Chandramani

For her debut novel Kimsuka Narsimhan has created a fast-paced mystery around the sudden death of an heir to a family fortune. It all happens after Manish Kshetra (the heir) falls to his death from the ramparts of Chandramani, the grand old mansion of the Kshetra family. Was it an accident, a suicide or a cold-blooded murder? The family seeks out the discreet skills of self-tutored detective Ajmer Lalla to ferret out the truth without tarnishing the Kshetra family name and reputation.

Ms Narsimhan’s sleuth Ajmer Lalla is an interesting character: suave, intelligent and prone to wry humour. Chandramani reminds one of Agatha Christie’s fictional detective Hercule Poirot, though its plot is nowhere near as complex as Ms Christie’s were. Therein lies Ms Narsimhan’s simple narrative skill which keeps the suspense at the edge of every page egging the reader to know more.

And when the resolution happens, it’s not what most readers may expect. Chandramani’s mystery unfolds gently and Lalla’s sleuthing banks more on keen observation and deductive logic than on forensics. It comes as a piecing together of information from, and sifting the likely motives of, several characters (mostly Kshetra family members and friends) who appear and reappear in the story. Since there is no narrated violence, nor graphic details of gruesome deaths, the book is suitable for young adults as well.