Murder Mystery - the Secret of the Palamu Fort - Book Review

I was attracted to the book, ever since I saw its cover almost 4 months back. At that time book was yet to publish, but the cover was damn good and I just wanted to read it. I would like to thank Author Razi for providing me the review copy in exchange for an honest review. I have read stories based on many states of India, the secret of fort Palamu is my first read on Jharkhand state. So I was excited to read it.

Book Blurb

Someone has risen from the dead and is haunting the sinister ruins of the Palamu Fort, situated in the mystical land of Jharkhand.

A few hundred kilometers from the fort, in the capital city Ranchi, a History Professor of St. Xavier’s college is murdered at his home. The witnesses claim he was killed by a ghost! 

The police is clueless. Inspector Patrick Minj ropes in Detective Robin Horo, who unearths a clue which indicates that the murder has a bloody trail running as far as 350 years in the history of Jharkhand. A poisonous conspiracy was plotted centuries ago in the Kingdom of Palamu that designed the downfall of an empire and forced the king to hide his legacy in the unforgiving and indifferent womb of time. 

The ghost is leaving behind a trail of dead bodies and to solve the case Robin has nothing but an Artifact that is said to have an ancient curse over it and a centuries old riddle that if solved, could lead to an Elixir. 

Witness the conspiracy unfolding that spans 350 years in the making and takes Robin and his companions on a labyrinthine adventure involving deadly secrets, dangerous threats and a lethal encounter with a beast in the jungles of Palamu.

As the title suggests the story is linked with historical references, it even contains a certain portion of historic events. The protagonist of our story is Robin Horo, a private detective, acknowledged by the state's chief minister. Robin is well-known in media. The story started with the murder case, where police came to Robin for consultation. As per police and alibis murder was done by a Ghost. And they cannot work on an entity which didn't exist. Robin readily agreed. His involvement didn't stop further crimes, one more murder happened along with a few more attacks. How will Robin solve the case when everyone except him wanted to avoid further investigation.

On the other side, 350 years back, Raja Medini Ray recruited a boy name Satyabhama in his royal guards. Later on, he gave Satyabhama a task. In current time, the ghost attacking people has same name Satyabhama. Do read the book to know what is the mystery behind the Ghost of Satyabhama.

As mentioned earlier, this is my first read on Jharkhand, so the only strange thing I found was the names of characters. (though they are Indian, I found many of them unheard of) Else the book is as smooth as butter. I have finished it in 3 days (total reading hours less than 6 for 250 pages). Language usage is simple, you won't face vocabulary issues. The plot & suspense is well maintained. You will keep turning pages till the end. Even the climax is wonderfully portrayed.

Along with the story, the author has done a wonderful job of bringing the face of Jharkhand to its readers. Believe it or not, the state is full of natural beauty but ignored by the majority of people. If a movie or series can be planned on this book, it can promote tourism for Jharkhand.

Ratings

1. Cover - 5/5
2. Content - 4.5/5
3. Characters - 4.5/5
4. Concept - 5/5
5. Overall - 4.75/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

BookReview - The Resurrection of Evil by Neelabh Pratap Singh

I would like to thank Neelabh for sending this book review copy and like to thank Sheetal from HaloofBooks for connecting me with Neelabh. The Resurrection of Evil is a fantasy story based on Hindu mythological characters.

Book blurb

When an antique artefact is stolen from National Museum, Delhi, a reckless and stubborn police officer, ACP Aryan, is placed at the helm of the case. Uncovering each layer of the truth, Aryan discovers that the people on the hunt for the artefact are the descendants of those who are found only in the scriptures of Indian mythology- The Asuras.

From the gateway of Lord Vishnu- Haridwar to God's own country- Kerala, from fiery pursuits to narrow escapes, the mystery of the artefact draws Aryan into a lethal maze of vengeance, betrayal and dreadful secrets. With time slipping out of hands like sand, Aryan must unravel the secret motive of his adversaries. Else, this story of Good vs Ancient evil might not end with the victory of Good.

The main protagonist of our story is ACP Aryan. In Delhi, an artifact or ancient time (which was recently excavated a site near Haridwar). When local police tried to capture culprit, things went out of hand and 2-3 constables died on the spot. Being a Mumbai police ACP, he was sent to Delhi for a robbery case to save the image of police. On inquiring about the background of artifact - cauldron multiple mythological stories came out in front of Aryan. Various ancient banished clans were after pot. Many people lost their lives in this fight. The real story behind cauldron was revealed in the climax.

When I started reading first 20-30 pages, I was trying to relate things. Especially, murder case in beginning and turner's capturing event. Things were somewhat complex during this part. I have read more complex stories than this one and I know the best solution would keep reading. So my advice for beginners would be don't give up. It's a good story. 

Things I liked

• Fast-paced story
• Author's imagination
• Use of single fact - Kashyapa's wifes & their sons

Though at some places I found mythological facts jumbled up but that's okay from my point of view. A good fast paced read for young adults. Talking about ratings

1. Cover - 3.5/5
2. Title - 3/5
3. Content - 3.5/5
4. Concept - 3.5/5
5. Characters - 3.5/5
6. Overall - 3.5/5

Book can be found at Amazon

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads