Hello Book Dragons!
How have you all been doing?
Do you like reading mysteries? What about cozy mysteries with a desi touch? I read A Matrimonial Murder recently and I love how the cozy mystery scene in India is evolving!
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Some people will kill for the perfect match.
Radhi has a new crime to solve. The body of the assistant at Temple Hill’s top matchmaker is found sprawled next to a heavy bronze statue of the Nataraja — the god of dance.
But was she the intended victim or was it her boss, Sarla?
Sarla reckons she’s seen it all. Blissful unions, marriages of convenience, Mr and Mrs Good Enough. Not to mention the bitter unfortunates who never made it down the aisle.
Jealous rivals. Jilted lovers. Jaded rejects. Who among them is angry enough to commit murder?
In the marriage game, everyone has their secrets. And Radhi quickly learns some are more deadly than others.
I finished reading this book early this week and all I can say is it’s been such a long time since I read an Indian cozy mystery this good! 🤌🏼✨
Imagine this: you are a celebrated novelist who has been researching for a book centering around arranged marriages. You visit a famous matrimonial agency in Mumbai BUT it’s a completely different scene there! You are caught up in the drama after one of the employees mysteriously ends up de@d. What would you do?
Something similar happens with the main protagonist, Radhi Zaveri, in this book. Radhi gets tangled up in a murder case when she visits Soul Harmony, an extremely popular matrimonial bureau, in Mumbai. What unfolds thereafter gives us a glimpse of not only the way a matrimonial agency works but also offers a close inspection of the arranged marriage scenario in India.
Sarla Seth, the owner of Soul Harmony, while has received several appreciations from her clients, she has an almost equal clientele base of jealous admirers. Set against the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, the relaxed pacing of the book offers a contrast as if indicating how some crimes are kept hidden under the mundane everyday life.
Aside from the police investigation, Radhi starts inquiring about the people involved in the matrimonial business, including the staff, the astrologers and the clients. She even dedicates her time to rendezvous to learn more about the Temple Hill matrimonial businesses. Through these meetings and discussions, a lot of inconsistencies and foul plays begin to come to light.
But Radhi is not a character who merely serves the purpose of solving the case. We also get a peek into her life. She is riddled with life problems of her own that she needs to address. Through the protagonist of her book, Radhi too begins to start solving the mysteries in her own life. I loved how this development was so cleverly done! Creating a distant protagonist who attempts to solve the case but there’s very little that the readers get to know of her. It’s like reading a story within a story!
There are a lot of characters in this book but each one of them had important roles to play. The vibrant backdrop and the chilling mystery add an eerie atmosphere to the story. The plot is really well-crafted with underlying themes of class prejudices, traditions, behind the time thinking and societal pressure with marriages.
A Matrimonial Murder is deeply layered, and the puzzle pieces are scattered throughout the chapters. If you love murder mysteries or crime thrillers with a desi touch, you absolutely need to read this book! 🦋💖
Get Your Copy of A Matrimonial Murder Here!
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