I found the beginning of this mystery set in India rather confusing, but was pulled into the story when Police Superintendent Sharma came on the scene. He's a quite likable detective, enough that while this isn't at the top of my mystery list, I will read any potential sequel.

Thank you to netgalley I received this as an ARC.
This was a very good Thriller. I enjoyed the mystery aspects as well. There were some moments I felt I wanted more from the story but I still really enjoyed it. I gave it a strong 4 star.

An enjoyable murder mystery set in India with such a blend of characters you cannot help but love how the plot unravels. Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

Set in the Himalayan foothills, this murder mystery is the quint essential sleuth detective story with a beautiful backdrop.

As the novel starts out on the balcony of the Bhardwaj’s couple on a gorgeous morning, it develops into a story with detailed background of the family affairs and upbringing of these characters that led their marriage to that day. Not only has their long marriage been rocky, but the drama of inheritance and bitter grief has set a shaky foundation for the “success” they have built. So intertwined and complicated are the relationships to the rest of the family that one could say, hatred that created lies has short legs, because it will always come to light and get you back.

Sharma, the superintendent of the Police and his co-inspector Rawat are investigating the murder of Devika Singh. Employed by Dr. Bhardwaj at the hospital, she turns out dead, which some say might be the final pay-back for her nasty ways to others. Devika had a reputation for being knifing and rude to others most of her life. A connection that goes back to the Bhardwaj’s family seems at first look to stem from an affair she’s had, but ultimately a twist in the plot changes the entire investigation, but not after another tragic death has occurred. Could this have been avoided?

A case of family drama, animosities and backstabbing awaits Sharma, but his experience will crack the case old-school.

***

My reading experience of this book was that of a long one. Many witness accounts and interviews made it a slow moving process to read through. However, the writing was well done and the curve balls well played. Each chapter began with a famous quote. Each of them rather good. A lot of highlighting in my kindle happened there. I thought they were cleverly placed allowing wordplay to elude to the content of the next chapter.

This book is promising. The setting is fantastic. I haven’t read a sleuth story in a while. So, if you enjoy them too, I recommend TIED TO DECEIT.

I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you kindly.

Okay this book was better then I expected. I loved all the twists and turns this book delivers. The characters are pretty cool as well as the setting.

I normally read books set in the UK as I enjoy the familiarity of the places, people, customs etc. However, I really enjoyed this book set in a completely different location as well as time. Lots of suspects to analyse and try and work out 'whodunit'. I would say if you are like me and are seeking something different from your usual books then give this a go. A bit slow paced at times but great ending!

Enjoyable police procedural with a historical perspective on northern India. Interesting characters and plot, Great for people interested in historical and international mysteries.

I believe this is the author's first novel; let me say that I hope she will write many more. This is more of a slow-paced mystery, but it was a very satisfying read. Set in India, the geography, language and culture all play an important role in the book. Superintendent of Police Vishwanath Sharma is a rather inscrutable, laid-back character, and slowly but surely brings the mystery to an end.

Devika Singh, a receptionist at the hospital in the town of Sanover, was not the most popular individual. She was having an affair with the chief doctor, she was instrumental in the suicide of a pregnant young girl… pretty much the complete package. So it comes as no particular surprise when she is found murdered.

The Superintendent of Police, Vishwanath Sharma, investigates and soon finds that the list of people with motives is much longer than he anticipates. As he delves into the personal lives of the primary suspects, and the links between them – both open and hidden – it seems that what seemed to be a straightforward case of murder may be far more complex than anyone anticipated…


Another debut novel that I have the pleasure of bringing to your attention via the blog, following Christopher Huang’s A Gentleman’s Murder, and another book that is very much in the style of the classic mystery – hey, that’s in the name of the blog! What a lucky coincidence. And Neena H Brar, just like Christopher Huang, not only lives in Canada but also, and probably more importantly to you, dear reader, is channelling Dame Agatha here, with a fairly finite set of suspects. But while Christopher was going for the puzzle plot with a healthy dose of character, here Neena is balancing the two aspects the other way round – a character-driven novel with a decent puzzle plot. In both cases, the two elements are strong, but the mystery here, while definitely worth your time, is a more straightforward affair. I suppose the best analogy here would be to compare A Gentleman’s Murder to Peril At End House and Tied To Deceit to The Hollow. Both strong books from Dame Agatha, but each with a different emphasis.

The author takes time as the tale develops to build up the atmosphere and the characters and the location – a town in the Himachal Pradesh state of India – makes for an unfamiliar setting for this reader at least, in a similar way to some historical mysteries. One word of advice – my review copy had a glossary at the back of the book which I didn’t discover until I got to the back of the book – I’d suggest the reader use it for some local words whose meanings were unknown to me and that I couldn’t always work out from the context of the text. That’s the problem with review copies – no contents at the beginning to let me know!

