This is the first in the series and was a fast paced book with lots going on. The characters were well drawn and the storyline compelling. Looking forward tonreading more from the author.

This author creates well-drawn, complex characters, and knows how to build tension and drama that hold readers to the end. With several plot twists it managed to keep me guessing until the end. Even then I was surprised. I’m not easily surprised.

3.5★s
The Dance Of Death is the first book in the Inspector Sharma Thrillers series by Kenyan-born British author, C.V. Chauhan. New to his role as a Detective Inspector, Rohan Sharma is surprised to be given the lead on a murder case, and without a mentor. The body of a young South Asian woman is found in a field by a farmer. Bizarre mutilations and positioning of the corpse, letters carved in a nearby tree, other decorations and artefacts, and no apparent cause of death, all lead to multiple avenues that require investigation.

Rohan is dismayed when the local TV reporter turns up on site before the body has even been identified, and he correctly assumes that someone in the team is leaking information to the media. Worse still, it’s not until some time into the investigation that he learns of a similar murder, the victim a Somalian refugee, some sixteen months earlier. And while his Superintendent seems to be supportive, it’s clear that not all of his colleagues are.

Separated from his wife, and missing his daughter and son, support at home consists of (mostly) encouraging sentiments offered by his elderly African Grey Parrot, and occasional welfare checks from his parents. Long hours at work, poor sleep and exhaustion have him second guessing himself when odd little things happen at home, but text message tip-offs designed to create disharmony in his team cause him to suspect the murderer is playing games.

When another young girl goes missing, her influential father demands action. But the team keeps hitting road blocks and dead ends. And then it gets personal for Rohan.

Among a rather large cast of mostly one-dimensional characters, Rohan is fairly likeable and there’s plenty of scope for development with his personal history, but a favourite character is likely to be Fernando the parrot.

Chauhan does pack a lot (perhaps too much) into this crime thriller: as well as the leaks, cover-ups and police incompetence, the story features domestic violence, an LGBTQA aspect, Hindu mythology, necrophilia, racism, and snakes. And while there are many red herrings, some of these are never discounted or explained; similarly, the result of follow-up on some of the potential leads is never mentioned. The author’s fingerprints can be seen in some places that feel like quick-fixes of plot holes.

The story has plenty of action, especially in the later chapters, quite a high body count, and the reader certainly needs to don their disbelief suspenders for the final reveal. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see what Rohan Sharma gets up to in the sequel, Shattered Dreams.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Sapere Books.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Sapere Books for a review copy of The Dance of Death, first novel to feature DI Rohan Sharma of Leicestershire Police.

Sharma is newly promoted and surprised to be given his first murder investigation so quickly. A young Asian woman has been found murdered and mutilated in a farmer’s field. When Sharma finds links to the murder of a Somali girl the year before he redoubles his efforts but meets resistance from his colleagues.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Dance of Death, which has a compulsive plot, full of twists and turns. After the prologue it is told from Sharma’s first person perspective and that brings both good and bad points. Sharma is good, law abiding officer who occasionally kicks against the rule book in a good cause, but, man, is his life boring, it’s all work, microwave dinners and classical music with only his parrot to wind him up and keep him company.

The plot is exciting and gets quite tense towards the end. The killer is inventive in what he does and how he taunts Sharma and his motive is fairly obscure to Western readers unfamiliar with Hinduism. I found the explanations informative and educational without being didactic.

Sharma becomes a victim of institutional racism as the case progresses. I was sorry to see this as he is a competent and likeable character, but I probably shouldn’t have expected anything else with his bosses being old white men. Still, he lives to fight another day and I’m looking forward to it.

The Dance of Death is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Wow, what a great story. I really enjoyed this one. C V Chauhan has done a wonderful job with no only the tense and interesting plot, but also creating a great character in Detective Rohan Sharma. I couldn’t read it fast enough.
Detective Rohan Sharma’s life certainly isn’t perfect. Trying to catch up with his kids after becoming divorced has it’s challenges, especially when your job isn’t a Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 gig. He’s now in charge of a gruesome murder investigation of a young woman, and unfortunately there’s a possibility this isn’t the killers only victim.
From start to finish this was a splendid book, and I’d certainly recommend it. 5/5 Star Rating.

Rohan Sharma is the lead investigator in an abduction/torture/murder investigation. He doesn't have it easy, with colleagues not being as supportive as he would hope, recently divorced and missing his children, it seems everything is against him and that he's destined to fail on his first major investigation. And to add to the mix, there could be a serial killer out there with links to other possible murders, but no rhyme or reason why!

A fabulous compelling crime thriller, with interesting multi-cultural snippets of information to add to the mix. I will definitely be reading more from this author and look forward to the next in the series.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review**
I would rate this book 4 out of 5 (The system wouldn't allow me to select for some reason!)

triggers, murder, murder-investigation, mutilation, law-enforcement, England, multicultural, divorce, diverse-cultures, family-dynamics, family, friendship, sorrow, grief, grieving, abduction, suspense*****

Inspector Sharma is forced to cancel his weekend with his children and gets a lot of noise from his ex and his parents. But the parents of the victim have it a lot worse. A young woman has been abducted, tortured and murdered. Now comes the due diligence, less than supportive co-workers, plot twists, red herrings, and several cultures involved. A hard but excellent read.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Sapere Books via NetGalley. Thank you

The Dance of Death by C. V. Chauhan.
Inspector Sharma Thrillers Book 1.
When a young Asian woman is found murdered in a particularly brutal fashion, the Leicestershire police force are put on high alert to find the killer.
Really good read. I'm looking forward to more in this series. 4*.

This is an absolutely compelling crime thriller from the author! Intricately plotted with excellent characterisation and filled with suspense. The body of a young woman is found in Leicestershire and detective Rohan Sharma is the lead investigator. His marriage has broken up and his colleagues appear to be working against him. The pace is fast and filled with twists in this high octane thriller which I highly recommend. I hope there is more to come from this author, especially detective Sharma. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

The Dance of Death is the first book in a new series starring Inspector Sharma and is a very fast paced page turning crime thriller that shows promise for future books.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review**

A really enjoyable thriller with all of the detective work that I enjoy. I liked the multi-cultural feel of the story and the main character was likeable yet still had a believable amount of flaws. I enjoyed learning more about Leicester too.

A twisty plot line with lots of peril.