Review-Prateek Yadav's The Doppelganger

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THE DOPPELGANGER

by

Prateek Yadav

BLURB

The perfect plan for the perfect heist-a team of con-men, foolproof disguise and a painting worth millions, nothing could have gone wrong. But something did... A man fnds himself on a bus to Manali with nothing but some cash and severe memory loss . Embarking on a frantic hunt for his identity, he begins to discover that his presence in Manali isn't an accident. The closer he gets to the truth, the more elusive it becomes. Ghosts from his past haunt him as he finds himself trapped between his doppelganger, the police, a sadistic gangster and his own dwindling sanity. The journey of the search for his identity ends up being a race for survival.

My Honest Review : 

          Two brothers…. Identical twins… get separated in their childhood. Both grow up in different cities with different upbringing. One becomes a cop and other, a conman. Typical Bollywood style story, one may think. After years of separation, both come to know about their existence and profession. But will they meet and live happily ever after or the good boy will hunt down the bad boy?

          The story might sound similar but it's different. One may expect a happy and predictable ending but it's different. To know how it is different one will have to read the story to find out the twists.

          Being a debut author, Prateek Yadav has definitely written a nice story as The Doppelganger; a physiological thriller and suspense story.

          Initially, reader might get an impression that Gupta is the protagonist of the story but as you continue reading, you realize that Gupta is just one of the supporting casts of the story who actually sets the story in motion. The main protagonists are introduced later in the plot.

          Though the storyline is good and keeps the reader engrossed, some of the scenes are very gory and are not recommended for weak hearted people. Being a physiological thriller, maybe the goriness was necessary to create an impact on the readers.

          The plot is commendable, language used is simple and easy to understand, the book cover is apt and gives the reader an idea of what’s in store for him/her inside the book.

          For a debut author, I would say Prateek Yadav has done nice work but a little bit of finesse is required though. Still I liked The Doppelganger but I would not recommend for weak hearted, though. 

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About the author

Prateek Yadav was born and raised in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He graduated in economics at IIT Kanpur, and is currently working at Cognizant, Bangalore. He is an avid fiction reader with a keen inclination towards mystery and thrillers. Besides writing he also enjoys sketching and painting. The Doppelganger is his first published novel. 

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Review - Deepti Menon's Shadow in the Mirror

Shadow In The Mirror 

by

Deepti Menon

Publisher: Readomania 

Blurb

It all begins with a death. Nita, a pregnant woman falling from her balcony becomes the string that unravels the plot. Her death casts a shadow over many lives; her heartbroken father, her husband and Vinny, a young journalist, drawn in by the whiff of foul play and murder.

What follows are stories within stories, eras and worlds colliding with each other, leaving behind splintered relationships and mesmerizing slices of lives that appear to be drawn together and driven apart by the whimsical threads of destiny.

As events cast their shadows ahead to link the stories of Vinny, Kavita, Roma, Krish and Nita in an unrelenting knot, a journey starts to uncover the truth. What is the secret that links Nita’s death to the other characters? Will Vinny be able to unravel the mystery of Nita’s death?

From intimate diary entries and letters, to bantering over a meal and sharing memories while spring cleaning, this novel de-familiarizes the ordinary, presenting a kaleidoscope of our own pasts, broken edges and pulsating hearts. 

 My Honest Review

           Title of book makes one think, it might be a paranormal/spooky story. But as you get reading, you feel ‘No, it’s not a paranormal thing involving ghosts or supernatural beings. It’s different.’

          Though this is the first time I am reading Deepti Menon’s work, I must say, she is one hell of a story teller.         

But this book has some plus points and some minus points which left me bit disappointed.

Some of the plus points of the plot… the manner in which the story starts with a murder/suicide, weaves through past and present of various characters and then reaches the climax are noteworthy. Each character’s past is unrevealed to show the effect it had on the character which made them what they are today. Loved the fact that the author has portrayed how a childhood incident can mar/affect a person’s psychology. If we choose to move ahead forgetting that incident we can achieve great heights or else we end up spoiling ours and others life too in the process.

Minus points of the plot… too many unwanted characters. Too much of flashbacks and fast forwards took away essence of a good story plot. There is no mention of how does Vinny manage to find Meghna? I felt if some characters were avoided then it would have helped the reader to maintain a track and understand the story better and would have made the read more enjoyable.

