“The Inmate” by Freida McFadden

Freida McFadden’s “The Inmate” is a psychological thriller that revolves around Brooke Sullivan, a nurse practitioner appointed in the medical ward of a prison where she is forced to revisit her traumatic past when she encounters an inmate. The inmate Shane Nelson against whom Brooke testified in court is in prison for a series of murders involving their friends and school mates. When she meets Shane in prison after ten long years, she is forced to relive the one incident which she had had nightmares about over the past many years. But, was there something amiss in her testimony against Shane? Is Shane the real killer? 

The novel starts off with this interesting premise and travels back and forth in the timeline with non-linear narration. The twists keep coming every now and then, but the novel is tad too predictable for the most part. The novel solely rests on the mystery of that one incident which the author somehow manages to keep it under wraps until the very end. But, the unravelling of mystery is not set up in stages. The twist at the end throws us off guard but doesn’t settle well mainly because there is no strong backstory or establishment anywhere in the novel to justify it. 

With a weak protagonist who is dumb more than naive, a wafer thin suspense and a force fitted climax, this novel doesn’t hit the right chord! 

"சுபா"வின் "இரவோடு இரவாக"

எழுத்தாளர்கள் சுரேஷ்-பாலகிருஷ்ணன் இருவரும் "சுபா" எனும் புனைப்பெயரில் நாவல்களும், திரைப்பட திரைக்கதை மற்றும் வசனங்களும் எழுதியுள்ளனர். அயன், கோ, தனி ஒருவன் போன்ற ஹிட் திரைப்படங்களில் பணியாற்றியுள்ளனர். 

இவர்களது "இரவோடு இரவாக" ஒரு serial murder mystery ஆக ஆரம்பிக்கிறது. கிழக்கு கடற்கரை சாலையில் இளம்பெண்கள் அடுத்தடுத்து கொடூரமான முறையில் கொல்லப்படுகின்றனர். இவர்கள் சமீபத்தில் தான் காதலிக்க ஆரம்பித்திருக்கிறார்கள். கொல்லப்பட்ட பெண்கள் அனைவரின் தந்தையும் அரசு அதிகாரியாகவோ, மந்திரியாகவோ இருக்கின்றனர். இந்த தொடர் கொலைகளில் ஒரு pattern and signature இருப்பதால் போலீஸ் ஒரு serial killer-ஐ தேடுகின்றனர்.

 

சுபாவின் detective duo நரேந்திரன் - வைஜயந்தி இந்த investigation-ல் involve ஆகும் சூழல் ஏற்படுகிறது. இவர்கள் தேடுவது ஒரு psycho கொலைகாரனா? அடுத்த கொலை நிகழும் முன் அவனது mask அவிழுமா? இப்படி ஒரு template serial murder mystery ஆக இந்நாவல் நகர்ந்தும், அதன் treatment-ல் பரபரப்புக்கு பஞ்சமில்லை. ஆங்காங்கே சில twists திணிக்கப்பட்டிருந்தாலும், வேகம் குறையாமல் கதை நகர்கிறது. 

Pre-climaxல் கதையின் ஓட்டத்தை வைத்து வலுவான backstory இல்லாத சாதாரண mystery நாவலென brand செய்வதற்குள் climaxல் வரும் எதிர்பாராத convincing twist நாவலை காப்பாற்றுகிறது. Cheesy scenes-ஐ தவிர்த்து ஒரு good mystery novel. 

“Rage of Angels” by Sidney Sheldon

“Rage of Angels” is an epic saga that revolves around Jennifer Parker’s journey from a nervous and amateur lawyer fresh out of law school to the most sought after defense attorney. The novel starts off with Jennifer being setup in an act of intimidation of the key witness in a trial against a ruthless mafia kingpin Mike Moretti. With the case being the talk of the town, Jennifer’s career comes crashing down before it even kicked off. 

The novel doesn’t waste time and plunges into a captivating narrative right from the first page. The state prosecutor in Mike Moretti’s case holds a grudge against her for blowing off an airtight case he had put up. Jennifer struggles to find her ground in the profession she wanted to shine in. 

From then on, the novel shifts into a series of tense courtroom episodes that are nothing short of brilliance. There is also a poignant love story in between involving Jennifer and Adam, an attorney who might run for senator and eventually the president of United States. Meanwhile, Moretti also watches the growing success of Jennifer, a fierce, street-smart and independent woman. 

Sidney Sheldon yet again proves that he is a master story teller. The novel stands out in not portraying the actions of the protagonists and key characters against any moral yardstick. The  characters have their own flaws and sometimes repent for their actions and Sidney never keeps them within moral boundaries which brings out the human nature. Though the novel has some redundant courtroom scenes that deviate from the main plot, the novel stays afloat with interesting twists even in the subplots. The climax falls flat in an otherwise engrossing thriller.

A tale of romance and betrayal, a tale of animosity and revenge, a tale of unimaginable power and authority - all three intertwine in this novel to make it a compelling page turner!

