages, Simon & Schuster India (2017)

The Verdict:'Bombay Fever' is a decent (desi) medical thriller. It describes how an outbreak occurs and how difficult it is to contain one. It has it's moments but the fans of Robin Cook might not find anything new in this work!
 
Synopsis: An Indian Journalist in Switzerland travels all the way back to India with a 'mystery' illness. But little did he know that it was the beginning of an outbreak!

The Good: starts with a bang, the outbreak is described in a dramatic yet 'interesting' manner as far as a lay reader is concerned, the pacing is good, climax is also pretty decent , the 'beta-protocol' and the 'multi-sampler' are innovative concepts.

The Bad: pretty much loses steam after the initial 50-60 pages or so and only picks up towards the climax portions, greater part of the book is basically the same stuff getting repeated again and again- descriptions of numerous people getting infected with the same mutant strain,the lies and speculations about the Indian Navy (the submarine sub-plot) could have been done away with! 

Recommendations: Borrow it!

-nikhimenon

QBR: Half Boyfriend by Judy Balan and Kishore Manohar

                                          Half Boyfriend by Judy Balan and Kishore Manohar
                                                           RT Rating: 2.6/5
                                                 Parody/Humour-Romance
                                           200+ pages, Bloomsbury (2016)

The Verdict:'Half Boyfriend' is a passable parody.It has it's moments but is not as funny as Judy Balan's '2 Fates'.
 
Synopsis:Blogger -turned- author Judy Balan rose to fame with her debut work- 2 Fates: the story of my divorce, which was a parody of Chetan Bhagat's '2 States:the story of my marriage'. 2 Fates was pretty funny and since the source material (2 States) was spoof-worthy, it worked big time! Half Boyfriend is Balan's attempt at parodying another work of Chetan Bhagat (Half Girlfriend).So we have our non-english speaking prince (Manav Jha) stalking the cosmopolitan Rhea Somany in the posh Delhi College.The Book tries to parody almost all the significant scenes from the original source material and tries to weave a story on it's own (more or less the same one ) in the process.

The Good: it starts off promisingly, the first act is quite funny and interesting, liked the idea of putting 'short version' of each chapter at the beginning,the overall mood of the book.

The Bad: After a point, the book gets monotonous, the writing gets dull ,the whole 'obama/London episode' is hardly funny, the jokes fall flat and it seems that the authors were just trying to fill in pages with uninspiring and random stuff.

Recommendations: Borrow it!

-nikhimenon

QBR: I Found You by Lisa Jewell

        I Found You by Lisa Jewell

RT Rating: 3.8/5

Mystery/Crime Thriller

     450+ pages, Arrow (2016)

The Verdict:'I Found You' is a gripping thriller which is totally worth your time and money.
 
Synopsis:Twenty Year Old Lily is searching for her missing husband.Forty something Alice,mother of three has a starnger living in her house.Teenager Kirsty has a new boy friend.What is the 'link' between these seemingly unrelated women who don't even belong to the same generation? 'I found You' is built on this interesting premise.Set in the fictional town of Ridinghouse bay, this Part Romance and part thriller, manages to old your attention for most part.

The Good:The pacing (though the book is 450 odd pages long,you never 'feel' that it's overlong!) is apt, plotting is clever, the setting is brilliantly atmospheric.The 'mystery' mood has been successfully maintained for most part with the 'connection' between the three principal characters turning out really well.

The Bad:Towards the third act and the climax,the book loses steam; the big reveal (about Kirsty's disappearance) could have been better thought out .

Recommendations: Buy it!

-nikhimenon

Kindly donate to Kerala's Flood relief fund by visiting Kerala CM's official donation link- https://donation.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in/

QBR: I See You By Claire Mackintosh

I See You By Claire Mackintosh

RT Rating: 3.5/5

Psychological Suspense/Crime Thriller

380+ pages, Sphere (2016)

 The Verdict: Innovative re-working of the 'stalker' theme ,Claire Mackintosh delivers the goods in 'I see You'! If you have taken the 'London Tubes' or even the over-head commute, you will defintely find this to be a creepy read!

Synopsis: Forty year old Zoe Walker, mother of two ,finds herself listed in the tabloid ad of an online dating website (about which she has absolutely no clue of !) and soon  discovers that she is not the only one! Detective Kelly Swift is the only one who is convinced of Zoe's story and soon they discover that the other women who are listed in the ad are getting killed one by one!

The Good:The setting, pacing and the climax twist! Will there be a sequel?

The Bad: The 'stalker' theme is getting repetitive.

Recommendations:Buy it!

