Ankita, a BPO employee in Bangalore, is found murdered in her flat a day before her engagement. Her brother Aniket is out of the city and is not traceable. Aniket’s lover, Suganya, and Ankita’s fiancé, Jayesh, are distraught and heartbroken. 

With the media and police spinning stories instead of solving the crime, it’s up to Suganya and Jayesh to get to bottom of the truth. Can they get justice for Ankita? What happened to Aniket? 

The story comes in the first-person POV of Suganya and Jayesh. 

·       The book presents several themes and blends them together rather well. It shows the corruption and lackadaisical attitude of some cops, their reach and connection with the politicians, the role of media in sensitive cases (and how they put the victims’ families at risk for TRPs), the life of BPO employees, the difference in city and village lifestyle, etc. 

·       The story goes back and forth, sharing information in bits and pieces while keeping the plot moving. The pacing dips in the middle but picks up in the final part. 

·       The inclusion of the author’s love of our beloved singer SP Balasubramanium made me smile. Though it doesn’t add to the story, it feels like a nice touch for character development. 

·       The POV switch wasn’t always seamless. The narrators sometimes sound the same, despite having different personalities. 

·       The narration feels jerky in places and overly dramatic in others. Some dialogues are a little too long and clunky. 

·       The pacing is a little uneven as the story focuses more on the past than the present. This isn’t exactly a thriller but a drama with a crime. 

To summarize, The Half Death is a decent attempt and would be a much better read after a good round of editing. The title makes sense when important information is revealed at the end. 

My thanks to the author for sending me a copy of the book. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Detailed feedback has been sent to the author.