Book Review : Embers of Trust - Part 1: Shadows of Deceit

Book Review : Embers of Trust - Part 1: Shadows of Deceit - Rakesh Vallabha Vaidya

(Pic Courtesy: Amazon Kindle)

This book was recommended by a friend on “X”. When I started reading the book, I had jumped to some “observations”, but pretty quickly realised my folly. As the adage goes “Don’t judge the book by its initial pages”, this book was a beautiful pleasant surprise. A small town with its own ethos is the centre stage for an investigation of a girl. The travails of her mother, secrets buried in the past and her support system that also is part of the journey make for a beautiful opening.

Detective Ethan Blake - Eccentric.. Maverick.. Wonderfully sketched character. I personally liked the characterisation of the Psychiatrist Dr. Joe and intertwining of paths between the missing girl and him. The flow is quite decently paced culminating in a wonderful crescendo that sets up the next instalment beautifully.

My only peeve is that I need to wait for the second part, but that’s a good problem to have. For lovers of fiction, this is a wonderful book.

Highly Recommended Read.

Comments

108 Divine Shiva Kshetras - Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar

Wodeyar family in general have been instrumental in preserving a lot of age-old scriptures, puranas etc by commissioning Asthana Vidwan’s to translate them into Kannada. We are blessed to be savouring the vast ocean of our ancient knowledge thanks to these generous souls. Mysore’s Maharaja H. H. Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar was a scholar par excellence. He has authored many works, one of which is Sri TattvaNidhi . In the 5th Canto, there is a mention of 108 Shiva Kshetras along with the names of the presiding deities (as captured in Srimat Shivasarasangraha ). Disclaimer : This list was published in the special edition of Bharatha Darshana (Feb 2026). This post is to translate the same into English so that it reaches wider audience. Full credit should go to the Bharatha Darshana team for bringing these nuggets to light. 1. Kaivalyashaila - Srikanta 2. Hemakedara - Kedareshwara 3. Varanasi - Vishwanatha 4. Srishaila - Mallikarjuna 5. Prayaga - Nilakanta 6. Gaya -...

Book Review : Aparoksha - Sahana Vijaykumar

Before the book review, I feel there is a strong overlap between the concept of the book - A journey and my own book reading journey. In the recent past, my reading was heavily tilted towards English books / translations and I used to read the originals only when I had to refer something I may have read earlier. This is perhaps my first Kannada book in last couple of years that I have read cover to cover. Starting with a doubt if I will be able to transcend this peak of reading such wonderfully written book to actually enjoying the journey and completing this today, it has been a journey worth remembering. When I was nearing the end of the book, I realised the theme of the book landed up being reflected in my own case. Aparoksha translates to direct inference rather than indirect or perceived knowledge or experiences. To summarise this book into a sentence - This is a philosophical journey of a human who embarks on a journey to discover herself. What is so special about this sel...

Temple Circuit - Divya Deshams, Padal Petra Sthalam - Kerala - Part 1

After Makara Sankranthi, in Kerala, a festive vibe erupts in the form of Purams or annual temple festivals. It is also interesting to note that this is not limited to the Hindu temples, but also quite a few churches that celebrate their Pirannal or birthdays. Driving through the side-roads is an experience to celebrate the vibrant decorations, the DJ powered music (this too exists), Chenda Melam & of course, panchavaadhyam. This time of the year also happens to be the time of Bharani or Puram of Bhagwathis, one of which is close to my paternal ancestral home. When the date was decided to be January 26, I planned to make the most of the opportunity by travelling early and trying to discover and understand the antiquity of some of these kshetrams. As a new found self-motivated objective, I wish to travel and discover these Divya Deshams and Padal Petra Sthalams across the country or beyond. As part of this endeavour, I zeroed in a few kshetras that are relatively near-by to my a...

Bangalore Diaries

Search This Blog