Book Review: The Grand Oxford Mystery

 

The Grand Oxford Mystery 
by Manjiri Prabhu
312 pages, Comm Dot Media Publishing
Genre :  Destination Thriller


How did Oxford get its name? What is a letter locker? What is the Oxford Mystery and why does it have to be solved in Oxford right away if no one is to die? These questions and more are asked and answered by author Dr. Manjiri Prabhu in her destination thriller, "The Grand Oxford Mystery"

Emma is a tourist guide at Oxford. She works part time for Paul, an elderly novelist  who dictates chapters to her which she types and takes print outs. Something is strange about Paul. He has a pet dog which he refuses to feed. He  pays Emma not just to take down his dictation, give him printouts of  his novel but also Emma feed the dog which she does happily. Then one fine day, Emma arrives to find Paul had committed suicide but why? 

Re Parkar, an investigative journalist has a horrific vision of his sister in flames. So he arrives at Oxford, so his mother Maria can reassure him. There he gets to meet his mother's friend Professor Jeffery. Emma is the niece of professor Jeffrey. Re and Emma team up when Jeffrey receives a note stating that something horrible is going to happen at the Oxford award ceremony the next day. They have 28 hours and the note is from Paul who is dead.  The novella itself is the clue and the eight chapters are scattered across Oxford. Will they be able to solve the mystery on time and stop a catastrophe from happening?  

The author's admiration for Oxford University comes through as she takes you across Oxford with her descriptions as the protagonists look for clues.The writing flows well keeping the reader guessing. Some readers will try to solve the puzzle before the protagonists do. The pace is staccato in the beginning and becomes almost breakneck as it reaches the end. So be prepared for a roller coaster ride.  This is a mystery set inside a thriller. 

For writers and authors, each chapter will make you ponder about your own writing life. For others, this is a mind game  book with  each chapter set as a maze - what is Paul up to and why was his plan to threaten from the grave? Isn't it unusual ?  Have fun reading this book. 

You can buy it here Amazon

Book Review of Shattered Peace : A Century of Silence

 

Shattered Peace : A Century of Silence 
by Julie McDonald Zander
Genre: Historical Fiction
292 pages, St. Helens Press

"Let’s pray the tragedy that unfolded on the streets of Centralia in November 1919 are never forgotten ... and more importantly, never repeated." - Julie McDonald Zander


Colleen Holmes's grandma gifts her the family home in Centralia, Washington state. Colleen is a war veteran who lives with nightmares of the Iraqi war and struggles through it. While she accepts the gift and moves to Washington State from Colorado, she decides the two story house is too big and decides to redo the top floor. In the process, she finds the diary of her great great grandmother Bridget.

Zipping back to the first world war and its aftermath in America to the present day USA seamlessly,  the author zeroes in on what is a little known incident to the outside world and probably to many young  Americans themselves - the friction between Industrial Workers of the World ( IWW) who demanded better wages, working conditions and reasonable working hours for all American labourers. The IWW wanted to form a single union for all labourers. One of  IWW's most important contributions to the labor movement and broader push of social justice was that, when founded, it was the only American union to welcome all workers, including women, immigrants, African Americans and Asians, into the same organization. They had no beef with the American veterans from WW1. The friction was ignited by the IWW members questioning why young Americans need to be sent abroad to die in foreign countries while the American vets feel they are belittled on hearing this. The politics of this leads to a clash in Centralia, Washington which led to deaths. Who were the other players who benefited from this friction by calling members of the IWW as communists and radicals, I will leave the reader to find out.  How Colleen's story and her great-great grandfather's story are so similar is amazing. 

The writing is amazing, crisp and well paced. It makes the reader wonder why even after 100 years, young Americans are still being sent to fight foreign wars and those who return alive, live with PTSD in USA today and feel unappreciated is still going on.  This is an important book to read. 

