Book review #39 The Wrong Woman

The wrong woman

Author - Daniel Hurst

Genre - Psychological thriller

Language - English

Pages - 243

About the book

They messed with her. But they picked the wrong woman...

Simone used to be the woman that other women would use if they suspected that their partner was cheating. She would investigate, find out the truth, and if the men were guilty, exact revenge. But after things went wrong with one couple, Simone was forced to go into hiding to evade the law.

Having assumed a new identity, Simone is now Mary, a mild-mannered woman who doesn't raise her voice or get angry, meaning nobody would suspect her of being capable of the things she used to do for a living. But when she finds out that her new boyfriend is having an affair, it awakens in her the person she used to be.

That means Simone is back. It also means that her boyfriend and his mistress are in for the shock of their lives...

About the author

Daniel Hurst is the author of the number 1 bestselling psychological thriller 'The Passenger', as well as several other popular thrillers including 'Till Death Do Us Part' and 'The Wrong Woman'.

He is also the creator of The 20 Minute Series, the series of psychological books which readers have called “original” and “addictive” and 'like a soap opera in book form."

My take:

The wrong woman is the story of Simone, who finds love rats for a living, and helps the wronged spouses get revenge from their cheating partners as her passion. She loves her job and what risks come with it. But one fine day, things go wrong, and Simone is on the run from the police, as the prime suspect in a murder case.

Simone jumps cities, changes her appearance, changes her identity, and even her personality. Now she is the simpleton Mary, who does a boring 9 to 5 job that involves lots of printing and scanning, gets firings from her boss Clarissa without giving her back, is friends with the cute girl Kathy who bakes cakes and stays with her boyfriend James. She is unadventureous and boring. The complete opposite of what Simone used to be.

But that is necessary if she has to maintain a low profile and not get caught. But one fine day, everything changes. Mary finds out that James is cheating on her. And not just with any woman. And when she gets to know this, the Simone inside her awakens again, swearing revenge. What happens next?

The story is told from the POV of Mary alias Simone. It is fast paced and full of twists. The character of Mary is nicely depicted. The various incidents about how Simone helped her clients get revenge are equally interesting. The narrative shuttles between present and past and adds to the charisma of the story.

The language is simple, lucid and the flow of the narration is smooth. I am already a fan of Daniel's writings, and this one doesn't disappoint. As expected, the ending is twisted. I had a hint while reading, but still I was surprised by the way the story concluded.

The cover page is alluring and intriguing, and that is what made me want to read this book.

I rate it four stars.

Review - Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein

'Yeh kaali kaali ankhen' is a twisted love story.

Vikrant, a simpleton, who has completed engineering and wants to pursue a job, marry the love of his life, Shikha and own a small house, is in for a rude shock when he becomes the object of obsession for Purva, the daughter of a politician cum hooligan, Akheeraj. To make matters worse, Vikrant's father works as an accountant for Akheeraj, and he gets a job offer from Akheeraj offering him more than thrice the money he plans to earn from his dream job in Bhilai.

On one hand, Vikrant tries to convince his parents that this is not the life he has dreamed of for himself. On the other, Shikha's parents want to get her married off soon and she wants him to hasten things 

And suddenly Akheeraj decides to make Vikrant his son-in-law. Because Purva is smitten by him. And Purva can't take no for an answer, and soon Vikrant is trapped from all sides. 

What happens next?

The series is shot very realistically in the backdrop of a small village in North India. The hooliganism, the gang wars, the cover up operations, the police apathy, everything is aptly picturised.

Every episode keeps us wondering as to what would happen next. But the twists keep on coming.

All actors do perfect justice to their respective roles, and just as the protagonists evoke empathy, the villians evoke anger from the viewers.

What can one person do for love? How low can anyone stoop to protect their own interests? And can circumstances change a person and make him or her do things they wouldn't have thought possible in their wildest imagination? That is what sort of happens in this story.

All actors have given stellar performances and I love Shweta Tripathi for being the most natural yet powerful actor ever.

The title song is alluring and dialogues catching.The background score keeps the tension going, and by the end, the viewer is numb. Numb because he has been transported to an entirely different world while watching the series, and being torn back to reality suddenly can be confusing.

Overall, an intriguing watch! I rate it 4 stars.

Book Review #38 400 days by Chetan Bhagat

400 days

Author : Chetan Bhagat

Genre : Suspense Thriller

Language : English

Publisher : Westland

About the book

12-year-old Siya has been missing nine months. It’s a cold case, but Keshav wants to help her mother, Alia, who refuses to give up. Welcome to 400 Days―a mystery and romance story like no other.

‘My daughter Siya was kidnapped. Nine months ago,’ Alia said.

The police had given up. They called it a cold case. Even the rest of her family had stopped searching.

Alia wouldn’t stop looking, though. She wanted to know if I could help her.