All in all, a satisfying debut novel that fans of character-driven mysteries will enjoy a lot. Well Worth A Look.

I was really looking forward to reading this book that is marketed as 'a remarkable whodunnit' and it is good, it's just quite hard going at times and gosh, but, there are a lot of complex characters to remember.

What I really enjoyed were the quotes at the beginning of each chapter and, don't get me wrong, it's a good read. I just wish I'd come across the Glossary at the back first!

A young woman is found murdered and there are many suspects. It's not easy to guess who the murderer is and that's great. It also has much about Indian culture that was very interesting.

Not fast-moving and you do have to stick with it, but, it's worth it.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguide books for a review copy of Tied to Deceit, a début police procedural set in the town of Sanover, Punjab in the early 1970s.

When Devika Singh is murdered Superintendent Sharma and his trusty sidekick, Sub-Inspector Rawat, are charged with the investigation but it's less than straightforward as the more they investigate the more they realise that Devika kept many secrets and each secret supplies another motive and suspect.

I thoroughly enjoyed Tied to Deceit which is an absorbing read with a good mystery, an interesting victim, an exotic location and a fascinating glimpse of Indian society at the time. It had me hooked from start to finish with the way it is plotted and written. It is not a fast moving book as it relies on Superintendent Sharma's interviews with various characters and his intuition to move forward but every chapter provides a fresh revelation for the reader to ponder and try to fit into their existing knowledge. I like the way it follows a logical, believable path with a mostly linear timeline. The language in the novel can be convoluted at times but I think it strikes the right note for the setting and era.

The novel opens with doctor's wife Gayatri Bhardwaj reflecting back on the murder, a year after it happened. How she is involved quickly becomes apparent and it is a neat touch to start the novel with her thoughts and deductions as it ends in the same way, a nice symmetry when most of the novel is told from Sharma and his investigation's point of view.

Despite the fact that she is dead Devika Singh is the protagonist in the novel because it is her past and actions which take centre stage and drive Sharma's investigation. Who knew one woman could have so many enemies and leave such a trail of destruction behind her? She was not a nice woman, stunningly beautiful physically she had an ugly personality, being completely self centred. It is fascinating to see how others react to her and much of it rings true in its detail. I was fascinated to see how this wayward woman is condemned by the society of the time as she is too modern for the majority.

Tied to Deceit won't be for every reader but I liked it and have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

4 stars
I would call this a cerebral mystery, in that there is only 1 murder and little violence. Superintendent of Police Vishwanath Sharma is assigned to the murder of Devika Singh in the town of Sanover, Himachal Pradesh, located in the Himalayan foothills. He and Sub-Inspector Arjun Rawat begin a slow, methodical investigation into the murder, interviewing witnesses and building up a portrait of the murdered woman. Devika Singh was a manipulative woman who took advantage of almost everyone that she met. She had many enemies. As Sharma and Rawat begin to piece together clues to her murder, the reader is led down some false paths, but they discover hidden secrets about her and some of her acquaintances.
I enjoyed this mystery, but it was a little slow at times. I read it in 4 days.
Some quotes:
Sharma's wife describing her husband "Slowly, she had come to terms with the fact that he was not one of those husbands who help with children and other household chores."
Sharma's method "To suspect everything and trust nothing in a murder investigation had always been Sharma's motto in the two decades of his police career."
Thanks to Penguide Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley

Sorry, this one just isn't for me. I found the writing quality quite poor and couldn't continue past chapter two. I won't review the book on Goodreads as I didn't finish.

This is a copy provided by the publisher and the author in exchange of an honest review. Thank you to them! 

This book was an amazing surprise! I have to tell you that the author captivated my attention since the very begining to the end. The plot structure is one of things that I liked the most, to me a good book has to have these on point like a way to guide my reading.

Another thing I enjoyed was the clues given in a slow and measured way. The whole mystery environment was created around the unveiling gradually which in turn made my reading more addictive. There has not been the typical breakthrough of the development of history, which in my view has become quite a favor in the linear structure of events and as well my immersion in history. The boredom never arose in contrast the complexity was gradually increasing with interaction of the characters thus, demonstrating the density that a good thriller has to cherish.

One of the main characters, the investigator Sharma, was without a doubt one of the great engines for the whole plot. For me it was the character who most fascinated me in the sense of being a totally out of the ordinary investigator, he was aware of his abilities and not arrogant, cautious and not impulsive. More points to that!!

In addition, the author makes the effort to provide an accompaniment through the thought of each character in the unfolding, making everything even more interesting. In this prespective, the characters became more dense and not so artificial, demonstrating their fragilities and fears rather curious.

Regarding the story I found it dense and constantly changing, now I was thinking of a line of reasoning as following everything changed. From part two the story evolves into layers that are explored by the characters. Involved their past, the characters become dense and consequently everything makes this genre of book full of mystery and even more intriguing.