ராஜேஷ்குமாரின் "மின்னலாய் வா விவேக்"

ராஜேஷ்குமாரின் விவேக்-விஷ்ணு துப்பறியும் நாவல்கள் வரிசையில் மற்றுமொரு investigative thriller "மின்னலாய் வா விவேக்". உளவுத்துறை டைரக்டரைத் தேடி உளவுத்துறை அலுவலகத்தினுள் நுழையும் ஒரு பெண் நிருபர், அவரை சந்திக்கும் முன் poison செய்யப்படுகிறாள். அவள் இறக்கும் தருவாயில் சில எழுத்துக்களை சொல்லிவிட்டு மடிகிறாள். அதே சமயத்தில் இன்னொரு கர்ப்பிணிப் பெண்ணை கொலை செய்ய பலமுறை முயற்சி செய்கிறார்கள். இருவருக்கும் என்ன சம்பந்தம், இந்த கொலை முயற்சிகளுக்கு காரணம் என்ன என்பதை விவேக் - விஷ்ணு துப்பறிய முயல்கின்றனர். இன்னொரு உயிர் பலியாவதற்குள் கொலையாளி அடையாளம் காணப்படுவானா?

Rajeshkumar

Murder mystery ஆக துவங்கும் இந்நாவல் ஒரு conspiracy thriller ஆக மாறுகிறது. இறந்து போன பெண் நிருபர் உச்சரித்த எழுத்துகளின் பின்னணியில் உள்ள மர்மத்தை, ஒரு wafer thin suspense-ஐ வைத்து கதை நகர்கிறது. இதை சுற்றி பல திருப்பங்கள் இருந்தும் கதை consistent high points இல்லாமல் flat ஆக பயணிக்கிறது. நாவலின் நடுவே வரும் tidbits போன்ற சம்பந்தமில்லா செய்திகள் கதையின் வேகத்தை மேலும் குறைக்கின்றன. மேலும் தீவிரவாதம், பாக்கிஸ்தான் அமைப்பின் சதி என stereotyping நாவல் நெடுக பரவியிருக்கிறது.

ராஜேஷ்குமாரின் "மின்னலாய் வா விவேக்" தலைப்புக்கு நியாயம் செய்யாத ஒரு mediocre attempt.

“Thirteen” by Steve Cavanagh

“Thirteen” by Steve Cavanagh is another legal thriller in the Eddie Flynn series. Bobby, a rising Hollywood star is accused of murdering his wife Ariella and his chief of security. Ariella, also being an actress, the murder trial is high-profile and has enough media attention. With all evidence stacked up against Bobby, a con-man turned lawyer Eddie Flynn is pulled in as the defense attorney. As Eddie starts investigating along with his ex-FBI friend, they uncover the possibility of a serial killer being linked to the murder. 

A serial killer infiltrating the jury in the murder trial to watch the proceedings against a man he framed - this is one hell of a premise!

The novel has consistent high points keeping the readers guessing. With genuine twists revealed at the right time, the novel is fast paced. The final twist about the serial killer’s connections is the only one that doesn’t fit well. The narration with dual perspectives from the protagonist and from the antagonist makes it even more gripping. 

Eddie’s character as a street smart lawyer who carries some burden of guilt from his past and at the same time yearns for a future with his wife and daughter is well etched. The serial killer’s motive behind the killings and his manipulative moves against FBI to be always one step ahead and eluding capture are brilliantly portrayed. 

Steve Cavanagh

An intriguing legal thriller with a novel premise that never dips in pace! Highly recommended!

“The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka

“The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka is a novella about a salesman Gregor who one morning wakes up and finds himself transformed into a venomous bug. His present situation of being confined to his room is contrasting to his nature of work as a salesman that demanded a lot of travel. The novella dwells deep into Gregor’s relationship with his family, his state of helplessness and lack of respite and the unending struggles with the uncertainty of life.

The novella has a melancholic tone throughout, but is laced with metaphors to convey a tale of a person’s descent into despair, fear of going insignificant in his monotonous job routine, his family’s wait for redemption and the inevitability of “moving on” in life. 

Despite the narration being slow paced, the novella portrays a brilliant tale about human relationships and the uncertainty of life. 

“The Pram” by Joe Hill

“The Pram” by Joe Hill is a story that is part of Amazon’s Creature Feature Collection which features spooky tales from various authors. The story is about a couple Willy and Marianne who went through a depressive episode after Marianne experienced a miscarriage. They decide to relocate from Brooklyn for change in environment. They move into a farmhouse in Hobomeck, a small town in Maine. 

Willy finds a lonesome bridle path near the farmhouse that connects to the supermarket. When the local man from the supermarket loans him a baby carriage to take home the groceries, things turn sinister. He strolls through the bridle path pushing the baby carriage around and starts to hear cooing noises coming from it. Is he hallucinating or is he experiencing some paranormal activity?

Willy had bottled up the resentment he had felt after the tragic incident and doesn’t express it for fear of doing so will seem selfish on his part. But, once he starts to like the stroll through the bridle path just to hear the cooing noises of a baby from the pram, he realises that he was hurt by the loss of their unborn baby more than he thought. Marianne, on the other hand suffers from the guilt and she wants to patch things up in their married life. Though Willy is the primary character and the story revolves around his desperation to have a baby, Marianne’s character is more relatable. 

Joe Hill

The story starts off slow with spooky descriptions of the atmosphere. But, it has a solid premise that keeps it alive. There is also a religious sacrament angle built into the story that blends well to suggest how religious rituals feed into people’s fear and grief. The analogy with Willy’s descent into depression and his stroll through the eerie bridle path with a fitting end in the climax is interesting. But, the unsettling climactic end with gory events that unfold doesn’t sit well.