Hi, I am Keshav Rajpurohit and I am a disappointment to everyone around me. I live with my parents, who keep telling me how I should a) get married, b) focus on my IPS exams, c) meet more people and d) close my detective agency.

But Alia Arora, neighbour and ex-model, wanted my help. And I couldn’t take my eyes off her face … I mean, her case.

Welcome to 400 Days. A mystery and romance story like none other. An unputdownable tale of suspense, human relationships, love, friendship, the crazy world we live in and, above all, a mother’s determination to never give up.

About the author 

Chetan Bhagat is the author of ten bestselling novels, which have sold over twelve million copies and have been translated into over twenty languages worldwide.

The New York Times has called him ‘the biggest selling author in India’s history’. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and Fast Company USA named him one of the 100 most creative people in business worldwide.

Many of Chetan’s books have been adapted into films and were major Bollywood blockbusters. He is also a Filmfare award-winning screenplay writer.

Chetan writes columns for The Times of India and Dainik Bhaskar, which are among India’s most influential and widely read newspapers. He is also one of the country’s leading motivational speakers. He is active on various social media platforms, where his combined following runs into crores. Chetan went to college at IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad, after which he worked in investment banking for a decade before quitting his job to become a full-time writer.

My take:

400 days is a suspense story of a young girl Siya who has been missing for more than nine months. Keshav Rajpurohit and Saurabh Maheshwari, the duo who run a detective agency in their free time is approached by Alia Arora, Siya's mother, to look into the case that the police have stopped looking into.

Despite reluctance from Alia's in-laws, Alia hires Keshav and Saurabh for the job. Soon Keshav and Saurabh dive head long into the case to understand all the minor nuances. As they get to know, they realise that everything is not as simple as it appears, and there are more layers to uncover.

The story is slightly slow but gripping. The suspense is held well till the end. The book also touches many areas such as the differences in socioeconomic strata, the police attitude, the dynamics of media circus. Sensitive topics such as child abuse are also touched, and handled with sensitivity. 

The characters are nicely sketched, and the subplots make the story even more interesting. Thrilling scenes have been described in such a way that they will definitely make your heart beat faster. By the end of the book, the reader is praying that Siya be found safe and sound. The ending is equally unexpected, and I would have appreciated a trigger warning.

The language, as with all CB novels, is simple and lucid. As with all of his books, the descriptions of food made my mouth water everytime I read on empty stomach.

The characters Keshav and Saurabh are continued in this third consecutive thriller by CB, and they both stay true to their characters.

The book cover is nicely designed. I was wondering why the book was titled 400 days and not something alluring like Finding Siya. But once I read the book, I found out why 400 days is apt.

I rate it four stars.

Book review #37 The neighbours

The Neighbours

Author : Daniel Hurst

Language : English

Genre : Suspense Thriller

Pages : 380

About the book:

It seemed like the perfect house on the perfect street. Until they met the neighbours...

Happily married couple Katie and Sean have plenty to look forward to as they move into their new home and plan for the future. But then they meet two of their new neighbours and everything on their quiet street suddenly doesn't seem as desirable as it did before. 

Having been warned about the other neighbours, and their adulterous and criminal ways, Katie and Sean realise that they are going to have to be on their guard if they want to make their time here a happy one. 

But the other neighbours seem so nice and that's why they choose to ignore the warning and get friendly with the rest of the people on the street. And that is why their marriage will never be the same again...

Four houses. Six neighbours. And one shocking twist. 

About the author

Daniel Hurst is the author of the number 1 bestselling psychological thriller 'The Passenger', as well as several other popular thrillers including 'Til Death Do Us Part' and 'The Wrong Woman'.

He is also the creator of The 20 Minute Series, the series of psychological books which readers have called “original” and “addictive” and 'like a soap opera in book form."

You can visit him at www.danielhurstbooks.com, where you can also download a copy of his FREE thriller 'Just One Second.'

My take:

Katie and Sean arrive in a new neighbourhood as they shift to their dream house, one of the four located at a cul-de-sac. They plan to stay here forever and raise a family.

But someone has other plans for them. As they begin getting to know their neighbours, they start realizing that the warnings they had received about the other neighbours, from one of the neighbours, might be true after all. 

Will Katie and Sean also end up with the same fate as the previous owners of the house?

Just like any other Daniel Hurst novel, this one too keeps the reader hooked right from the beginning. The drama unfolds in such a manner that every page is hooking and you just can't keep it down.

The story is narrated from the alternating POVs of Katie and Sean, and the subtle thought processes of both of them that lead them to act in certain ways is beautifully described. The domino effect a simple thoughtless action can have, and how simple emotions like jealousy and anger can begin to erode even the strongest relationships is nicely described.

All characters besides the protagonists, Albert, Eileen, Ian, Jackson, Chris have been described in such a way that the reader can form a mental image for each one of them.

The suspense is good, though I had guessed it beforehand. And the twisted end was definitely a surprise.

The cover is beautifully designed and captures the essence of the story.

I rate it five stars.