BOOK REVIEW OF- Behind the Scenes: A Vikram Rana Mystery (Vikram Rana Mystery Series)

BY Sharmishtha Shenoy

·         Format: Kindle Edition

·         File Size: 2300.0 KB

·         Print Length: 194 pages

·         Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

·         Sold by: Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Private Limited

·         Language: English

·         ASIN: B0771NXNXX

A BRIEF OVERVIEW-

Fading superstar of the Bengali film industry Ryan Gomez is poisoned to death while shooting for a film in the pretty hill town of Darjeeling. Sheila Dhar, the film’s beautiful female lead with whom Ryan had recently broken his engagement is the chief suspect. Sheila attempts suicide and is shifted to a hospital in Kolkata for treatment. The CID, Kolkata, takes over the investigation and the film crew is allowed to move back to the “City of Joy”.
Though revenge for the broken engagement seems the obvious motive for the murder, there are several others who had reason to wish Ryan dead. Powerful film producer Rustom, the love of whose life ended up becoming Ryan’s first wife. Screenplay writer Allan, who was in danger of being fired from the production house thanks to a public tiff with Ryan. Acclaimed film director Paddy, who was in love with Sheila. Sheila’s mother, Jaya, who was strongly opposed to her marrying Ryan. The family of Ryan’s first wife, who bear a deep grudge against him. 
There are suspects galore, but the murderer has not reckoned with the tenacity of Vikram Rana.

THE TITLE

I found the title very apt and thrilling. Apart from the thrill, the word “Behind the Scenes” also tries to bring out that Life has a way of going in circles. Ideally, it would be a straight path forward––we’d always know where we were going, we’d always be able to move on and leave everything else behind. There would be nothing but the present and the future. Instead, we always find ourselves where we started. When we try to move ahead, we end up taking a step back. We carry everything with us, the weight exhausting us until we want to collapse and give up. We forget things we try to remember. We remember things we’d rather forget. The most frightening thing about memory is that it leaves no choice. It has mastered an incomprehensible art of forgetting. It erases, it smudges, it fills in blank spaces with details that don’t exist.
But however we remember it––or choose to remember it––the past is the foundation that holds our lives in place. Without its support, we’d have nothing for guidance. We spend so much time focused on what lies ahead, when what has fallen behind is just as important. What defines us isn’t where we’re going, but where we’ve been. Although there are places and people we will never see again, and although we move on and let them go, they remain a part of who we are.

There are things that will never change, things we will carry along with us always. But as we venture into the murky future, we must find our strength by learning to leave things behind. And Vikram Rana proves the above clause with proper evidences,

REVIEW OF THE BOOK-

There’s an undeniable thrill about meeting a stranger and spending a few hours together, indulging in each other’s lives. It’s that spurt of saying whatever you want and leaving it behind with someone who’ll never look at you and think of it again. The author had beautifully linked up the break up and the suicide attempt, such that the reader already comes to know who the killer was except for the twist.

The concept of revenge was very metaphorically used here.  The broken engagement on one hand seems to be the obvious motive; on the other it displays a very emotional note along with it. The person who hurt you–who raped you or killed your family–is also here. If you are still angry at that person, if you haven’t been able to forgive, you are chained to him. Everyone could feel the emotional truth of that: When someone offends you and you haven’t let go, every time you see him, you grow breathless or your heart skips a beat. If the trauma was really severe, you dream of revenge. Above you, is the Mountain of Peace and Prosperity where we all want to go. But when you try to climb that hill, the person you haven’t forgiven weighs you down. It’s a personal choice whether or not to let go. No one can tell you how long to mourn a death or rage over a rape. But you can’t move forward until you break that chain.

The author had wonderfully drafted the puzzle for Vikram to solve and From this, one can make a deduction which is quite certainly the ultimate truth of jigsaw puzzles: despite appearances, puzzling is not a solitary game: every move the puzzler makes, the puzzle maker has made before; every piece the puzzler picks up, and picks up again, and studies and strokes, every combination he tries, and tries a second time, every blunder and every insight, each hope and each discouragement have all been designed, calculated, and decided by the other.

The case was well set. I felt like the case was made up of tiny puzzle parts that no longer fit together. Imagine working on a puzzle only to find that the final picture can never be complete because one of its pieces is missing. This is exactly what had happened to the case; it had become impossible to put it back together.

But the, How Vikram solves the case?

Read the book from-

https://www.amazon.in/Behind-Scenes-Vikram-Rana-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0771NXNXX

to find out.

RATINGS-

Overall I would like to rate the book 45 on a scale of 50.

5 stars out of 5

1.     Originality of the plot and sub plots- 8/10

2.     Net emotions in the story- 9/10

3.     Usage of words and phrases-10/10

4.     The title, cover and the illustration-10/10

5.     The net impact on the readers- 8/10

Reviewed by-

Sayan Basak

Kolkata