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MY REVIEW
I started reading this short book with gusto as the blurb said main character was a budding doc, and it had a murder mystery in it. The cover was also alluring. A woman starting on her walk of life.
A debut by the author, it could have been so much better. Main plot started at 70%. The first 2/3rd described in detail the main character’s life, her looks, her ways of being, and the entire medical course, written in a formal language, not what I would expect in a fiction. I have an oval face and I am attractive was not what I wanted to read in fiction.
Then came her friendships and relationships. And right there was the clincher that sunk the boat for me. Why does this always happen to me? Why me? The poor-me attitude seriously pissed me off. I can cry better than you, girlie, if we are playing the why-me card game. Life happens, move on.
So the prose moved on to the post-graduate work of this main character, who was supposed to have a great memory but apparently the memory got lost midway and she had to struggle to pass her exams. Having done medicine, I knew it was memory and logic applied in studies. So again that left me feeling off.
The international conference happened, and she became friendly with a girl who then died. An investigation ensued, and the international cops were so happy with the pointers she gave them. Her prose had lines actually written in numbering format from here on. Omg!! Even the police murder board and steps to be taken by them were in bullet format.
Emotions were seriously lacking in a book which said it was about love, life, and mystery. The murder and investigation didn’t have an aura of intrigue. Most clues didn’t come across as storytelling but was written as if they were answers to an exam paper.
I went into this thinking it to be a murder mystery but felt sheer disappointment. The author probably was earnest in her attempt, but if I am paying hard-earned money to get the book during times of pandemic, I need my money’s worth.
It is sad that most authors don’t feel the need to research books of the genre to understand what readers of thriller and women’s fiction want in a story. A sheer waste of my time and money.
Why didn’t I DNF, you ask? I kept hoping it would improve. Silly me!!
MY RATING
BOOK LINKS
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AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/3meivCr
BOOK BLURB
Can an unexpected turn of events, including a mystery, guide you towards a sense of purpose in your life?
Mandira Sharma (Mandy) is a recent medical graduate, feeling extremely jubilant that she will no longer have to study diligently for exams and can now start earning. She is not passionate about her residency in internal medicine and feels devoid of a general sense of purpose in life. Currently, her happiness revolves around making new friends and spending time with them, be it at her place of work or outdoor venues.
Her general sense of isolation and disinterest in her medicine residency accentuates when her two close friends go overseas, and someone she loves and cares deeply about decides to part ways.
Trying to cope with the current painful scenario — she navigates through her daily routine devoid of zest or enthusiasm.
During an endocrinology key opinion leader profiling assignment, Mandy meets Latika, a psychology Master’s Student. A friendship develops between the two ladies, stemming from shared interests. Latika invites Mandy to attend a workshop titled “What’s Your Attachment Style,” which piques Mandy’s interest. However, tragedy strikes again, when during a desolate blackout at the workshop venue, two attendees find Latika’s body floating in a pool on the premises. Inspector Geetika and her team launch an investigation into the crime’s motive and modus operandi, and the cohort of meeting attendees, including Mandy, come under the lens of suspicion.
Mandy confronts the grief of yet another loss. She decides to endeavor to assist the inspector in unraveling the solution to the mystery and bringing her friend’s killer to justice.
BOOK DETAILS
Publication Date: 2021
I downloaded the digital version of the book from an online retail, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
All my reviews can be found here.
3 Responses
“I can cry better than you, girlie,” had me smirking – I adore you!
UGH! a most serious disappointment. sorry, Shalini, i know you don’t have neither time nor money to spend needlessly.
Oops, that was couple of hours lost, isn’t it?