Colonel Samagra Vol XVI

One of the most boring of the Colonel volumes but for one that is short crisp and just as you begin to guess the criminal, the person is unmasked. Yes this is the story Kaktarua Brityanta that is just as Jayanta tells is completed in a very short time. The next best is the Apeman Rahasya which involves a sighting of a huge ape in three corners of the country followed by violent killings in two occassions and so the daring adventurerer in Haldermoshai start exploring the farthest cities while Colonel takes Jayanta to the nearer one where he expects to draw the curtain. Haldermoshai also holds cue for another incident Andhyakarer Nayak which is too much complex in plot that seems not worthy of the actual mystery that it has in store. A bit similar in complications is Lalgarher Ratnapetika that is narrated by Colonel which interestingly adds to the misery like always. As the Colonel with Jayanta takes on a scientific treachery coupled with murder in Rahasya Jakhan Samudrik it become obvious about the nature of the crime though Jayanta is here a remote observer and not an active member of the adventure.

Rup-Mareech Rahasya

This is one of those books which I read after seeing the detective on screen. Though the couple of stories that are included here is not that is televised still, but it has not been disappointment. Sabar investigates murders in both and solves it in his signature style which is unique than many standard sleuth stories. The analyst in Sabr gathers the intel through his sources but mainly his main emphasis is on the psychology of the crimes which allows him to pinpoint the criminals. The style of the story is again a wonderful variant of the author where dialogues are only used to narrate the story. The sinister ambience is created in a signature style that is not only thrilling but intelligent as well. Infact the first story Rup has a classic twist finally that reveals the human Sabar and the second one Mareech shows how nobly ruthless Sabar can be. A nice volume that will actually prompt the readers to keep up with more sleuthing stories.

The Man in the Brown Suit

The story is a novel that is both mystery interspersed with romance. The signature Christie twists abound but for the finale which actually is a bit disappointment. But the great novelty of the plot is in its storytelling that surpasses any in the series that I have come across so far. Written partly from the perspective of the sleuth Anne Beddingfield it narrates the other part from perspective of another interesting character. What it does is that it kicks in a contrasting humour to the central plot that makes it an enjoyable entertainment. The villain actually proves to be the best part of the novel not only by the character but for the ingenuous way the person evolves in the story. So besides the disappointment at the final chapter the book will be a great pastime.

The plot starts when the adventure loving Anne suddenly confronts a man getting electrocuted at the underground platform which seems a bit odd to her due to something she senses. A second death of a woman nearby also seemed to be linked to the incident that she witnessed. Thus, armed with only a seemingly laughable amount of money Anne embarks on a journey for adventure, career, travel and a thirst to solve the mystery. The dangers that poses in the way will keep the suspense heightened to the extreme. Recommended not only for the story but for collection as it actually has the touch of the classic in it.

Colonel Samagra Vol XI

The volume contains

• Andha Bibheeshika

• Bhuture Baagh

• Operation X File

• Manikin Rahasya

• Neel Saraser Pichane

It mixes some eerie adventures with some curious murders. But in each of them the jolly old man solves them in style. However, the narratives are written in different ways. While the leading one is from the perspective of the third person, the next three are from the viewpoint of Jayanta and the finale is from the retired colonel’s records. Haldermoshai features in some adding the much needed relief but on one there is an unwanted jibe at a critic’s views which compares the trio with various detectives of renown and their associates. This actually cheapens the novel’s value but except this one the others are more or less nice. An uniformity in the protagonist’s behaviours, though depicted from the standpoint from many, is something to be applauded which shows how the author cares on the detailing. But this is contrasted in the use of same dialect for all that seems all the characters to be somehow related. A social shadow is cast on each of the stories that tries to provide quite a realistic touch to each.

Rusty The Boy from the Hills

Once more reading through the early life of Rusty gave a feeling of serene India and her beauty. The boy that grew up with his grandparents mostly, lost a mother to divorce, half lost his life during war, lost his father all of a sudden and almost lost his home, did not ever lose the spirit of life. This is the true essence of Rusty stories where humour and tragedy goes hand in hand which never feels out of place. The love for the land where he was born seems to pull Rusty always towards his home whenever there lurks a chance to draw him out to places far away. In this book Rusty presents a wonderful narrative of how he grew up in his childhood among his nature loving Grandfather, his rationally optimistic father, his eccentric yet harmless uncle and above all his loving Grandmother who made his life complete in his childhood. With them it actually helped the child to grow to a young boy who could be happy with the simple ways of life that infused him with strength as well as hope for the coming uncertain future.

Dwi-Baibahik K(n)ata

If acute loquaciousness is the downside of the story multiple twists at the climax is certainly credit to same. When a case of bigamy turns up corpse in the residence of a renowned businessman resulting in arrest of a salesgirl then it remains upon a cool brain to unravel the knots of the mystery. A fast paced novel with a thrilling courtroom drama leaves all but the prime sleuth in awe. With subtle cheatings during the unraveling, the narrative is supremely enjoyable as well as intensely suspenseful. Interspersing passion with mystery the author presents the anecdote with his signature style and acknowledges an obvious mistake in introductory explanations without which I would have failed to notice it.

A Short History of Nearly Everything

The book had been recommended by one of my very senior colleagues and it proved to be a most worthwhile and enjoyable item. Nowhere ever had I found a more enjoyable narrative of the history of earth and its evolution. With a lucid flow of language some of the most defining discoveries of the world as we know have been described. The events that prompted a finding, the snubbings received by a few, the interpretations of some that may well have been otherwise explained and some actions that obliterated the last of the evidences, these are but a few of the facts penned in minutest detail in this wonderful anecdote of the history of the planet earth. Funny yet serious the book will humour thoughtful readers.