Do buy it here -Amazon

Book Review : Crime Songs

Crime Songs
Edited by Sean O'Leary
Close to the Bone Publishing, 2025
Genre: Fiction

This is a novel attempt as this is an anthology of crime stories inspired from rock or pop songs. The editor Sean O'Leary has done a stellar job of compiling the short stories on crime ranging from theft to murder.All the 16 authors have named their short stories after title of their favourite song.

Many readers may not be familiar with some of the songs but with the internet, you will be able to find all of them.So be prepared to listen to the songs before you read the stories.It gives you a better understanding of why certain car models or dialogues are used. At least, that is how I read it. It was fun too as being a writer, I needed to know the lyrics of the original song before I read the short story.  It is nice both the title and the band are mentioned. 

Some crime writers have literally written the story from the lyrics of the song while others do an interpretation of the lyrics. Some have just taken the title and made up their own stories. Maybe it is just me but I felt "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones was almost like reading about the Epstein case that I ended up searching for Epstein's family. The proper whodunit was "Right Place, Wrong Time" and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

The best way to read this book is to have the song play in the background. It is up to the reader - you can always read it without knowing the song. That would also work too. 

You can read this book in any order as it an anthology. The style varies with each short story as they are written by different award winning authors.The writing flows well but you will definitely end up with some favorites.
I think it would have been nice if someone had chosen "Bohemian Rhapsody"and "Every Step You Take" and wrote a story based on it but that is just me!

If you like songs and reading short stories about crime - anything from theft to murder, this book is definitely for you. 

You can buy the book  here Amazon

Book Review : The Case of the Missing Turtles

 

The Case of the Missing Turtles
Mallika Ravikumar
Speaking Tiger Books, 2024
Genre : Children's Fiction


This is the second book in the M4 series. If the first was a crime thriller, this one is an environmental thriller as the title suggests.

Mirchi is approached by Shimplya whose father has been arrested for smuggling turtles by the police. Strangely enough, someone has planted a bag full of river turtles on his boat while the fisherman only ventures out to the sea to catch fish. So who has done it becomes a case for the M4 to solve. 

Step in NGOs that protect wildlife, the M4 and the readers are schooled on which are protected wild life and which are not in India,the Asian wildlife smuggling network and how children are used in it. As the M4 investigate pet shops, they are shocked by how easily the pet shop owners are able to access protected wildlife 

The writing is crisp, fast paced and provides awareness of wildlife law in India. It also provides awareness about police arrests and the legal procedure for getting bail. 

While there is a happy ending, it shocks  the reader how commonplace wild life smuggling is in India.   

To buy the book go here Speaking Tiger Books

Book review: A Kind of Hush by JoDee Neathery

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal but love leaves a memory no one can steal.” - A Kind of Hush

Wow was all I could say when I finished this unique book. 

Griff, the elder son of the Mackie family dies. Three years later, the mother dies in a freak accident that almost kills the father and the daughter. The only one left is Gabe - the seven-year-old baby brother. How do you cope with grief? Gabe shows the way. Summer, the mother is three months pregnant when she dies. Just when you think, this book is going to be about how a family copes with grief when a family member dies, the police investigate the accidental death of Summer, a social worker who helps sexual assault victims, especially children. This changes the genre to a mystery novel. While the suspect is at large, the reader is left to wonder - who did it and why? 

Zigzagging from Buffalo, New York where Summer dies to Big Bend, Texas, the author holds you mesmerized and there is never a dull moment. Most often in a mystery, the narrative is forced but this one just flows, filled with insight. While there are twists and turns throughout the story which makes the reader anxious at times for the children, it is balanced by humor. I couldn't stop grinning when I read "Einstein’s special theory of relativity is easier to grasp than a teenage girl."  The line on sexual assault was particularly insightful when one of the sexual assault victims says at Summer's funeral, "She told us our bodies were crime scenes …  just like those surrounded by yellow tape …  holding key pieces of evidence of a crime committed and she would find the truth. Mrs. Mackie said that truth would heal our internal wounds, the scars would be symbols of a fight won as we move the blame elsewhere. She gave us all a reason to believe our lives were just beginning ... not ending"

The story is about life in general and how small things can prejudice our views of people. It also shows how cops make mistakes and how they are humane too through her characters, Conner and Warren. When you buy the book, have markers handy as you will end up highlighting multiple lines in the book.

