VELOCITY - Dean Koontz

VELOCITY…fear never slows down…

Author: Dean Koontz

Publisher: Bantam books.

Synopsis: If you don’t take this note to the police…I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher… if you do…I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide. The choice is yours.

The typewritten note under his windshield seems like just a sick joke. But in less than 24 hours Billy Wiles, an ordinary, hardworking guy, is about to see his life take on the speed of a nightmare.

Because a young blond schoolteacher is murdered-and now Billy has another note.

And another deadline.

This time he knows its no joke. He’s racing a killer faster than evil itself. And Billy must accept his terrifying challenge: The choice is yours.

Excerpt: In the choice between a lovely blond schoolteacher and a charitable old woman, the deaths seemed equally tragic unless you were biased toward the beautiful and against the aged. Making an active decision resulted in neither less nor greater tragedy than did inaction.

When the possible victims had been an unmarried man, “who won’t be missed by the world” or a young mother of two, the greater tragedy had seemed to be the death of the mother. In that case, the choice had been constructed so that Billy’s failure to go to the police ensured the mother’s survival, rewarding inaction and playing to his weakness.

Once again, he was being asked to choose between two evils, and thereby become the freak’s collaborator. But this time, inaction was not a viable option. By saying nothing, he would be sentencing the redhead to torture, to a protracted and hideous death. By responding, he would be granting her a decree of mercy.

He could not save her.

In either case, death.

But one death would be cleaner than the other.

My review: Speedy, as promised, this book scans the deepest thoughts that go on in Billy’s mind when he’s faced with two horrifying choices. Action has a consequence, but then, so does inaction. Dismissing the first note as a joke, Billy is quick to realize that there’s nothing funny about a man who is out to kill-out to perform. When the killer is apparently entering his house, using his computer and prowling around unnoticed, Billy knows he is going against evil in its worst form. He also realizes that the dead bodies have been planted with evidences that could possibly convict him for all the murders the freak has committed.

This is when Billy realizes that he needs to take things in his own hands. Making heart-wrenching decisions and going in search for the killer, Billy starts a life changing adventure which will expose him to the evils of the larger world…and also to those which a fearful human mind might make in desperate times.

The book is quite well written and the story doesn’t dwindle and dawdle. The thoughts could have been edited a little as they get too lengthy and repetitive after a while…just skip the paragraphs where he starts thinking if you like. (I haven’t done that :D.) Some people might find the end a wee bit disappointing. But as for me, it was quite the twist that made the story less predictable.

Ernest Hemingway: a man can be destroyed but not defeated (Old man and the sea) is the spirit of this book…and the book has remained true to it!

Ratings: 8 on 10

Price: couldn't find sorry!

Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

REBECCA

Author: Daphne Du Maurier

Published by: Avon Books-An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Synopsis: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” So the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter remembered the chilling events that led her down the turning drive past the beeches, white and naked, to the isolated gray stone manse (mansion) on the windswept Cornish coast. With a husband she barely knew, the young bride arrived at this immense estate, only to be inexorably drawn into the life of the first Mrs. de Winter, the beautiful Rebecca, dead but never forgotten…her suite of rooms never touched, her clothes ready to be worn, her servant-the sinister Mrs. Danvers- still loyal. And as an eerie presentiment of evil tightened around her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter began her search for the real fate of Rebecca…for the secrets of Manderley.

Excerpt: “Why is the buoy there in the little harbor place?” I asked.

“The boat used to be moored there,” he said.

“What boat?” I asked.

“Her boat,” he said. A strange sort of excitement was upon me. I had to go on with my questions. He did not want to talk about it, I knew that, but although I was sorry for him and shocked at my own self I had to continue, I could not be silent.

“What happened to it?” I asked. “Was that the boat she was sailing when she was drowned?” “Yes,” he said quietly, “It capsized and sank. She was washed overboard.”

“What sort of size boat was it?” I asked.

“About three tons. It had a little cabin.”

“What made it capsize?” I said.

“It can be squally in the bay,” he said.

I thought of that green sea, foam-flecked, that ran down channel beyond the headland. Did the wind come suddenly, I wondered, in a funnel from the beacon on the hill, and did the little boat heel to it, shivering the white sail flat against a breaking sea.

