Book Review
Genre: Thriller
Blurb: (Courtesy: GoodReads)
Finders, Keepers. Losers,
Weepers
Two men are murdered in
settings which speak volumes of involvement of some sacred cynicism. A
psycho-killer on the loose? Or is this the beginning of something much more
grave and dangerous?
Spread across the length and breadth of the entire Indian subcontinent, read the mystery as it unravels with the duo travelling from one corner of the country to another searching for the signs.
This is the tale of how Deputy
Director, I.B., Shoumik Haldar and celebrated author Ishan Vajpayee exercise
all their tools of conventional and unconventional deduction to solve the puzzles
thrown across by the enemy, yet unrevealed.
Intertwined intensely with the
opulent mythological tales and specimens attributing to the rich cultural
heritage of India, the story depicts the resurgence of a dormant historical
sect, which attacks the very foundations of one of the most powerful and
secreted organizations of all times.
Spread across the length and breadth of the entire Indian subcontinent, read the mystery as it unravels with the duo travelling from one corner of the country to another searching for the signs.
My Review:
Finders and Keepers is an out
and out thriller set in the present times, expertly interwoven with the tales
from Indian mythology, beliefs, and a secret society flourishing since hundreds
of years. The fictional elements in the story are narrated in the same vein as
Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code or Ashwin Sanghi’s Rozabel Line. The author has done extensive
research on Indian scriptures, Vedas and has come up with a mind-blowing tale
riddled with puzzles and clues spanning Nepal, India and Sri Lanka.
The story starts with a
gruesome murder of professor Antriksh Verma amidst chanting of Vedic Mantras in
Allahabad. In Calcutta the guards of the ‘Library of the Asiatic Society’ are
found unconscious with their eyes and ears punctured and the tongue cut. In
Srikakulum, Optical Scientist Venkat Krishna is murdered with the similar modus
operandi as Prof. Verma.
Deputy Director I.B. Shoumik
Haldar is brought in to investigate the murder of these high profile people and
is let into the secret of a powerful organization. The evidence, embroiled in
mythology, throws him into deep end and he is forced to bring in Ishan Vajpayee
a renowned author, an expert on mythology, into the net of investigations.
Slowly it becomes a quest for
Shoumik and Ishan to not only find the murderer but also to find the wealth of
information, in the form of books, left by the members of the secret
organization. But the murderer is always one step ahead of them till they
immerse themselves deep into the maze of mythology, and understand the conflicts
between Shiva and Vishnu, their avatars and leela.
I would like to applaud the
sheer hard work and thoroughness with which the author has drawn the parallel
between Shaivas and Vaishyas, and of assessing the greatness of two Gods,
Vishnu and Shiva. The clues, hints and the way he takes us from knowing nothing
to finally tracking the killers and the mastermind behind, is fantastic.
Coming to the characters;
Markandey and Pradhan are perfect for the story, though I was a little
disappointed with Shoumik and Ishan’s characterization. They seem to come out
from the same mold. There was no distinction in their portrayal. At times it
was difficult to follow the long descriptive conversations due to lack of
dialogue tags.
Another problem which I
encountered was lack of scene breaks, which broke the immersion in the book. I
had to go back and forth for getting the hang of the place and characters
between the two scenes. However, what really made reading the story difficult
was below par developmental edits and language editing. The story could have
been crisper if the mythological tales were shortened, some of them were
repeated, and there are several language goof-ups throughout the book. This is
not something the author can be held responsible for, that too in a debut book,
but they are impossible to ignore.
However, the author's talent
and potential are obvious. Since I love Indian mythology I will definitely look
forward to other books from Sapan Saxena.
Verdict: Recommended for readers who love mythology and whodunits, great combination.
Plot and Storyline: 4 Stars
Language and editing: 2 Stars
Disclaimer: I received a free paperback verions of the book from the author for my honest review.
Disclaimer: I received a free paperback verions of the book from the author for my honest review.
About the Author
Brought up in the city of
Nawabs, Lucknow, Sapan did B. Tech in Information & Technology from Motilal
Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad.
He started taking interest in
writing on various spiritual and mythological subjects during his college days
and his work found place in leading newspapers on many occasions. His
profession is engineering but writing is his passion. He connects and finds
links of modernization with mythology having keen interest in the same.
Sapan married in the year 2011
and is now the proud father of a toddler. A responsible father, a loving
husband, a supportive brother and a caring son, Sapan generates time to write.
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