The writing style is interesting as the author mixes history of USA without interrupting the narrative.  It is crisp and a page turner. It is both utterly heartbreaking and uplifting, giving us hope.

A Kind of Hush is a book one has to definitely read in our lifetime. 

You can buy it here   Amazon

Book review : The Case of the Vanishing Gods

 

The Case of the Vanishing Gods 
by Mallika Ravikumar
Speaking Tiger Books, 2023
Genre: Children Fiction.

When a robbery takes place in an apartment complex in Maulsari and the police are left clueless, Malhar and his elder sister Meera, think this would be a better way to spend their summer holidays solving the mystery. Mirchi and Munna join them and the M4 is born. However, they are dragged into not just the robbery but a much larger mystery which involves international idol smuggling. Are the children able to crack this case? This is the first book in the M4 series. 

If you enjoyed reading Famous Five, Five Find-Outers as a kid or Perry Mason as a young adult, then this merges both. It also introduces you to the difference between criminal and civil offense and multiple legal terms for children and adults as a part of the narrative. Same thing goes for police procedure. Since most Indians are unaware about correct police procedure and legal procedures as it is not taught in schools, this would be a good book for all. It also shows how people suspected of crime are treated by Indian police especially if they are poor and why it is important to be aware of the law. 

The writing is clear, crisp and will hold the attention of anyone. If you are looking for a good book for your kids as neither Famous Five nor Harry Potter doesn't hold their attention, this book has the right balance of both mystery and law.  The author is a lawyer and keeps the narrative both engaging and educates the reader in police procedure. She is India's own Enid Blyton and Erle Stanley Gardner combined.  

If the "In the Name of God" by Ravi Subramanian was for adults, this one is for children, though it has enough legal information for adults too. 

To buy the book go here  Speaking Tigers 

 

 

Book Review : The Bangkok Girl

 

The Bangkok Girl 
by 
Sean O'Leary
Level Best Books, 2025
Genre: Fiction


Lee Jenson is a schizophrenic Australian private investigator living in Bangkok, Thailand. He is hired by an Australian family to find their missing daughter Zoe who disappeared in Bangkok. When Jenson accepts the case, the reader is in for a surprise.  As Jenson acts like a pit-bull with a never give up attitude, he is forced to go against the sex trafficking ring in Thailand, the Yakuza -Japanese mafia and the international network of sex traffickers who use drugs to keep the girls into the business. Does he find Zoe ? Does he fall in love? Who is the Bangkok girl?

Zipping across Bangkok, Tokyo and Hong Kong, effortlessly, the story is told realistically and without judgement. How do tourists become sex slaves? Is it ignorance or something else? It is a strange narrative that there is no exaggeration and you feel almost resigned to the fate of the girls trafficked except the protagonist doesn't give up. Lee is one heck of a character and keeps making you read. 

O'Leary narrative style is clean, the writing crisp and well paced as he takes you on a ride filled with twists, turns and surprises. If you want to know who the Bangkok girl is, read the book to find out. 

To buy the book, get it here Amazon







 

Book review : NeverEnd by Blake Rudman

 

NeverEnd 
by 
Blake Rudman
HellBound Books, 2025
Genre: Fiction 


I have read many novels but the prologue of this one was so shocking that it pulls the reader in and keeps them reading the book. Nothing is predictable as all of it comes as a surprise. 

