Murder in Amaravati (Book Review)
Murder in Amaravati is a Murder Mystery written by Sharath Komarraju. The book is set in a small Indian village located in Andhra Pradesh – India.
Gist: Padmavati, the village hostess (prostitute), is found murdered inside the village Temple. The priest discovers the body of the woman who is later diagnosed to have been killed due to drowning in fresh water. Is he, the only person who is supposed to have the Temple key, the murderer? Or did the village Sarpanch, the most powerful man in the village and a regular customer of the woman, kill her? There are two more families who have enough motivation to kill her: the postman and a couple who settled in the village recently. The head constable investigating the murder is perplexed: Who killed her and why?
The book starts slowly, developing the characters and unfolding the history of the involved people one by one. Each time the constable determines a solid evidence against someone, he is deterred by circumstances. In the end, he is so sure of the killer and summons all of them to explain his finding, but has he drawn the right conclusion? Will he be outsmarted by the accused?
The author keeps us guessing until the last chapter. Along with the constable, the reader feels sure of having solved the mystery at each level, only to go back to ground zero! I loved this mystery book and I think Sharath should stick to writing in this genre, which he is so good at. It’s a solid, unguessable mystery.
However, Indira’s exposition in the last page is too good to be true. Also, the motive of the killer is not satisfactory. The author introduces situations (money crunch, unnatural death of a loved one) that could have been better motives, but doesn’t use them. I also think the author needs to pick up pace in the beginning and the middle. But mature readers who like to read literary fiction novels written around solid characters will like this.
The mystery is, as I said before, exceptional. Just make sure you read until the end – have some patience and you’ll get the reward. Just try guessing the killer before the last chapter! Actually I guessed, but I changed my mind several times as I neared the end 🙂
Good mystery book written by an Indian author that deserves more exposure. Do read and spread the word.
- You can buy Murder in Amaravati from Flipkart or Amazon.in in India (Disclaimer: These are affiliate links. If you buy the product after clicking on them, I may receive a small commission. Your price will not change.)
Destination Infinity
Wow…sounds fun. I have always loved mysteries. I have never read mysteries by Indian Authors. Time to try it out i guess.
Yes, this is good. Check it out 🙂
Destination Infinity
Unguessable mystery!! Now, that’s how mysteries should be. I love mysteries, where you along with the investigator are busy unearthing the clues and solving the jig-saw puzzles. Will check it out!
Yes, mysteries should be unguessable and the author should take the reader by total surprise in the end, which happens in this book 🙂
Destination Infinity
Well reviewed! Inspiring to read… let see 🙂
Do read if you get some time, it’s good 🙂
Destination Infinity