-nikhimenon

Kindly donate to Kerala's Flood relief fund by visiting Kerala CM's official donation link- https://donation.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in/

QBR: encounters of a fat bride by samah

                             Encounters of a Fat Bride By Samah 

                                   RT Rating: 2.6/5

                              270 Pages, Penguin Metro Reads (2017)

                                     Chic-lit/Romance

     The Verdict: An okay, time-pass light read which offers nothing new!

Synopsis: Madhurima Pandey is a plus sized,twenty something girl.She is quite insecure about herself because of her being over sized.So when the good looking,well educated Harsh agrees to marry her(though his body language suggests otherwise),she has her own share of apprehensions.Does he genuinely like her? Is he marrying her for the sake of it? Is there  some 'hidden agenda' behind his willingness? She can't help ponder over....Will she be able to find the truth?

The Good: the light heartedness of the narrative, the length, some interesting characters like the 'uber cool', tech savvy Grandma (she reminded me of a character in Varun Aggarwal's 'How I braved Anu Aunty....,though!)  

The Bad: pretty generic plot(and characters) which doesn't break any new grounds (if you have read atleast one chick-lit work in life,you can predict the next chapter/scene in the novel), characterisation of Madhurima was too weak (you never 'feel' for her or her emotions), Anu is portrayed as her best friend,but beyond the regular shopping sessions and the occassional 'gyaan', you never get to know the 'real' Anu!

Best Quote-It's not perfect people,but perfect relationships that make fairy tales!

Recommendations: Borrow it! (if you are in the mood to read some 'light' stuff)!

-nikhimenon

QBR: 3 AND A HALF MURDERS BY SALIL DESAI

                               

                              
                                 3 and a Half Murders By Salil Desai

                                     RT Rating: 2.7/5

                               328 Pages, Finger Print Publishing (2017)

                               Crime Thriller/Murder Mystery

           The Verdict: A decent, but over-long crime thriller with an unexpected climax!

Synopsis: Sanjay Doshi has killed his wife Anushka Doshi (who was cheating on him) and has committed suicide.The suspect is her 'lover' Shaunak Sodhi. Can Inspector Saralkar solve the mystery?

The Good:down- to -earth characterisation of Saralkar and his aide Motkar ,no excessive violence and pointless twists, the big reveal in the climax(the identity of the killer)

The Bad: The 'why' of the crime could have been better imagined, the usual cliche's like the fake Godman, the officer's nagging wife,a couple of loose ends(ASI Murgud covering up the 7 year old case quite easily)

Recommendations: Borrow it!

-nikhimenon

QBR: Miracle Cure By Harlan Coben

Image:Amazon UK

Miracle Cure By Harlan Coben

RT Rating: 2.6/5

Medical Thriller/Crime Thriller

480 pages, ORION (2013), originally published in 1991 by British American Publishing

 The Verdict: One of Coben's earliest works, Miracle Cure can be read once , if you are a die-hard Coben fan!

Synopsis:Dr Harvey has discovered a perfect cure for HIV.But there is someone trying to sabotage his discovery!

The Good:the 'Medical' aspects are still relevant, has it's moments of suspense

The Bad:Pretty dated work (even Coben himself admits the same), the climax twist was pretty predictable, quite over-long too!

Recommendations:Borrow it!

-nikhimenon

QBR: Angelica's Smile by Andrea Camilleri

                              Angelica's Smile By Andrea Camilleri

                                           RT Rating: 2.5/5

                               304 Pages, Pan MacMillan(2015)

                               Romance/Police Procedural

       The Verdict: An okayish , half baked romance-police procedural

Synopsis: Vigàta's elite are targeted in a series of brilliantly executed robberies,can Inspector Montalbano solve the mystery?

The Good: Easy Read, fairly good English translation,partly funny

The Bad: the romance was half baked,so was the investigation,ends up neither here nor there

Recommendations:Skip it!

-nikhimenon

QBR: Behind Closed Doors by B A Paris

 For those of you, who are too lazy to go through 'long, boring' book reviews, ALOP hereby presenting the new Quick Book Review (QBR) series (if James Patterson can bring out BOOKSHOTS, why can't we?☺)

                         Behind Closed Doors By B A Paris

                                      RT Rating: 3/5

                            293 Pages, St Martin's Press (2016)

                                    Psychological Thriller

           The Verdict: A fairly good read built on an intriguing premise!

Synopsis: Jack and Grace are the perfect couple and everyone adores them, But are they living a perfect lie?

The Good: The Premise is fresh , Grace's characterisation, emotional nature of the read, focused narration

The Bad: The climax was not entirely convincing!

Recommendations: Borrow it!

-nikhimenon