REVIEW OF MURDER BEFORE CARNIVAL BY SAMEER KUMAR

My main intention of reading a mystery novel, the main reason why I love this genre so much is probably the thrilling story that keeps me wondering who the culprit was. 

The blurb is as follows:

When a heinous crime attacks a religious proceeding, the Chief Minister vows to solve the case in 48 hours, only to be betrayed by her own doctrine or was she! 

The state assembly election was due in West Bengal, and the festival of democracy was to inaugurate itself in 60 hours. 

The stakes soared rooftop when a lifeless corpse was found inside an idol during the celebration of Durga Puja. 

The sizzle and chill was observed by all. Aahana, an independent psychologist, was assigned the case in isolation by higher authorities when it was ascertained that the murder was being covered-up internally. 

How deep she can go to exhume the purpose of enormity is for her to decide. 

My Review:

I have no idea why, but I find Murder Mysteries to be very much satisfying. Even though I know that these books are just fiction, I derive great pleasure when the culprit is found and punished. 

There's no thing such a ‘Bad’ mystery books. Because I am of an opinion that even Bad Mystery books are fun to read.

So, when I came across ‘‘Murder before Carnival’’, I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible, irrespective of whether it was going to be a good or a bad book. 

So basically, the story begins from the introduction of Aahana and there's also a brief description given about what the current situation is. Its crazy what we people can make viral, and that reference of ‘Wink Girl’ at the beginning of the book had me laughing so hard. 

Durga Puja or Durgotsava is considered to be a huge festival amongst Indians, especially in the Kolkata and nearby regions. This is a festival of happiness, whereby we worship the Goddess with total devotion and pray for wellness and prosperity. 

So, what happens if something unimaginable, unthinkable happens during this season of festivities? Well, Murder Before Carnival is exactly about that. 

This book was written in a very creative way that was sure to keep everyone guessing until the very end. Also, the ultimatum of finding the culprit in 48 hours gave me Mardaani 2 vibes. 

When politics get involved with the murder, it becomes a total circus and evidences are tampered with. Everyone wants to solve this case and show their superiority. Who really solves this is the one who couldn't /wouldn't be there to take the credit. 

What I loved about this book was that it had ingenious and well contrived sprinklings of clues along the way that brought out the inner detective in me.

It could be seen that author has taken great care and I applaud his efforts for detailing every little, single thing out so as to create a perception. 

Arguably, we all have that feeling when reading a crime novel, which is being faced with a sufficiently difficult situation and yet still being able to jump up and shout “I knew it!” when the final reveal comes around. 

Although that wasn't the case with this book for me as I couldn't guess correctly who the real culprit was until the reveal, yet I enjoyed the guessing game and the build up of anticipation that the author created. 

There's a huge cliffhanger at the end and I am so excited for the next book as I really want to know what has happened to Aahana. 

My Rating:

I would definitely recommend it to all who love a good mystery and want something to read that will force them to think and get involved in the book. I'm going to give this book Five Mystery Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the Author:

Sameer Kumar, 28, is currently pursuing his M.B.A. from I.I.M. Ranchi.

He is a mechanical engineer with three years of experience as a Manager in Tata Steel. Murder Before Carnival is his second novel from his marsupium. 

He treasures long walks and long rides on motorbikes. 

He is a dog-lover but fears cat. However, ironically, he adores the song 'Smelly Cat.' Phoebe Buffay happens to be his favourite character from FRIENDS.

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