Author: Sourabh Mukherjee
Book Blurb:
Within days of her fairy-tale wedding with Manav Chauhan, Hiya Sen, the reigning queen of Tollywood, is brutally raped and murdered. As ACP Agni Mitra investigates into the high-profile murder, he meets Neha Awasthi, with whom Manav broke his engagement to marry Hiya, Neha’s father Deepak Awasthi, who was eyeing business benefits through the alliance, Mayank Kapoor, an alcoholic model and Rituja Bose, the diva who had reigned over Tollywood over the past decade. When two more murders connected with the case make headlines, it’s time for Agni to find answers to perplexing questions and unveil shocking truths.
The Colours of Passion breezes through Kolkata’s glamorous world of industrialists, movie stars, models and fashion designers laced with drug addiction and illicit liaisons, with a heart-wrenching tragedy at its core.
My Review:
This is the second book of the Agni Mitra series (You can read the first book “In the Shadows of Death’s review here).
I felt that the plot of this book was crafted really well. In the by lanes of Calcutta, the author weaves yet another compelling murder mystery. The newly married actress, Hiya Singh, is brutally raped and murdered by three men after a club brawl. What is seemingly a case of random violence turns into a sordid tale of betrayal when it is discovered that these three had been hired to kill the actress.
The author manages to hide his cards really well. It is not until the climax that one can guess both the motive and the person who was behind the murders. The pace of the novel is quite fast which manages to keep the readers hooked on to the story.
My only issue with the book is that the characterisation could have been better. A lot of characters were added in the story line and, especially the female characters, felt a bit too same in terms of their personalities. Of course, this may be entirely intentional as both were from the same industry and competing for almost the same life goals. On the whole, if you are looking for a quick, yet thrilling mystery that would keep you guessing, read this one! I rate this one a 4 out of 4.