The Blue Bar is a gritty thriller set in Mumbai, complete with twisting plot lines that include a serial killer preying on vulnerable women, real estate fraud, a corrupt police administration, and a dash of Bollywood.
Police investigator Arnav Singh Rajput is investigating three headless, handless, footless corpses discovered in a mangrove swamp that’s set to become a fashionable real estate development. He was a young cop when his first love, Tara, disappeared years ago. With every female body discovered over the years, he’s always afraid it will be her. His department is underfunded and lacks basic equipment to investigate such crimes, and his superiors are inclined to write off these murders.
As in You Beneath Your Skin, Biswas’s debut novel, her intricate plots, lush authentic descriptions of Mumbai, its food, locales, and denizens, make for an enticing read. She uses multiple points of view and vibrant descriptions to bring her setting and her characters alive. The Blue Bar uses multiple points of view and is a fast-paced, entertaining read. I enjoyed Arnav’s search for his lost true love. Biswas neither minces words nor sensationalizes the most horrific moments in either novel. Biswas is also a champion of Indian women, and her female characters in both The Blue Bar and You Beneath Your Skin heighten readers’ awareness of how women are treated in India. I enjoyed reading both very much.
********************
The Blue Bar (Thomas & Mercer, January 1, 2023) is available through:
********************
You can find my review of You Beneath Your Skin here and my interview with author Damyanti Biswas here.
********************
This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small amount from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
