Book Review: A Minute to Death

Book: A Minute to Death

Author: Ganga Bharani

Publisher: Half Baked Beans Publishing

Pages:116

Price: 175 INR

Blurb: Murder most foul or an open-and-shut case of routine suicide?

Young, vivacious and an aspiring writer, Riya wants nothing more from her longtime crush/boyfriend than to let her in on one of his exciting investigations. After all, what better source material for a book than a real life tragedy?

No-nonsense veteran cop, Rohan picks a case of probable suicide to satisfy Riya’s needs. Little does he know that there is more to this case than meets the eye.

What made the victim hang herself at the break of dawn? What is the secret that her group of friends is hiding? Will Riya be able to salvage a workable plot for her upcoming novel out of this case of seemingly simple suicide?

My Rating: 4/5

My Review:

It is not too easy to write a power packed mystery novel in just 116 pages with enough twists and turns, but author Ganga has skillfully done so. From the very 1st chapter, you would be hooked to the book as like Rohan and Riya, you would also be keen to know whether it's a tragic suicide or a cold-blooded murder. 

The police finds a watch stopped at dot 5am and a Kindle that is put in charge from the suicide spot. The Facebook profile of the victim says that she was all happy and hearty till 11.30 am the last night. Then, why would she commit suicide? As Rohan, a sincere cop tried to find out the reason behind the victim's suicide, another suicide occurs in the exact same pattern which intensifies Rohan's belief that it is a case of murder.

Suspects are plenty, but the result always narrows down to zero, resulting in Rohan's frustration. It's a thrill to accompany Rohan and Riya in the journey where they try to figure out the suicide/murder case. It is Rohan's duty as a cop to do so, whereas Riya, an aspiring writer wants to be a part of the case as it would help her in penning a great crime fiction which would make her a successful author. Both of them try hard to connect the dots between the 2 suicide cases until another suicide occurs. 

The character sketches of Riya and Rohan are done extremely well, especially the character of Riya,  which would surely entertain, amaze and flabbergast the readers. The narration is equally good, which makes the book a page-turner. The length of the book is definitely its plus point as it would compel the reader to finish it in one sitting. 

The best thing about any thriller is definitely its climax or revelation and this is where the author scores a perfect 10 from my side. The way the author has joined the dots and presented it to the reader is mind blowing. 

On the flip side, there are quite a few typos in the book. However, the pace of the book is so fast that it compels you to ignore them. 

If you want to read a short and crisp thriller, if you want to rack your brains a bit in solving a suicide/murder case, if you want to find how obsessive a person can be with his/her passion, then pick "A Minute to Death" right away.  

Recommended highly to all thriller lovers!

Buy the book here