Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Hot Stage - Anita Nair

 Anita's latest, her third in the Borei Gowda series, is set on the outskirts of Bangalore. A rationalist from Dharwad is murdered rather gruesomely and it is up to Borei and his team to uncover the killers. Suspects range from the professor's secretary, his daughter, son-in-law to random people unhappy with his rationalist lectures.



Anita creates a believable world of Borei - his imperfect family, his liaison with Urmila his college sweetheart, his younger colleagues and this part comes alive fully and brings Bangalore to life. The care and research she has taken to make the police procedures authentic shines through - and she strikes the right balance - there's not too much nor too less. Borei as always comes across as an interesting character, someone who has not grown out of college, his ideals, his Bullet, his Old Monk rum. The plot is interesting - haven't heard of such before.

There's a twinge of sadness at the end when Urmila finds her 'agency' - simply because it is the most interesting part of the story. Hopefully she will come back!    

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