“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!

சுஜாதாவின் "மீண்டும் ஒரு குற்றம்"

சுஜாதாவின் "மீண்டும் ஒரு குற்றம்" வழக்கறிஞர்கள் கணேஷ்-வசந்த் duo தோன்றும் மற்றுமொரு murder mystery. பிரபல தொழிலதிபர் சிவப்பிரகாசம் என்பவர் கணேஷை தொலைப்பேசியில் அழைத்து தன்னைக் கொலை செய்ய சதி நடக்கிறது எனக் கூறி அவனது உதவியை நாடுகிறார், அரை மணி நேரத்துக்குள் தன்னை வந்து சந்திக்குமாறும் வற்புறுத்துகிறார். கணேஷ்-வசந்த் அங்கே சென்றடைவதற்குள் அவர் கொலை செய்யப்பட்டுக் கிடக்கிறார். தொழில் விரோதம், குடும்பச் சிக்கல், சொத்துரிமை தகராறு என பல குழப்பங்களுக்கு நடுவில் கணேஷ்-வசந்த் இருவரின் investigation துவங்குகிறது. 

ஒரு template murder mystery ஆக துவங்கும் இந்நாவல் ஒரு investigation drama-வாக மாறி பயணிக்கிறது. ஆனால் ஒரு மர்ம நாவலுக்கு தேவையான பரபரப்பு குறைவே. நாவல் நெடுக வரும் ஆபாச வசனங்கள் சாதிப்பது “objectifying women” மட்டுமே, கதையின் ஓட்டத்துக்கு எந்தவித தொடர்பும் இல்லை. ஆங்காங்கே அமையும் அரசியல் வசனங்களில் சுஜாதாவின் ideological stance வெளிப்படுகிறது. 

நாவலின் நீளம் குறைவானதாக இருப்பது சாதகமாக அமைகிறது. எனினும் இந்நாவல் புதிதாக ஏதும் வழங்காத ஒரு highly predictable, done and dusted murder mystery. 

“Rock Paper Scissors” by Alice Feeney

Alice Feeney’s “Rock Paper Scissors” is a psychological thriller set in an eerie chapel that is cut off from the city. A couple in a desperate attempt to save their marriage and patch things up plan a weekend getaway to a secluded place which the wife won in a Christmas raffle. On their arrival, they experience mysterious happenings in and around the chapel that are paranormal in nature. Is there a rational explanation to what they experience? Were they lured in to visit this chapel? What is it that is planned for them?

Adam, a screenwriter who suffers from face blindness and his wife Amelia arrive at the chapel to give a try at renewing their relationship. With secrets at stake which they have hidden from each other and their past catching up with them, they realise that their stay at the chapel is life threatening.

Alice Feeney

The first half of the novel is slow paced with the happenings restricted to a closed atmosphere. The letters written by the wife secretly on each anniversary and hidden from her husband serve  as a nonlinear narrative to the story. Though this narrative occasionally gives the high points, the novel tests your patience for an impending twist which takes long to show up. But, the author drops a banger of a twist after the first half and from then on, there is no looking back. 

The novel is filled with quotes that are superficial and often distracting. There are few knots that are put up early on and left unattended when the story unravels at the end. 

A novel surviving on a sole twist which is genuinely surprising, but one has to sit through a snail paced narration in the first half to experience it. 

Stephen King’s “Mr. Mercedes”

“Mr. Mercedes” is the first of the Bill Hodges trilogy written by Stephen King. Bill Hodges, a retired detective contemplating suicide is pitted against a psychotic killer in a cat and mouse game in this crime thriller. 

The Mercedes killer is “the one that got away” in one of the cases Bill was formerly in charge of - a madman riding a Mercedes runs over a group of job seekers waiting outside a job fair on a foggy morning killing eight and injuring many more. The killer contacts Bill by sending him a letter and inviting him for a chat in a mysterious website. Bill comes out of his suicidal ideation and is bent upon catching this killer who has proved elusive before. 

The killer with his traumatic childhood and an unsettling and complicated relationship with his mother is one intricately written character. On the other hand, Bill Hodges as a retired cop starts off as a well written character but falls flat as the usual over-ambitious detective of mystery novels often driven by personal revenge. Holly as a socially awkward, mentally unstable middle aged woman shines towards the very end especially when the character tries to get into the mind of the Mercedes killer with deductions from her own condition. 

The exchange of messages between Bill and the killer is brilliantly written with enough suspense that keeps us guessing. There are flaws in the way the relationship between the characters are handled and it brings down the grounded nature of this novel. The novel never dips in pace and the scenes unfold seamlessly proving yet again that Stephen King is a master storyteller. 

Hoping the next in this series is even better!