The Mahabharata Murders (Arnab Ray) - A Story that held Promise but Failed to Deliver

Any book written with the Mahabharata as a background, has to be riveting, to say the least. The characters are timeless, their characteristics very adaptable. Half the author's job is done already.

The plot begins in an interesting manner, the premise is intriguing. Duryodhana chooses his victim's with care - each is a pervert in his own right and evokes minimal sympathy. In that sense, he becomes the Dharmaraj, cleansing the earth of sexual perverts, drug addicts, even blood suckers. So far so good.

Somewhere, along the twists and turns of Kolkata, the author comes under the pressure of having to "wind up" and "wind down". The police officer has too much dead weight pulling her down. I mean, why does she go on tolerating an abusive, rapist ex husband (sorry state for women's empowerment)? Everybody else seems to have a murderous streak in them and they give in to it with ease too. Too many subplots take up the reader's energy.

I sat up late in the night to finish it because i was gripped. Sadly when I put it down, lets just say, I felt cheated.