Body parts of women are appearing around Mumbai and all that is linking them together is some blue sequins. A serial killer could be on the loose and Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput needs to find the missing pieces of this mystery, especially now that his girlfriends could be a victim.
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Fast paced and compulsive I couldn’t figure out who did it fast enough!

Thank you @damyantig  @amazonpublishing @letstalkbookspromo for an advanced copy

The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas was a great example of thinking you have escaped from your past only to have things turn around and put you right back where you started from all over again! Set in Mumbai, this story has you feeling as if you were there - the setting, the smells, the clothing, and the dark side that not many people know about this city. A serial killer is on the loose killing dancers that no one thinks will be missed.. A police investigator has his hands full trying to solve the case while everyone seems to be against him. Along comes Tara who disappeared from his life years ago. It seems like no one can be trusted and you never see what's going to happen next. The best part - there will be a second book in the series!

New to me author and I enjoyed the writing. Thank you to net galley for this arc
This is a great mystery/thriller with police involvement. The book takes place in Mumbai, the description of Mumbai was very detailed, I can picture it like I was there . I love the multiple POV in this book. The details again were amazing.

Detective novels aren't always my favorite but in this story and how it was written I never got bored and always wanted to know more! This is a fast paced thriller that you wont be able to put down until the end. We have crime, multiple POV's, drama with who to trust and people who are working to keep the killer safe. The detective has to figure out the crimes with very little to go on other than blue bloody sequences. He has to solve this before the next victim becomes someone he loves. with very little help due to an underfunded police department he has some big challenges that we get more into during this book. I don't want to spoil anything but if your looking for a fast paced very detailed thriller with lots of action this book is perfect !

First things first, Damyanti Biswas has done a fantastic job with this series debut. Gritty, gripping, keeps you hooked until the end, and completely engrossing police procedural. Well, this is the first police procedural I have read that features an Indian policeman - and is set in Mumbai, the city of dreams.

The writing is peppered with a couple of Marathi, Hindi and Malayalam (just one or two) words - which gave the story an authentic and desi touch.

With all these filmy songs playing in my head, I hope that someday this book gets picked for a TV series or a movie adaptation. Kai bolte ho?

The mystery behind the gruesome murders kept me guessing till the end. Then there's dirty politics - like a LOT. Bribes and double crossings is "yeh toh chalta hai har kahi." This story is so desi that I cannot myself from writing this review in Hinglish, kya?

The story alternates between three/four PoVs: Arnav, Tara and Bilal/the boy. I am including Bilal and the unnamed character (till the end) who's referred to as 'the boy' under under PoV as their narrations inter lap.

Dance bars were common in Mumbai until the government brought about a order to stop them. Almost two decades later, they were given permission and license. This is well-explored in the story - from Tara's disappearance to what made her run away to her life when she was a bar girl.

What I found creepy was the side story of a character who's only known to us readers as 'the boy.' As his identity and past was revealed, I felt a bit sad for what he had to go through. But that's no excuse to become a monster, is it?

Absolutely fantastic storytelling. Excellent character portrayal. A perfect start to a thrilling series. I am eagerly waiting to see what's next for Arnav.

Highly recommended!

The Blue Bar is not a book I would have chosen for myself to read, so I thank NetGalley for sending me a copy of the book. While I would not have chosen this book, it is one I am glad that I read, it is beautifully written and I was taken away to the city of Mumbai.  Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput is working on a cold case of girls who disappear from bars, some found buried without their heads, hands, or feet. He is reminded of Tara, the girl who he fell for and who disappeared fourteen years ago. When Tara reappears, he must keep her safe and learn what happened all those years ago.

This is a mystery suspense with romance,what could be better?  Written in multiple POV, this is a face paced book that kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat with vivid details and intriguing, well written characters. I will definitely be looking for the sequel!

I'm not sure if I read the same book as everyone, unfortunately... While I enjoyed the general plot and police procedural approach, I felt like the book dragged on and on without building much tension. It was often confusing with the multiple PoVs and I had trouble understanding their motivations. With the ending, some elements didn't feel as though they were treated with care and were instead added for the shock factor. I really wanted to like it, but this one just wasn't it for me.

*Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I really struggled with this book to start with it jumped about and didn’t flow very well.
Once I got half way through it I started enjoying it and it flowed better.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this book is getting some serious hype right now and for good reason! I’ve been working almost constantly so far this month and it’s taken me much longer than I anticipated but I’ve finally finished this roller coaster ride of a book! Every chance I had, I was reading it on my kindle or my phone because I had to know what was going on!

A possible serial killer, mystery narrator, missing women, and a determined detective are at the center of book 1 of the Blue Mumbai thriller series. Full of action and a twisty plot that constantly keeps you guessing, The Blue Bar is definitely one to add to your TBR. Especially if you have Kindle Unlimited because you can read it now for free!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advanced copy!

This book grabbed my attention from the start and was so full of atmosphere. This was def a page turning thriller! Writing was well done, story line was interesting and fresh. I loved hearing all about the culture too. This one def met my expectations for sure!

Thanks to @letstalkbookspromo for including me on this tour!

3.5

The Blue Bar is a gritty and immersive police procedural that takes place in Mumbai. Throughout the story we follow Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput, as he tries to battle corruption to connect the bodies found during a real estate development to a series of cold cases dating back 20 years. We also get snippets of the story from other characters involved, including from the killer and from a worker close to the killer who helps get rid of the bodies.

I loved the vibrancy of atmosphere that Biswas was able to create in this story. When she talks about the streets of Mumbai or the heat and humidity of the jungle or the descriptions of food, it felt like I was there. I also liked that we got chapters from outside of Arnav’s perspective. That being said, I struggled a little with the pacing of this book. The first third has so much detail that it really felt like it dragged on only to have the last third be one action packed sequence after another. I get that some of the slow detail building in the beginning was required to get that fast-paced ending but in my opinion the contrast was too jarring and I would have liked some more even pacing throughout.

As a whole, I thought this was a really solid book and would recommend to anyone who wants more diversity in their police procedural stories. I think there is meant to be a sequel which I would be interested in picking up, especially to see some of the fallout of the ending of this book.

This was just.... wow! The setting and the plot are so original. Its the 1st thriller, mystery type I've come across set in Mumbai and it does an amazing job of painting such vivid imagery from the characters lives. It's told through the pov of 4 characters and it's a dark and gritty read that keeps you on he edge of your seat throughout. This isn't a book you can skim whilst you're also chatting to the neighbour, you need to focus because there's just so much going on. I wouldn't say I loved it but I did enjoy how different from 99% of other thrillers it was and that it wasn't just another fluff thriller

Damyanti Biswas’s The Blue Bar is a well-researched and brilliantly written crime thriller set in the city that never sleeps, yes, Mumbai. It is fast-paced, filled with exciting twists and turns, and highly engaging.

Biswas takes us on a rollercoaster ride as we come to terms with Tara’s disappearance, witness the dangerous underworld from close quarters, visit the glitzy bars filled with glamorous bar dancers, take a sneak peek into Bollywood, and shudder as serial killings and unexpected twists are revealed.

The varied narration (four different narrators) helped me understand the perspectives of all the involved characters. The pacing is excellent and there was not a single moment when I wasn’t glued to the device.

Biswas builds and maintains the suspense perfectly. The story is highly visual; right from the mangrove swamps, bars, streets, murders, police procedures, and corruption, to the romance between the leading pair.

There are various supporting characters in this thrilling saga, and they all play their role to perfection.

The ending, however, felt a tad bit rushed. I would have loved to see the direction Arnav, Tara, and Pia’s life takes.

Biswas deals with love, loss, betrayal, crime, death, abuse, and despair with equal ease. That’s definitely commendable! Also, the murder scenes aren’t too graphic in portrayal.

What I really loved about the story is the Indian setting and its raw, honest portrayal. The story is highly Indian in appeal. Indian culture, festivals, customs, and even food are intricately woven into the narration. Despite being almost 3000 miles away from Mumbai, I felt as if I had been physically transported there. My zero knowledge of the city’s topography did not deter me from exploring it. In fact, the author brought the city alive with her authentic, descriptive writing.

Though I have mixed feelings about the translation of lyrics, spelling and factual errors like Malayali music (yeah, that’s not a thing. People from Kerala are called Malayalis, and the music is definitely known as Malayalam) I understand it benefits a wider reader base.

