• Title: Murder of the Bhojpuri Dance Queen
  • Author: Asimav Roy Choudhury
  • Book Type: Novella
  • Genre: Crime, Suspense, Thriller Fiction
  • Edition: Kindle eBook
  • Publisher: <independently published>
  • Year of Publication: 2022
  • Number of Pages: 114

— Blurb of the Book —

While returning from Jabalpur to Kolkata by the Shaktipunj express Arup Nandy meets Tanishka Singh, the Bhojpuri song and dance queen. His ecstasy at meeting her is short lived due to the occurrence of two very disrupting incidents. In the morning, Tanishka madam is found dead, having been murdered some time in the night. Arup is one of the suspects and is taken into custody by the local police. Priyonka Srivastav, a local advocate, decides to take up his case against the formidable public prosecutor, Mahaditya Joshi or Maddit. Arup manages to get interim bail after considerable effort but he seems to get deeper into trouble with his temporary freedom. A desperate Arup tries out all conjuring tricks he can think up in the ensuing courtroom drama but can he ultimately ward off the slowly approaching noose of death?

— Lady Bookamore's Views —

Firstly, I would like to thank the author for giving me an opportunity to review yet another amazing thriller novella. You can check out my review of his earlier work here.

Yes, a novella. Given the challenges it sets for a writer to weave out a suspenseful mystery within a span of 100-150 pages, writing a crime novella is not an easy task. However, the author pulls off what might be called a linguistic heist to create yet another thrilling story of crime investigation. But, the story did have some wrinkles which were quite visible in the story, including the title.

Honestly, I cannot begin writing the review without addressing how unimpressive the title is. To name a crime story which features some brilliant twists and turns with something as ordinary as "Murder of the Bhojpuri Dance Queen" is definitely a let-down. I have never been a reader who would judge a review copy by its cover (like I did in this case), but the title could have been much better. Also, I think a more clever title would have added to the enigma that surrounds the plot. Now, moving on to the positive aspects of the novella.

Murder of the Bhojpuri Dance Queen is not merely a story that delves into the nitty-gritty of crime investigation. The novella throws light on how the prime suspect of the homicide, Arup Nandy, tries to avert the drama within and beyond the courtroom. What intrigued me the most was how the author attempts to provide an elaborate description of Arup's court case hearings while also throwing light on the subsequent hardships that await him when he is granted interim bail. Most importantly, it is indeed marvellous to see how well the author has narrated the story within such a brief span of about 100 pages.

However, there were a lot more glitches besides the title. Murder of the Bhojpuri Dance Queen has a very mediocre cast, with Arup as the only grey-ish character in the story. To be precise, the cast seemed a bit flatter than the ones we came across in Murder at the Kolkata Lakes. Perhaps a more elaborate story could have helped the characters develop their own brief story arcs, which would have in turn contributed significantly to the entire plot. I convey my best wishes to the author for his future endeavours.

Lady Bookamore rates this book 3/5

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