But other than that, I loved the unique essence of the story, use of simple and easy language, description of each character, their state of mind and their turmoil in detail, eye catching book cover. 

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About the Author

Deepti Menon has always believed in the power of the pen. Having done her post graduation in English Literature and her B.Ed. in English, she had the option of teaching and writing, and did both with great enjoyment. She started writing at the age of ten, long before she acquired a Diploma in Journalism. She also had the advantage of being an Army kid, and later an Army wife, and loved the idea of travelling around India, meeting new people and acquiring new skills. She firmly believes that much of her personality was honed during those travels.

In 2002, her light hearted book, ‘Arms and the Woman’, depicting life as seen through the eyes of an Army wife, was published by Rupa Publishers, Delhi. This was written mainly to reveal the warmth and camaraderie within the great institution. She is now working on her second book that is a work of fiction, and not- to-be divulged yet! 

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Review-An Autograph For Anjali by Sundari Venkatraman

            Another wonderful masterpiece by Sundari Venkatraman…

Sundari is famous for penning romantic novels, and now-a-days she is trying her hands in different genre. An Autograph for Anjali is one such experiment of hers, which has thriller, suspense at beginning with romance as backdrop.

Jayant, a typical Indian male who is pampered by his mother and two sisters before marriage, and expects his wife to do the same and be at his beck and call all the time. Though he keeps himself updated with recent technologies and happenings in business, he, never in 20 years of marriage updated his ideas about domesticity. In this matter his thinking still belonged to 18^th century.  According to him, his wife should not have any life beyond him. He treats his wife and mistress as doormats under his feet. Though a top rung businessman, he was a failure as a husband.

Anjali, wife of Jayant Mathur, pretty, fierce, but oppressed by her husband, has her head above her shoulders inspite of being a rich businessman’s wife. She instills good values in her only son Arjun, whom she doesn’t want to become like his father, callous, dominating and calculative. Inspite of being under Jayant’s dominance and influence, Anjali tries to keep herself sane. But her patience wears off when she sees him crossing his limits and openly flaunts his mistress Seema at a party where she is invited. What happens next is worth a read.

Seema, Jayant’s executive assistant and latest mistress is a character not described much.

Arjun, Anjali and Jayant’s nineteen year old son, though he loves both his parents very much, he knows both his parents are poles apart and his Mom got a raw deal from this marriage. He shares a friendly relation with his Mom and is a constant support to her and vice versa.

Parth Temptation, thy name is Parth.  (Loved this).

Parth is that knight in shining armor who rescues Anjali and supports her during her emotional upheaval and helps her cope depression and gives her the respect and love she deserves.

These are the main characters around which the story revolves. The story opens with a murder, and then proceeds to full blown romantic track. Though I loved the story there are few points which I felt out of place or hard to digest.

Dr. Nalini’s identity is hidden from Anjali. But when she visits Dr. Nalini’s house-cum-clinic she is bound to see the nameplate or something which might reveal her true identity.

When Dr. Nalini first visits Anjali, she introduces herself as a friend. Even though Anjali is depressed at that moment, doesn’t she feel it odd after Dr. Nalini leaves, as who invited her to her house, etc?

Though Arjun loves his mom and respects his father, isn’t it little hard to digest that he call ups Parth and asks him if he can join Anjali on her Greece trip?

I would certainly have loved to read more about Anjali’s childhood and life before marriage, Seema’s life before Jayant, little more on Parth and also on Arjun’s childhood (which I think will come out in the sequel Arjun’s Penance).

Also the climax was abrupt and sudden. I would have loved if there was little more suspense or little more drama to give the story a suitable ending.

 Other than these little things, the story is a perfect blend of suspense and romance. Also the manner in which the dreaded D word – Depression is explained or handled in the story is well commendable. While reading, you feel hatred for Jayant, pity for Anjali, fall in love with Parth (sigh…), feel proud of Arjun and get irritated by Rana. Each character is well developed and explained.

My final verdict…must read once if you want to read some light hearted romance mixed with suspense.

Title : An Autograph For Anjali

Author : Sundari Venkatraman

Available on : Amazon.in

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the author in return for my honest review.