Book Review: Bhrigu Mahesh, PhD - The Return Of Damayanti

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Title: Bhrigu Mahesh, PhD - The Return Of Damayanti
Author: Nisha Singh
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 450
Publisher: Partridge India

Rating: 3/5


Bhrigu Mahesh, PhD: The Return of Damayanti by Nisha Singh is the second book featuring the detective, Bhrigu Mahesh. I received the book from Blogadda as part of their Book Reviewer's program. Let me summarize the story for you and then we'll get to my thoughts on this one.

Bhrigu Mahesh, an ex policeman but now a private detective, is visited by one Nataraj Bhakti who hails from a village, Krishna Dwar. Bhakti fears that he is being haunted by the spirit of his dead wife, Damayanti. Hence he is at Bhrigu's door for help. Bhrigu and his confidant, Sutte, travel to the village known for its temples and are accommodated at Bhakti's large ancestral home, which is in a pitiable state. The haunting continue but soon a tragedy takes its place. A woman from Bhakti's family is murdered and as Bhrigu and Sutte, along with the help of the local police, track the killer, many shocking revelations come to light. As the case progresses, Bhrigu is not certain if he will be successful in intercepting the perpetrator after all.

Now, to the technicalities of it all. Firstly, the plot of the story is good, commendable in fact. Thoroughly detailed and manages to keep the reader intrigued. There is a 'Flash File' included by the author right at the end which is a bite sized case solved by Bhrigu. A pleasant touch, I must say. Although the story is full of suspense, the pace of it is something that I, personally, am not too happy about. In my opinion, it definitely needs some tweaking as it tends to get a bit slow.

As mentioned before, this is the second book featuring the detective, Bhrigu Mahesh, but it is a standalone and the characters of both Mahesh and Sutte are given enough detailing for first time readers. The prologue makes more sense when you finish the book, so I highly recommend going back to it afterwards. There is a curious ending to the story which indicates there might be a sequel or referred to at some point in future books featuring Bhrigu. Readers can definitely hope for it.

The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 gives you the introduction of the case but it is only in Part 2 that the actual action begins, as one might put it. Part 3 might just end up giving you goosebumps. It dwells into the killer's psychology and the how's and the why's of it all, leading the story to a questionable closure. Curious much? Read the book to find out. All in all, a well executed book.

Personally, I like mysteries/thrillers with Indian settings, they somehow add to the mystique. The duo of Bhrigu and Mahesh compliment each other, much like your Holmes and Watson or Poirot and Hastings combination, if you will. Bhrigu reminded me more of Poirot as he, too, uses the deduction of human psychology to solve his cases.

Although I haven't read the previous book, I can safely say that Bhrigu Mahesh, PhD: The Return of Damayanti is a decent read. Recommended for mystery/thriller lovers.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!