The Blue Bar is a gripping thriller and an immersing read. Excellent pacing, strong plot, and enhanced delivery make it an unforgettable and unputdownable read.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wordsopedia Rating 4.4

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of The Blue Bar. Some of the language and the names were unfamiliar to me so it took me a minute for the book to grab me. When it did, I stopped everything so I could finish it. The writing was great and drew me into the story. I liked how we slowly learned about the killer and why he did what he did even though there were some very graphic scenes that were hard to stomach. Arnav and Tara were great characters and I hope we see more of both of them. If you're looking for a great book with a thrilling ending this is the book for you!

This is a twisty and gruesome thriller that alternates POVs between the killer, a cop who can't look away from the slayings, and a bar dancer who he once loved. The author paints a gritty picture of the Mumbai underbelly: corrupt cops, mafia goons, and desperately poor women just trying to survive. A page turner that kept my heart thumping late at night!

2/5 stars! I appreciated the lush and expansive descriptions of the setting in India but found the story couldn't keep my attention. The sections with Tara were by far the highlight of the story, but following Arnav's story was a slow drag that was challenging to get through. I think the story had potential but the writing just didn't get it there.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a review copy of The Blue Bar, the first novel to feature Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput of the Mumbai Police.

Tara Mondal, wants a way out of exotic dancing so she accepts a life changing amount of money to indulge a fetish, all she has to do is wear a blue sequinned saree and escape the train station within three minutes, but she is never seen again. 14 years later her former lover Arnav is investigating the discovery of three headless skeletons found buried at a development site. He thinks he is hunting a serial killer, his superiors aren’t interested and want the case closed.

The Blue Bar opens with an amazing description of Tara at the train station. It is atmospheric and emotional and I was hooked. Unfortunately I did not remain that way and really struggled to get through the novel. It is way too busy in both the writing and plotting to appeal to me.

The novel is told from various points of view and the timeline flips from past to present. It offers the reader little to get immersed in and identify with. Then, there’s the writing with the author using Hindi words and then translating and explaining them. Why not use footnotes or a glossary as most authors do? It bogs the narrative down in the inconsequential and slows what little momentum there is.

To be fair the action heats up towards the end of the novel, but it is still surrounded by too many words, viewpoints and competing agendas. I think what I’m trying to say is that the novel lacks clarity of purpose. Does it want to be a love story or crime fiction? It can be and is both, but it makes the novel long and meandering and often relegates the investigation to second place, which is not my taste.

The Blue Bar is not for me.

The Blue Bar is an utterly gripping thriller set in the seedy underbelly of Mumbai. Biswas is a talented author whose multi-POV narrative gives us a widescreen overview of the story, with details that are vivid and real, much like a grittier example of the Bollywood movies that are part of the backdrop. I had a lot of time for Arnav, the damaged policeman who is constantly trying to evade his traumatic past by burying himself in work, only to find corruption amid his seniors and friends. However, the real star of the show is Tara, who shows herself to be extremely tough, capable and resourceful through the direst of circumstances. I was rooting for both of them to find happiness. The novel also impressed with a nonstop onslaught of twists and turns, including a final reveal that I never saw coming. Highly recommended to all suspense fans.

This book is part police procedural and part mystery suspense, told in multiple POVs. The setting is in exotic Mumbai, India — a place I’ve never been but has always intrigued me since watching Slumdog Millionnaire. I got a bit confused with the various characters at first but I quickly became familiar with who’s who after a quarter in. There are so many things you can expect from the story - elusive serial killer who decapitates the victims, corrupt government officials, police officers who are in the pockets of mafias, lots of shady characters, some Bollywood stars and a romance thrown in! I truly enjoyed reading this one. I didn’t even try to figure out who the killer was —- the list of suspects was so loooong!😅 I would definitely read the sequel —- although I want more of Arnav, I am also curious about his assistant, Naik. I hope she’ll have her own story too!😉 If you enjoy police procedurals investigating serial killers, then pick this up. Bonus: It’s free on kindle unlimited!

DNF at 48%. I really loved the first half of this book, but then things became very slow and started dragging, and I just really lost interest. I wanted to love this one so much, but sadly, I don’t think it was for me.

This was an interesting thriller! I’ve never read a story set in Mumbai, so it was a nice change from my normal. I had to stop a few times just to google the food names to see what they were eating! Definitely a slow burn, but when the action started I had a hard time putting it down waiting to find out all the secrets.