The Adventures of a Funny Male Sleuth

My Rating****

I always liked to read a blend of humour, a good mystery, and a feisty male detective. A combination like this not only keeps you spellbound, but also brings a smile on your face. And, ‘The Case of the Secretive Sister’ by Nilanjan P. Choudhury is one such book. It is a well-crafted detective story with a fine touch of humour. The story is tightly structured and keeps you spellbound. Plus, it makes you laugh. Mixing humour with suspense is always a difficult task and the author Nilanjan Choudhury should be complemented for doing that exceptionally well.

Let us have a look on the storyline. Four year old Pinky Chadda’s application for admission in Holy Angles Convent School got rejected by the school administration due to her terrible performance at the nursery entrance exam. Yet, her mom, the hyper-aggressive Mrs. Pammi Chaddha, remains absolutely determined to get her little rascal entered into Bangalore’s snootiest school. To accomplish this task, she hires Mr. Chatterjee (sole proprietor of The Chatterjee Institute of Detection). While not willing to take this case at first, Mr. Chatterjee finally accepts this case. However, the task is not an easy one as Mr. Chatterjee should battle with Sister D’Souza, the considerable headmistress of Holy Angels, who has no spot for worthless candidates like Pinky Chaddha in her school. The rest of the story revolves around Mr. Chatterjee’s adventures to facilitate nursery admission of little Pinky into the prestigious Holy Angels Convent School. The story is entertaining, hilarious, sarcastic, thrilling and full of suspense. However, do not expect a murder mystery here. It is a simple story with a number of funny moments.

The readers living in metro cities will make an instant connection with the story-line as getting children admitted in a prestigious private school is one of the main causes of agony for parents living in the metro cities of India. Principals and main authorities responsible for handling admission applications in these schools are by and large uncaring, if not absolute impolite. With a beautifully crafted story-line, the author has attempted to throw light on this evil side of current education system.

The characters of this book have been sketched extremely well. Every character in this novel is deliberately chosen and has a particular part in the story to make the plot solid and reliable. Readers will definitely love the character of Mr. Chatterjee, the main protagonist of this novel. While you laugh on the actions of this pot-bellied retiree, his character also generates sympathies and readers will certainly root for him. The characters of Mrs. Pammi Chaddha (an edgy mother who is determined to get her daughter admitted to a prestigious school), Sister D’Souza (a strict and rigid principal), and Inspector Gowda (a vindictive policeman) also impress you. All of these, when combined together, make up a brilliantly coloured work. The cover of this book has also been done well. It not only captures your attention, but also gives you a glimpse of the story-line.

Reading of this book was a fun-filled ride and I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment. Don’t miss this one. You will undoubtedly love this.

Note: I received my copy of ‘The Case of the Secretive Sister’ free from the author via Goodreads’ First Reads program.