Dr. Jon Edom leaves a medical conference on the relation between violence in society and addictive online gaming  only to reach home to find his wife Rochelle and his two young sons, Luke and Paul  have disappeared into thin air. When he files the complaint, the police suspect Jon though he was miles away during the disappearance. That there are no corpses is puzzling. Step in Rochelle's family who run a cult thanks to Rochelle programming a violent addictive game which brings them loads of money. Then there are the  enemies of the cult, and with biblical references, you are in for a ride. 

An addictive role playing game. This book reminded me of "Blue Whale" game which made adults do crazy things in real life until it was banned by multiple governments. It also shows the danger of priming in the police department that destroys objective investigation. Priming is  a social psychological term which means focusing on something/someone because that is what has been made prominent. But is the story just about that, absolutely not.

Rudman gives a masterclass in writing - how to create tension and terror with simple characterization. He creates chaos without usual terror tricks like spirits and gore as the reader is pulled into the story with its ever increasing tension. As a reader, you know something is off  from the beginning but you are not left to ponder what it could be as the next piece of chaos is thrown in. You watch characters unravel at a speed that leaves you dazed and the end is a zinger, though it is not the end. The writing is so crisp and visual that you feel you are seated next to Dr. Jon Edom. 

If you are in the mood for a dark thriller page turner, this book would be it.

You can buy the book here  on Amazon 

Book Review : Elegance and Evil - a fab weekend read

 

Elegance and Evil
by DK Coutant
The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Fiction

Cleo Cooper is on a sabbatical in Santa Fe. She misses her home in Hawaii but is shocked to learn that one of the volcanoes have erupted and many of her friends are affected there.. Then one of her acquaintances in Santa Fe, Ginger, is found dead in the desert. The death is by heat stroke according to the police but is it?

The suspects range from the son of a Russian spy to a Saudi Arabian woman who works with abused women in a Center run by Ginger and her.While the FBI is on the case, Cleo Cooper does her own investigation. The moment she begins to investigate, someone tries to kill her. It is not just once multiple attempts are made to kill her but why?

Zipping between Hawaii and Santa Fe, the author ensures logic drives the narrative instead of common prejudice against a particular nationality in a mystery thriller. It was refreshing to read and I learnt in the end, the author is also a geopolitical forecaster. No wonder. 

The writing is crisp, fast paced. It would be the perfect read if you wish to curl up with a book for the weekend. 

To buy the book , go here Amazon



 

Book Review : Oliver's Travels by Clifford Garstang

 

Oliver's Travels
by Clifford Garstang
302 pages, Regal House Publishing.
Genre : Fiction


"To find what you’re looking for, you have to know what you’re looking for" - Oliver Travels.


What is memory? If we forget someone or something, where does the memory of the person or incident go? What is the watchmaker argument? Why is belief not knowledge and where is truth in all of this? Is charity a myth? Can you be certain of something? How? These questions and more are asked by the author and answered in his book, Oliver Travels.

Oliver Tucker graduates college and decides to not stay with his father, elder brother who is an army vet from Afghanistan, sister Sally Ann who is married and who all live in Indiana. Instead he moves in with his mother who lives in Virginia. He decides to go in for an interview at the local university, he doesn't expect to get the teaching job but he does. Since his job starts only in the next semester, he has a couple of months and decides to write while doing odd jobs. At a coffee shop, he spots Mary who also teaches English and they end up getting married. But an old photo in which he cannot recognize his father's brother - Uncle Scotty who is supposed to have traveled the globe bothers him. Oliver writes a story of his alter ego. As he writes Oliver Travels - a fantasy travel in his head it leads to him really travel. But what is looking for? As he writes, the stories of both Oliver the author and Oliver the character begin to merge as fiction is nothing but truth mixed with a few lies. But will he find the truth?

Garstang's book is metaphysical in nature. His writing is crisp and makes you pause and wonder. Will we go to the lengths to find the truth as Oliver does? Or would it blame it on someone else? At times, it is humourous like the Great God Google which most of us use to get information instead of heading to a library. It is now like the Oracle of Delphi which spits truths to our generation and the next. Humane, witty and insightful, this book is a must read.

