Review: One Arranged Murder

One Arranged Murder by Chetan Bhagat
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hooter: An Agatha Christie whodunnit with ample helpings of desi tadka.

Chetan Bhagat isn't a literary genius but he knows the pulse of the average Indian aspiring to be part of the English literature milieu. His books while sticking to simple English are always filled with relatable Indian places and concepts starting from his Five Point Someone. This makes his book fast and light reads - sort of like watching sitcoms on TV, you don't walk away with anything new but that was never the plan.

This is him trying his hand at whodunnit murder mysteries as a series focusing on Keshav and Saurabh, this time including Saurabh's fiance Prerna in the mix. Without giving much away if you are looking for a quick read on a lazy Saturday afternoon, you can go about sleuthing but like any Agatha Christie book, expect some twists and turns. I figured the culprit somewhere in the middle of the book, but only got the reason partially as CB threw a few more twists and turns to the mix. He does pretty well on this front and being an Agatha Christie fan, I feel he's done well for himself in attempting that genre. He's also made sure there is enough content for a Bollywood director to feel inspired and convert this onto the big screen with a joint family setting where everyone has a shady past and is suspect. Obviously there is a lot of drama added in the setting of locales around Delhi.

What I am completely clueless about though is the emphasis on weight of some of the characters in the book with repeated references. If he was trying to increase the humour quotient, totally backfired with these juvenile and regressive jokes. There are other ways to make the protagonist unlikeable if that was what he was trying to get at.

Overall, if you need a quick breezy mindless read while waiting for your flight at the airport, this is the book for you.





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