Book details
Title –
A Useful Death
Author –Sriram
Chellapilla
Genre – Fiction
Publisher – Westland
No of pages – 416
Main characters – Partha, Seema, Harish, Varaprasad, Mohan Krishna
Other characters – Student Union Leaders, Prof. Hussain, etc.
Blurb from the book
Aspiring actress Priya
is dead. It’s a suicide, and rumor has it that Anil, son of a politician and
former Telugu-movie superstar Mohan Krishna, drove her to it. Just another
film-industry scandal? Or something bigger, much bigger?
Partha, hired by Mohan
Krishna’s family to handle the crisis, thinks so. Why won’t such a powerful
father defend his son, Partha wonders? Is there an intra-family war? Whose
interests are playing out in the media and on social media? Is a political game
afoot or is this all connected to Mohan Krishna’s own dubious past? And why are
student unions getting involved?
Book Review
The book opens with
the scene of aspiring actress Priya’s suicide (at least it looks like though)
but it takes you to enjoy the ride full of twists and turns. The author has
taken a lot of effort to make each chapter interesting by giving vivid
descriptions of various events. Priya is dead and Partha (Former journalist) is
approached by Mohan Krishna’s family to help them solve the mystery of her
death as their son is accused of murder. Now, Partha, Seema, and Harish are
trying to solve this puzzle with their various tricks. Till the end of this
book, you are forced to think who could be the culprit. The author has
successfully maintained the curiosity of the murder as you keep questioning
yourself about the murderer.
You doubt the
intention of each character from this story like Varaprasad’s sudden
disappearance from the crime scene, student union leaders’ strange behavior and
reaction towards Priya’s death or whether Partha and his team are genuine
enough to unravel the mystery or are they trying to cover up for Mohan
Krishna’s family.
You will be
entertained with every new twist in the story as you move on to the next
chapter. A crime thriller from an Indian author brings a fresh breath of air in
Indian literature!
The Best Part
The angle of the story
is not something new but it is highly entertaining as the author keeps you hooked
with his twists and turns.
The Not-So-Good Part
Very lengthy,
unnecessary descriptions can be a turn off for readers!
The Writing Style
The language is simple
and uncomplicated. Any reader can easily connect with the story.
The Book Cover & the Title
The title justifies
the story. However, the book cover could have been more appealing.
Rating
4/5
Recommendable to those who enjoy reading crime thrillers!