It deals with a lot of stuff that is going on in today's world which most people do not connect and think of as separate and different occurrences. But it is not as they are all tied in. Do read Oliver's Travels to find out how.


Buy the book here  on Amazon.

Book review of The Hangman's Master

 

The Hangman's Master
by Elyse Hoffman
Genre : Historical Fantasy

216 Pages, Project 613 Publishing  


"All revolutions devour their own children" - Ernst Rohm, during the purge of the Brownshirts.

Why didn't God use his power to change Hitler into a nice guy instead of a blood thirsty fascist who led Germans to commit the holocaust ? Is Satan really a fallen angel ? What is the meaning of holocaust? How did Hitler become Chancellor in 1933 as he lost the election in 1932 and couldn't become President of Germany? What happened during the "Night of Long Knives" which led to the purge and murder of brownshirts or the paramilitary SA by the Nazi party masterminded by Reinhard Heydrich and Himmler to consolidate Hitler's power over the German Army. Heydrich was not just head of SS and Gestapo but the architect of the Final Solution and author of the death camp system.He is better known as the Butcher of Prague and the Hangman, who she introduced in her book "The Vengeance of Samuel Val" So who is the Hangman's Master? These questions and more are answered by the author in her book, The Hangman's Master.

Stefan Harkel, 16, gets beaten up by his father, an SS man for being a homosexual and is thrown out by his parents. Homeless, he wanders around till he sees a recruitment poster for the paramilitary wing of the Nazi party and signs up just so he could have a warm meal and a decent bed. He grows up not liking communism and communists and so fascism makes sense to Stefan as he doesn't want people to have power. A loner, he falls in love with Axel Lahner, a fellow Brownshirt in his group who is well off and loves him back. Hitler's lust for power was more than those who were loyal to him.So on the Night of Long Knives which didn't take place over just one night , SS ends up in killing a large number of Brownshirt were murdered all over Germany by SS though they were neither Jews nor Communists, but loyal to the cause and were the Nazi Party's own paramilitary wing. Both Stefan and Axel survive the purge but only for Axel to join the SS. So they breakup. While Stefan joins the Black Foxes, the underground network which helps rescue and protect Jews from the Nazis, Axel continues to save him from Dachau even though Axel is married and has children through a lavender marriage. 

Hoffman writes about how "The Night of Long Knives" orchestrated by Reinhard Heydrich was the major turning point for the Nazis as they killed fellow Germans and  those with disabilities to create the so called perfect Aryan race, especially women and children that turned the tide against Hitler eventually. Also in Nazi Germany, homosexuals, especially male homosexuals were marked with a pink triangle and sent to concentration camps to die. This is something most historians gloss over in how Hitler came to power. She also addresses the Nazi propaganda about Jews which is resurfacing again in the western world and global south, especially among white supremacist gangs.

Stefan is contracted by Satan to be a master of Zone N-74 where he can torture Nazis responsible for mass murder. A dying girl signs the contract over to Stefan  to become the master of Zone N-1 which has just one soul - Reinhard Heydrich, known as the Hangman who was architect of the Holocaust which means "burnt offering" in Greek.  He becomes the Master of the Hangman's soul. What does he do to Heydrich's soul ? He meets Axel again and discovers Axel has multiple contracts as he has stolen them by murdering people after making them sign. Axel kills children because they don't look like the perfect Aryan. What does Stefan Harkel do to Axel Lahner?

Switching easily between different timelines, Hoffman's writing is engaging as usual. Finally the Black Fox series is tied up together from Samuel Val to Stefan Harkel. Though this book is stand alone, Harkel makes someone else the God of Zone N-1.  Who is it? What happens to Harkel?  What happens to the soul of Reinhard Heydrich?

Read the book to find out.
Click to buy it here ⤇  Amazon