Book Review: Murder in Paharganj by Kulpreet Yadav

Kulpreet Yadav is a writer to watch out for in the thriller genre in India. Having loved his previous work featuring Andy Karan, I was immediately keen to review the book ‘Murder in Paharganj’. The title itself is enticing enough to pick up the book, and the story does not disappoint either.

The novel opens with the murder of a foreign national, Sherry Bing, in a shady hotel in Paharganj.  Vicky Menon, a former reporter who has been fired from his job because of his drinking problems, is called to the crime scene by the hotel owner.

As Vicky gets embroiled in the mystery surrounding the murder, we are also introduced to Jamie, alias Jalaluddin, who is the real murderer. He is absconding in Udaipur, and is advised to escape to Bangkok by his bosses. He must also eliminate Vicky, in order to ensure his own survival.

‘Murder in Paharganj’ has all the elements that make a good crime thriller. The writing is simple, the plot is full of twists and the narrative is pacy. The author ensures that you do not lose interest in the plot midway. However, Kulpreet Yadav could have trimmed it down by at least 50 pages to make the reading more crisp.

The main problem with this book is that it gets predictable as the plot reaches the climax. After the initial excitement reaches a crescendo, the thrill quotient slacks as the pages progress. This becomes more apparent as the book abruptly ends. It seemed the author suddenly woke up one morning and decided to write the final chapter.

The hurried ending and the extra flab apart, ‘Murder in Paharganj’ is a breezy read. A perfect company for a lazy weekend, the book makes for a light read on a long flight, too.

My Rating: 3/5 stars

P.S. This review is part of Flipkart’s Bloggers’ Affiliate Programme

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