(Pic Courtesy : Amazon)
This was a book recommended by Smt. Sudha Murthy on her twitter handle as part of her monthly recommendations and which was further shared by my dear friend, docphiloshoper on twitter. A lover for a good thriller mixed with history and intrigue, I was instantly drawn to this book, kept me hooked on long enough to complete the same in one sitting. This book is also the first instance where I made my review notes in my journal and hence, it’s a bit extra special personally for me.
The book is set in Salzburg, Austria, with some motivated forces determined to create havoc during an international convention held in a famous historical hotel. In parallel, there is the case of a missing person, husband of a local history expert. The story opens in the early part of 20th century and quick shifts gears to the modern context where the story is set. The protagonist is Re Parkar, an Indo-French investigative journalist, who also gets visions of potential tragedies like a clairvoyant and decides to come to the hotel whose manager is his friend too. Joining forces with the grieving wife searching for lost husband, a police officer who tries to juggle between his emotions and the calls of his duty, the trio set out to unravel the mysteries of a treasure hunt, designed and set by the illustrious owner of the hotel. The story ends with a revelation of unknown assailants and how the various stories and threads are intertwined.
The book gives a wonderful historical picture of Salzburg, with the characters getting into a conversation delving into the historicity and background of the various structures and significance in the context of the local culture. The rich description of the local historical and religious landmarks coupled with the lore is one of the best parts of the book. The writing of the author is quite well paced, holding the imagination and attention of the reader at all times. At no instance does one feel disconnected or disenchanted.
However, as a reader, I couldn’t help but draw parallels with lot of famous books and characters of fiction books. Re Parkar is heavily influenced by his French mother, which he also acknowledges later on in the book, is quite evident with the liberal splashing of the French words like “mon Ami, Eh Bien”. However, this would remind one of the most famous detective of our times, Hercule Poirot. I am not sure if this is an ode to the famous Belgian detective, but one can’t miss the similarities between the 2 detectives.
The story has many parallels with Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons with the way the clues are connected or with secret organisations like SSS which resembles the Priory of Sion.
Lastly, Re Parkar is expected to be pronounced as री , but would be read more as रे . In other words, Re Parkar sounds phonetically similar to Dre Parker from The Karate Kid. I am not sure if this accidental or really an ode to another famous movie.
The writing of the author is quite good. I would definitely recommend this book to all fiction / historical-fiction lovers. Recommended Read.
P.S: I read the book on Kindle
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