The crows were making a racket, and a municipal truck was sprinkling water on the streets in an attempt to wash away the dirt of the city.
In Uttaran Das Gupta’s Ritual, bodies of pre-teen girls are turning up all over the city of Kolkata with their hearts surgically removed. The unsolved crimes are soon consigned to the dusty archives until Rukmini Bose, a woman who runs an NGO in the city pushes college flame ACP Ashutosh to investigate. Together with his trusted deputy Pradeep Batabyal, the two policemen tumble across a diabolical scheme involving a religious cult headed by a sinister Yogi called Premananda.
Since I love reading stories set in Kolkata, obviously I was fascinated by the blurb. Crime thriller plus Kolkata. What’s not to love? While the plot - at times - tended towards the macabre, it was one hell of an enjoyable ride. Let’s just say I willingly suspended disbelief to read the novel. The narrative was gripping and the atmospheric descriptions of the city and the weather kept pace with the ominous goings on.
The protagonist ACP Ashutosh, his deputy Pradeep Batabyal and the supporting characters were well fleshed out with fascinating back stories and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. Parallels could be drawn between the fictitious yogi in saffron and his violent followers and real-life figures. To sum it up, Ritual was one hell of a roller coaster ride with an exciting climax. The ending left me wanting more, many questions unanswered. But that is what a good novel does to a reader, right?
In Uttaran Das Gupta’s Ritual, bodies of pre-teen girls are turning up all over the city of Kolkata with their hearts surgically removed. The unsolved crimes are soon consigned to the dusty archives until Rukmini Bose, a woman who runs an NGO in the city pushes college flame ACP Ashutosh to investigate. Together with his trusted deputy Pradeep Batabyal, the two policemen tumble across a diabolical scheme involving a religious cult headed by a sinister Yogi called Premananda.
Since I love reading stories set in Kolkata, obviously I was fascinated by the blurb. Crime thriller plus Kolkata. What’s not to love? While the plot - at times - tended towards the macabre, it was one hell of an enjoyable ride. Let’s just say I willingly suspended disbelief to read the novel. The narrative was gripping and the atmospheric descriptions of the city and the weather kept pace with the ominous goings on.
The protagonist ACP Ashutosh, his deputy Pradeep Batabyal and the supporting characters were well fleshed out with fascinating back stories and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. Parallels could be drawn between the fictitious yogi in saffron and his violent followers and real-life figures. To sum it up, Ritual was one hell of a roller coaster ride with an exciting climax. The ending left me wanting more, many questions unanswered. But that is what a good novel does to a reader, right?
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