Another aspect that I liked to highlight is the fact that small points of Indian culture were introduced during the plot, so it was very pleasant to contact this dimension making everything even more real and cohesive. In addition, the author made the point of attaching a glossary that allows the reader to find out more about what they are reading about some words that appears. So it was a good idea!

One aspect that I didn't liked so much was the fastest ending, not that it wasn't good, because it was very fascinating! But I felt that I needed more layers to ending the story! Since the whole story was created that way, with density at least the ending should be that way too!

So all the conditions that I said before are reunited and detailed now and I can only say that is definitly a good thriller!!

Highly recomended to all that enjoy reading thriller and mysteries books.

Happy readings, 

Next to a Book!

How does did it feel to be trapped in the gilded cage of privileged womanhood for women in India in the 1970s? Tied to Deceit provides insight to answers to that question and many more in this thoughtfully crafted murder mystery that pulls double duty as commentary on marriage and gendered expectations in a society that's entrenched in a variety of caste systems.

My feeling that this engaging title has so much potential to become a more richly developed series made it a 2-star ("worth reading" on my scale) read for me.

This crime novel was not for me. For my taste it was too slow paced, no suspense at all, no characters to emphasize with, too many descriptions of clothes and furniture.

The story is placed in India 50 years ago, we learn about family structures, arranged marriages, many devorces, greed and jealousy, but it did not touch me.

This was a very quiet yet satisfying mystery set in a small town in India. When a young woman named Devika is murdered, there are many suspects as she was considered rude and unlikable and was also having an affair with the brilliant doctor for whom she worked. So many people are questioned and many clues are slowly revealed as Sharma and his team work to uncover the circumstances surrounding the murder as well as motives as her life held many secrets unknown to those closest to her. If you enjoy a good literary thriller, this is a lovely one--not as fast-paced as some I've read--but quite a wonderful debut with many facets that will leave you wondering up until the killer is revealed.

This is a slow paced mystery based in India.
Thank you to Net Galley and Penguide book for the Advanced Reader Copy. This is my honest review.

A young woman, Devika, is found murdered. She was attractive and she was having an affair. She is unpopular at the hospital where she works. Devika was also disliked by her members of her own family because she chose to be independent and live apart from her husband. It turns out she has also abandoned a child who had Down's Syndrome.

There are numerous suspects for Devika's murder. Everyone seems to have a possible motive - her lover, Dr Bhardwaj, the rich and successful senior doctor who is admired by everyone. Mrs Bhardway, who knows about her husband's infidelities but puts up with them. Other members of the victim's family who felt ashamed by her conduct. Her estranged husband. Other members of staff at the hospital, who resented her favourable treatment by Dr Bhardwaj and who had, at one time or another, been exposed publicly by Devika.

We follow Detective Vishnawath Sharma and his assistant, as they painstakingly question all the suspects and piece together the life of Devika. They put together her final days and find out who killed Devika and why.

The story was very slow moving.
There is a great deal of detail about each individual and how they lead their lives.
In fact, the book felt to me more like an exploration of contemporary Indian life than a murder mystery. In delving into the personal lives of these people, the author shows us the clashes of modern and old society, the difficulties faced by women and the strictures imposed by expectations. This took up most of the book, with the mystery taking a low-key, back seat.

Bottom line - I think the literary feel to this book didn't fit with the mystery side.

**Thank you to Net Galley and Penguide book for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.**
This is not a thriller, it’s a mystery. Once you keep that in mind the book is more enjoyable. The way the plot is written makes you guess pretty quickly who the murderer is but then there are so many other details that you let yourself forget your initial hunch. For that this book gets an extra half star. The story is more domestic drama along with a murder mystery. In terms of the wiring I think a heavier hand is required at editing. The language in a few places is unnecessarily complex. Also the use of Indian words will make this book a tad harder to read but if the ebook can have the words linked to the glossary it will be a lot easier. Going back to the glossary, searching ur word and continuing reading is a hassle.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguide Books for the eARC.
Set in a small town in India, this clever mystery is a huge treat. Having lived in India as a kid, I love books set there and this one is particularly good.
Devica Singh, a beautiful young woman, is murdered. She was vain, heartless and ruthless and universally hated in the community, so there are plenty of possible suspects. We are afforded many peeks into her life, showing why so many people could have wanted to kill her. She was definitely an accident waiting to happen...quite a piece of work!
SP Sharma, the detective, has an almost impossible job solving the murder; there are so many candidates for the killing. Like an onion, he peels the layers of Devica's life in order to figure out the case and the ending of the book was a shocker to me, great stuff!
The characters are very well drawn and I particularly liked the depiction of the strong women.
All in all this is more than an excellent mystery; it's good literature, a book to get your teeth into with gusto, Highly recommended!