Happily Murdered, a debut novel by Rasleen Syal’s has all the ingredients of an edge-of-the-seat crime thriller
A debut book in fiction? Brave. A debut book in crime fiction? Even braver. Despite the fact that this is the first time Rasleen Syal attempts writing, and because her beginner’s style gives it away, this is a book that I read from start to finish in about three hours. The intriguing title and the premise also make this book unputdownable.
World over, the likes of Agatha Christie, P D James and Mary Higgins Clark have set benchmarks in the writing of murder mysteries. So when I read Rasleen’s acknowledgement of Agatha Christie’s contribution in her life, I had great expectations from this book. I am happy to say the book did not disappoint.
The natural reaction for anyone accused of a crime is to try and prove herself innocent, or shift the blame to someone else. So when Gulab Sarin is poisoned on the very next night of her wedding, her in-laws, the Mehtas, are suspects. Amidst a parallel narrative that is Gulab’s story told in her own words, the game of discovering whodunit begins. Gulab Sarin, a girl unappreciated by her family and befriended by her “future” husband Sid when she was a kindergartner, accepted and loved by his family and in love with him to the extent that she’s willing to forgive his faults. In a Poirot-esque ending, there is a conjecture as to why she was the perfect victim, and what the motive was for the crime.
Rasleen, quite cleverly, leaves enough clues for the reader to become their own detectives in the pursuit of the guilty. And that’s where the writer impresses you the most — psychological introspection, familial politics, rivalries and jealousy in love make the characters real. While the plot may not be too fast-paced (but who wants a spoiler anyways), the manipulative situations that Rasleen sprinkles all around help maintain the reader’s interest until the end. The writing is simple, lucid, yet engaging. But since it is a crime thriller, Happily Murdered is a one-time read that you are bound to enjoy curled up next to a fireplace. If you are looking for a fresh, engaging and slightly different murder mystery, give Happily Murdered a chance — you will be pleasantly surprised.