AN AUTOGRAPH FOR ANJALI
by
Sundari Venkatraman
Blurb
Jayant Mathur is found murdered in his bed, shot at point-blank range with his own revolver. Though she’s extremely disturbed by his death, Jayant’s wife Anjali is way more upset about something else. Who stands to gain by killing the multi-millionaire businessman?
Parth Bhardwaj is a friend and neighbour of the Mathurs. Parth is an author who goes by a pseudonym. He appears more than a friend to Anjali; while he’s also on good terms with her son Arjun who lives and studies in the UK. What role does he play in Anjali’s life? Jayant’s relatives are curious to know.
Jayant’s brother-in-law Rana is convinced that Parth and Anjali are the murderers. But Inspector Phadke has his own doubts about this theory. In comes Samrat, the private detective who appears as quiet as a mouse. Will he be able to find the murderer?
Will Anjali find happiness and peace?
My Review -
An Autograph for Anjali is a
nice deviation from the ‘usual’ Sundari’s novels. Sundari is exploring
different storyline for her novels these days, which is commendable. Her previous book was about widow remarriage
and this is a thriller…but of course with romance as its main ingredient.
The story starts off with a
murder and the first few chapters keep you really hooked with suspense and
tension building up. The chapters following are about the life of Anjali who is
trapped in a loveless marriage to a well-to-do businessman Jayanth who is
selfish to the core. Anjali has an ally in her son Arjun and then she finds
love in Parth, a well-known author.
It is about Anjali’s journey
fighting inner turmoil of staying loyal to her otherwise disloyal husband, of
being a perfect rich wife and daughter-in-law, a good mother who otherwise has
no life to call her own.
Then enters Parth and her
world turns upside down. She falls in love and then realizes the importance of
living life for her own self.
The characters are relatable,
especially Anjali…as the story progressed I felt I knew Anjali all my life.
Jayanth is the typical snobbish businessman who can think only of himself. And
Parth…I have been dreaming about him.
What I did not like –
Though Jayanth is a typical
misogynist, he should at least have an idea about why a person needs to see a
psychiatrist or a counselor. He is a very successful businessman who was
working with women in high position, he may not think very high of them but I
would have liked if he displayed some emotion of understanding his women. He
had used women to fulfill his needs but would have credited a bit more
intelligence to him. It is typical of the way he handled his affair with
Seema…he is ruthless that way.
Arjun, Anjali and Jayanth’s 19-year-old
son is Anjali’s ally and confidant. More than sharing a mother and son
relationship, they were friends. He is aware of the loveless marriage between
their parents and he completely supports his mother when he comes to know about
her feelings for Parth. What I did not like was, whatever his level of maturity
but as long as his parents were living in the same house and not divorced, how
could he agree to allow Parth to travel with his mother. He did share a good relationship
with his dad after all. This was a bit difficult to digest.
Verdict –
A good, racy read. I would
have liked if the ending was a bit more complex as gripping as the start.
Grab your copy @
Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk |
Notion Press | Flipkart | SapnaOnline | Bookadda |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In 2014, Sundari self-published The Malhotra Bride (2nd Edition); Meghna; The Runaway Bridegroom; Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters From India (Box Set) and Matches Made In Heaven (a collection of romantic short stories).
2015 brought yet another opportunity. Readomania came forward to traditionally publish this book - The Madras Affair - a mature romance set in Madras.
An Autograph for Anjali, a romance with a touch of suspense, is also a self-published novel. Going a step further, the author has published the paperback version through Notion Press.
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