// Masala and Murder by @patricklyonsofficial

I always enjoy a good whodunnit story even more so if it includes Indian characters. When Masala and Murder came in the mail, I was understandably quite excited. The blurb seemed interesting and when I finished reading the first page, I realised that I just couldn't stop. The author himself is an Anglo-Indian and he has cleverly created a protagonist who is one as well. To a great degree, I did enjoy this novel but it did have certain lags. Continue reading to know why.

When a Bollywood actress dies in Australia during a film shoot, Samson Ryder is hired in the capacity of a PI to solve the case. Ryder feels that it's nothing more than a case of natural death but a series of events eventually changes his mind. When he lands in Mumbai to dissect the case, he quickly understands that things aren't as black and white as they seem to be. He finds himself in a maze, talking to multiple suspects at a time until he finally cracks down on the real murderer.

For any murder mystery to work for me, there are two things that are very important. First is the constant guessing game that eventually leaves me surprised when the killer is revealed and second is the character development. Patrick ticks both the boxes. But what was problematic for me was his constant use of Western gaze while writing about Mumbai. There was a steady description of its grime and poverty and it eventually became too much for me. Certain observations were unnecessary, simply prolonging the plot.

But, hear me out. Masala and Murder is in fact a well written book. It's pacy and gripping, two ingredients that elevates a whodunnit story. He is in fact working on a sequel and I'm excited to read it whenever it's done.

Thank you for the copy @niyogibooks