Black Coffee

Poirot’s fussiness to neatness and order could not have been better utilized than this narrative as an immensely important clue is due to that which is pointed out by Hastings surprisingly. Adapted from Christie’s play, the story is set in a single room where a curious murder occurs and the murderer seems seemingly obvious. But with the signature Christie twist the perspective is suddenly changed by the detective. A case of poisoning and theft, the mystery must be solved before the evidence is destroyed and the stolen goods recovered before it falls in wrong hands. A sublime suspense reigns throughout where each suspects the other and it remains to be seen how the secrets are unraveled and misunderstandings cleared.

The Mystery of Wreckers' Rock

My first three investigators book that

was a gift at a time when English books had seemed nightmare. But when I reread it after ageing a bit, I realized what treasure it was. Now when I read it, this seems rather simple story yet not a bit less thrilling. As a boat is found with signs of a possible drowning near an age old rock that seems to be den of ghosts and werewolves the plot seems a bit thick. Also when the investigating trio is hunted for some innocent snaps there is no turning back. The mystery closes the series yet remains one of the most enticing.

The World of Nagaraj

Nagaraj belonged to the elite Kabir street family and so didn’t have to care for a living. Infact he didn’t have a care in the world except writing his masterpiece on Narada. But life was soon to change when Tim, his nephew came to live with him forever. Social confusions seem to get in his way but his meek nature prevented to find a solution and so he remained only the silent spectator to the drama of life that revolved around him. Contrary to his ways of life, his wife though doted on the nephew but wished to be strict. But her wise means were easily foiled by her husband who had proper sense but lacked the courage to use it. To make matters worse sometimes the stubborn brother visited him and made his life even more miserable. Then came the daughter-in-law with her harmonium that seemed to create enough noise for Nagaraj to change his daily routine. There are also a few more characters of varied prominence including the Talkative Man who really breathed more fun to the already humourous mood of the narrative. But amidst all the chaos the focus to write about the great sage never became blurred and he tried every avenue to write his manuscript on Narada who was his idol. The entire pace of the story is perfect throughout but for the closing chapter that seemed a bit abrupt. The humorous perspective is most prominent but it adds a bit of sober romance that heightens its appeal more.

The All Bengali Crime Detectives II The Mysterious Death of Probhat Sanyal

When I had read the first in the series, or what would promise to be the first in a series beyond the expectation of the writer as acknowledged at the closing pages, it was a real entertainment. But as it happened this one is a bit short on the expectations of the readers. As a case is presented to the ABCD by one of the collegemates of a member of the club, of a reported eerie happening in the past and followed by unexpected death of a Kolkata based businessman, the sole witness to the creepy event, the energy of the senior citizens are boosted to solve the mystery. Soon arrests follows and the events take some unexpected turns. But here the thrill is marred by a host of side events and coincidences that does not do justice to the central plot. Compromising the suspense to some extent at the cost of the size of the novel I think the side plot of the roadside Romeo could have been itself a wonderful Barogolpo but when clubbed with a mystery loses both its fun, barring its climax after the actual mystery is solved, and tries in vain to breath relief to the already relaxed mood of the mystery. Also using the Bengali lingo to its colloquial extremity including the spelling of several characters and references to the story it does not do justice to the ‘Rasik Bangali’ culture and it makes it even more improbable for a club in Golf Garden organizing a jatra instead of a play that is too much far fetched in my view. Also after going thru the story I will comment that don’t be its judge by its cover as contrary to the expectation that most of the story might be in the backdrop of the hills and forests, it is only a minute part that references the hills. So though a wonderful mystery with a final twist quite unique it is not as gripping and compact as its predecessor which maintained the balance of the central plot with the right blend of refreshing anecdotes.

Sparkling Cyanide

I had bought this book at a second hand store and with it brought By The Pricking of My Thumbs as well. It will always be a good bargain as had I not bought the same, I would not have got to read parts of this book as by the virtue of a mistake in the stitching, parts of the books have been interchanged. It seems more of a coincidence that I bought them at once.
Well enough of the interesting shopping, let us now look at the story. A rich heiress to a fortune marries a person years older than her and brings her only little sister to live with them. At a party tragedy strikes as the depressed heiress collapses, revealing cyanide poisoning to be the cause of the apparent suicide. Curiousness strikes the husband days later as he gets anonymous letters pointing it to be a murder. The sister also unearths some doubts as to her faithfulness. With clues strewn here and there, the husband sets to trap the murderer in the same setting about a year later. But tragedy strikes once more as the husband is murdered in front of everyone at the same way.
With several characters to investigate upon, the primary investigators find a sleuth hidden among the suspects. With revelations as surprising as the actual mastermind of the heinous crimes, the accessory of the murder will not be so surprising when identified.

Greatest Stories

This had been a very old book in my shelf. The short chronicles are arranged as
• Hostage to Momus
• The Gift of the Magi
• Telemachus, Friend
• A Ramble in Aphasia
• The Passing of Black Eagle
• The Shamrock and the Palm
• Jeff Peters as a Personal Magnet
• Past One at Rooney’s
• The Princess and the Puma
• The Moment of Victory
• The Atavism of John Tom Little Bear
• The Brief Debut of Tildy
• The cop and the Anthem
• The Last of the Troubadours
• The Memento
• A Ruler of Men
• The Man Higher Up
• A Municipal Report
Going thru the signature twists in the plots in each of them brought back the enjoyment in the fullest. It seemed that age has ripened the flavour even more. It is not that these all commence in comedies but tragedies too had been wrapped up in such a pleasant ambience that it steals a moment to contemplate whether to lament or laugh. The collection inspires a promising vacuum to be satisfied by a host of similar others.