Book Review: Inviting Murders

Thrillers have always been a genre of writing I have enjoyed. In fact, I have been a big fan of thrillers as far as movies are concerned. This was the reason I did not think twice before adding Inviting Murders to my collection of books when I came across it in a book shop. After reading the book, all I can say is I am happy that I made the right decision. Inviting Murders is written by Priyanka Nath who has to her credit only a collection of poems till date. For a debutante, she has done a good job. The only aspect of the book that stands out is that the protagonist is a lady detective, something that female Indian English writers always go for. Clichéd, should I say? Inviting Murders is however a start- to- finish read and a highly engaging detective story. It is about a murder that takes place in the midst of a family reunion at the Suri’s and how two private detectives- Charles and Maya- with the help of the local Inspector manage to nab the culprit. As is the case with any good thriller, there are quite a few characters and each of them has a skeleton in the cupboard. This is utterly confusing to the reader and one is not able to guess who the murderer would be even towards the end of the book (at least, I could not) It is the authoritative patriarch Mr. Suri who is killed and you start suspecting everyone- his wife of many years, Asha, who is not happy in general; his oldest son Chirag who has been forced to be his father’s shadow; Chirag’s wife, Aparna, a strong willed woman who resents her father- in- law; his second son, Deepak who is good for nothing or his highly possessive wife Chithra; the youngest son Sagar who is loved by his father but hated by others, the unexpected and mysterious visitor Sheil; Sagar’s erstwhile sweetheart cum Deepak’s ex wife Nita who is an unwelcome guest for the function! Priyanka succeeds in making us believe that each and every character in the plot has a reason to kill Mr. Suri and you are left pulling your hair. In the process, you find it difficult to take a break while reading lest you lose the continuity. The identity of the culprit and the motive behind the murder may disappoint you slightly because one feels it is not motive enough for a murder. That said, a thriller can be considered successful if it holds the reader’s interest from the beginning till end and if we look at Inviting Murders that way, one should say that Priyanka Nath has come up with a good one- thanks to the characterization, the build up of the plot and the simple, lucid language she uses. Highly recommended, this one!