My review: This is the story of a young girl working as a companion to an old, quite bossy, lady. She meets the charming Mr. De winter in Monte Carlo, who is just out of grieving for his lost first wife. She falls in love and they get married in haste…he never voices his own feelings aloud. Going to his beloved estate ‘Manderley’ she finds that Rebecca, his first wife, still has an eerie hold over the household. Everybody she meets compares her with the vivacious, beautiful and generous Rebecca until she can take it no more. This is when the mystery of Rebecca’s death resurfaces and her world is thrown into chaos. She learns of the true nature of the much-revered Rebecca, her relationship with her husband and much more. Will she finally learn her husbands true feelings? Is he really the person she fell in love with? Do read the book to find out J

This story is written in the old English style with names and characters to suit! Typical long winding sentences, subtle romances, lengthy descriptions-you have it all! One might get bored somehow, of long descriptions of sceneries. But when I voiced my opinion about this, my mom quietly explained, “Since they had no TV or internet at that time, writers gave long and detailed descriptions of characters, scenery and clothing to fuel the reader’s imagination.”

The story is slow to start but catches pace quickly, gripping the reader’s attention. You will nearly be as curious as the lead character to know the mystery of Rebecca. The story is also mysterious in a way that the female lead’s name is never disclosed throughout the book. Remarks are passed about how it is so unusual and beautiful, that I had this urge to call up the author and ask her what name she had in her mind!

This book is a complete must read. One of the best books the author wrote.

The book also has a movie based on it. But I haven't seen it so I can't comment on it.

Price: U.S. $7.99

Idli, Orchid and Willpower

Idli, Orchid and Willpower

Author: Vithal Venkatesh Kamat

English version by: Sanjit Narwekar

Published by: Orchid Books.

Synopsis: This inspiring autobiography of Vithal Kamat who relives his journey from the run-of-the-mill corner-store restaurateur to the owner of a unique five-star ecotel: the orchid, mumbai. ‘My journey was complete. This was not a dream. This was a fulfillment of a dream,’ he says.

Excerpt: The Taj wasn’t built in a day! How then could The Orchid be any different? At that time, even the concept of The Orchid was not in my mind. At that time I was merely a restauteur Vithal Kamat! And then, one day at a party, I met the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India…and the roller coaster ride began. No logic to it! At this party, as is my habit, I was networking, trying to meet as many people as possible, chatting with them.

The Governor asked me, “How long would you need to set up a restaurant?”

“If the place is ready, I can set up a restaurant within 24 hours,” I replied confidently.

He laughed and said, “Come and meet me tomorrow and we’ll talk about it.”

The Reserve Bank’s new high-rise had just been completed. The next day I went and met the governor. Many of the departments had still not shifted into the building. In some places work was still going on and in others, there were huge empty spaces. The governor showed me a huge empty space of about 5000 square feet and said, “I want you to start a canteen here. When do you think you can start?”

I replied, “There is light as soon as you switch on a button. That is all it will take to start it.”

He laughed at what he thought was a joke, but for me, it was not a joke. It was a challenge!

My Review: As unique as the name suggests, is the story of vithal kamat. It is the story of a man who would not let failure stand in the was of his dreams. The author’s father, who was his guide throughout, owned a few udpi restaurants in Mumbai. Right from a young age, the author was exposed to the hospitality business. “Atithi devo bhava” or "a guest is like god" was the principle followed in his father’s restaurants. Punctuality was necessary and so was the happiness of the customers. The author took these principles to heart. He was an entrepreneur and even before The Orchid, he had participated in opening and managing quite a few restaurants.

He travelled the world in search of experience and found plenty of it. Like the time when he broke into an instant jig at a food outlet to collect money when he had none, to the time when he rolled out motichoor laddus all through the night.

A collection of all such experiences helped him build ‘The Orchid,’ the first five star ecotel in India! The ups and downs that come with business, betrayal by a loved one, and mistakes one makes in his journey are all portrayed in a very charming and candid manner in this book.

The author does not shirk from admitting his mistakes and nor does he refrain 

from taking credit where it is deserved. The book portrays truth and not for one moment do you think that san incident has been over-stated.

All in all a wonderful book to read on a cozy Saturday afternoon; complete with illustrations and loads of incidents that will make you smile to yourself.

Rating:4 on 5

Price:M.R.P INR 150/-