That fixation on revenge, is what makes criminals out of people. Revenge defies logic and distinction between right and wrong. And that is what the new book by Damyanti Biswas, weaves the story around.
The Blue Monsoon by Biswas is second of the series with the Blue Bar being the first. The gruesome murders baffle Arnav Singh Rajput, the senior inspector and lead character of both the novels. Set in the monsoon season of Mumbai when incessant rains not only flood the streets but also make it difficult for police to preserve evidence from being washed away in the downpour.
Dismembered bodies with tantric symbols drawn across them take Arnav on chase. On his radar are a priest, a underworld kingpin, a politician, a celebrity social media influencer whose video channel airs the murders, a transgender and few others with motive, as suspects. Arnav has to balance not only his profession but also his family life with a pregnant wife, a teenage daughter’s fear from the trauma (that she endured in the first book) and well being of his friend’s widow and her children. Arnav leaves no stone un-turned to unearth the culprit, meanwhile protecting his family from anonymous threats.
The story takes twists and turns and springs up surprises … typically Damyanti’s style that the reader who has read her previous two novels will immediately grasp. She weaves words in a tight narrative and makes it intense that the reader is left with no choice other than to turn the page of the book to find out what happens next. Her story begins with ease but then changes tone as culprit remains elusive till the climax of the story.
I have read all three books by Damyanti Biswas and what intrigues me is how well she wraps the culprit in each story and reveals gradually with trail of each suspect leads to other clues and all pieces finally fall into place like an intricate jigsaw puzzle. Like her other books, The Blue Monsoon culprit also surprised me.. I couldn’t guess and that is what makes the story perfect in its narration.
Readers who enjoy thrillers and mystery stories should definitely add Damyanti’s books in their to be read list. Blue Monsoon is one such story that will leave readers wanting for more.
Shoma Abhyankar 