Author: Kim Edwards

The book is a masterpiece crafted with beautifully woven words engulfed with emotions that take you across a myriad spectrum. It talks about how a tiny secret in the family snowballs into something greater than ever anticipated.

Dr. David Henry delivers his twins, a baby boy, and a girl on a stormy snowy night. Everything is fine except that the girl has Down’s Syndrome. Dr. Henry is filled with despair. He had been through the avalanche of emotions when he had lost his little sister years ago. Her heart disease had plunged the family into perennial darkness that worsened with her premature death. He doesn’t want his wife to go through the same and gives away the girl to his trusted Nurse Carolline to hand her over to an institution.

The Nurse however is unable to go through it when she sees the apathy in that institution. She brings the baby back home but meanwhile Mrs. Henry who is told her daughter died at birth holds a funeral for the girl who never lived. Carolline decides to keep the baby and Dr. Henry knows about it.

The book travels a span of twenty-five years with two parallel tracks, one of the son Paul and other the daughter Phoebe. It speaks about the disintegration of Dr. Henry’s interpersonal relationships because of this huge secret and his wife’s post-partum depression which spirals out of control. Their relationship hangs by a fragile thread as they co-parent their son.

Carolline struggles with the girl and gradually gets her integrated into society. Eventually Dr. Henry passes away. Carolline decides to take up the onus and reveals it all to Mrs. Henry and the reunion takes place.

The Author has brilliantly crafted the plot with vivid descriptions that take you along with the characters on a heart-warming sojourn. THe book has been developed into a motion picture as well.

Author: Rrashima Swaarup Verma

This light romantic story is set in fast-paced contemporary urban India. The couple Karan and Lisa are as different as chalk and cheese. While Karan is in a conservative kind of a workplace prim with his pin-stripe suits and no-nonsense vibes in his competitive corporate world, Lisa hobnobs with the whos who of the fashion industry. They seem to be a perfect couple, married for five years after a whirlwind courtship. However, the reality is a far cry from this perfection.

The stress of surviving in a cut-throat environment demanding every ounce of their sanity the couple find themselves drifting apart. When it appears things have hit rock bottom, a sudden plan is made in a last ditch effort to save their marriage. They decide to have a ‘break in love’

Will this work in their favour?

The author had interestingly woven the interpersonal relationship of a modern day couple who have everything going for them yet they falter. The story shows how a brief separation at times can help rekindle the flickering embers of a relationship.

A pleasant read!

Author: Jas Kohli

Kuahal Raheja is a hardcore self-proclaimed environmentalist who doesn’t care much about the loud and brazen show-off of wealth and status like others in Ludhiana are prejudiced to do. His is precariously balanced by his stunning wife Reeti who will leave no stone unturned to put up a facade of being rich and happening. To add fuel to the messy fire is his son Lakshya who thinks beyond his years and eventually lands Kushal in trouble. Kushal inadvertently ends up increasing his carbon footprint in the cascading domino effect following an incidental revelation. What follows is chaos and ripple effect in Kushal’s mundane life!

This is a light read filled with sattirical humour. The author had brought out the Ludhiana lifestyle of those genuinely rich as well as those proving they are a part of the elite. One could feel like being a part of Kushal’s life. the author also has managed to write the entire narrative in present tense which is commendable and makes it very interesting.

P.S: The cover is as interesting as the book!!

Available on Amazon

Author: Lee child

I am a huge Jack Reacher fan ever since I first saw the screen adaptation. So even now I could visualise Tom Cruise.
The current novel is the 23rd in its series and yet its essence doesn’t falter.
The two parallel tracks, typical of the author, pan out in their own way. In the first, Jack Reacher on his way to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, takes a detour to the lesser-known town of Laconia in search of his father Stan Reacher’s hometown. However true to his nature, Reacher gets embroiled in fights causing ripples in the sleepy town’s law enforcement.
In the other track Patty and Shorty a young starry-eyed couple, migrants from Canada, reach a motel in the middle of Laconia when their car breaks down. Their refuge however turns out lethal as they are subjected to psychological manipulation before they realize they are in a sinister trap with nowhere to go.
Reacher and his friend reach the motel for a room but are abruptly turned away rousing Recher’s suspicions. What follows is a mind-blowing account of conflicts and a super climax where Lee outdoes himself.
What attracts me to Reacher is his care a damn attitude and superlative observation. That’s a compliment to his creation, the author!

Author: Sapan Saxena.

What happens when a princess dies under mysterious circumstances on the same day as her coronation? Six years later an Investigating officer with the IB accompanied by a local politician and a best-selling author who dabbles with ancient history, gets together to launch an investigation into the death of the princess.

A prophecy made centuries ago consisted of ten riddles, engulfing a powerful secret that could destroy everything in its wake if unraveled. As the trio prod into ancient enchantments involving sacred feminism and Hindu mythology, they realise the disclosure is like quicksand ready to swallow them if they let their guard down. What follows is a dangerous sojourn as they unearth the deepest secrets the province has ever known.

The author’s exhaustive research involving the Mahavidya’s and the Adishakti concept is commendable. The Ardhnarishwar theory has been aptly utilised in the narrative.

Overall an interesting perspective and a treat for mythology/historical lovers.

A little content editing could further improve the narrative.

Available on Amazon.