Book Review: Sirens spell danger

Sirens Spell Danger by Suresh Chandrasekaran

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up Sirens spell danger today and couldn't put it down (figuratively) till I had completed the book. A collection of three novellas based on the theme “Sirens spell danger”, this book keeps you engrossed till the very last page.

The first of the series “Femme Fatale” by C. Suresh revolves around Vikram aka Vicky who finds himself attracted to Tanya whom he meets at a Pub. Allowing his attraction to get the better of him, Vicky lands himself in the midst of a triple murder and potential bombings in Bangalore. How he manages to escape and the twists and turns the events take before eventually evading a terror attack is what forms the crux of this story. Suresh does a fine job of engaging the reader through what would otherwise be termed as a fairly straightforward plot. His descriptions help the reader sketch vivid images of the story thus making it seem more real and life-like. Readers in India, especially from Bangalore, will be able to associate well with the story given the premise it is based on and the real life possibility of such an incident actually taking place. At times the writing seems to get a repetitive tone but overall it was a wonderful read.

“Bella Donna” by Radha Sawana is anything but a giveaway. An industrialist gets murdered with the murderer leaving no clue behind save for a calling card that signifies “Atropos”. Already flummoxed, the investigating team led by Detective Inspector Shardul Reham gets pulled further into the investigation with the discovery that this could possibly be a serial killer at large. With not many clues to go by, the team work out the ones left behind by the calling card to relate the three murders that have taken place. Their investigation leads them to a point where they realize there could potentially be two more murders in the offing. Does the killer succeed? Or does Shardul manage to bring an end to the serial killings forms the crux of this story. Radha brings in a final twist towards the end which makes the journey through this novella all the more interesting and reveals the meaning of the title. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter give the novella a different touch however at a few places they could have probably been kept concise. They tend to distract the reader while they are in the flow of reading what happens next. All in all Bella Donna was thoroughly engaging and a gripping read.

While the first two novellas focus on investigative plots, the final piece “Bellary” by Karthik L tackles a vastly different topic. The story starts with Jay an IB stalwart being deputed to check on a missing CBI agent with suspicions revolving around ISI involvement. Right from the word go he gets engulfed in unexpected attacks and a trip to the prison. What starts of as a case of a missing CBI agent and murky wars between two mining barons goes down a twisted road to an unexpected finish. With well crafted words, Karthik brings in a thrilling flow to the story. The plot however would have earned more depth had threads such as how Jay is identified to be a descendant of Krishna Deva Raya and “children of the light” had been fleshed out a bit more. All said and done, the story keeps you engaged all throughout.

On reaching the last page of this excellent collection of Novellas, I was left asking for more. Each story was as promising as the next, were delivered at a very good pace and lived up to expectations. For a self published book, the effort put in is phenomenal, the only area where it could have done with more would probably be editing however that does not play a spoil sport in the overall experience. This is a collection that ought to be read by all, especially aspiring authors who I am sure can learn quite a bit from these three.

I rate this as a 5/5 due to the sheer talent, creativity and skills displayed by these three bloggers who otherwise have no professional qualification in the field of writing. This book is well worth the price and deserves a read. You can purchase the book at Sirens spell danger

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