3.5 stars

The plot of the book is slower and only the mystery starts happening around the 60% mark. The writing of the book is rather simple and I did enjoy the diversity of characters in the book. The slight mixture of Indian culture is rather nice as well in the book in terms of the amount of food they have mentioned in this book.

I would say this is more of a cozier mystery vibe, i hoped that the mystery was more prominent but instead it only started at the later half of the book.

It's a good book for a debut author if you want a more slower pace of book and a more fun vibe rather than books like Freida McFadden

As someone who LOVES watching medical drama shows (Grey's Anatomy, HOUSE, ER, etc) I am always fascinated by the medical field and LOVE a good mystery, especially a cozy murder mystery. Unfortunately, this book doesn't even get to the murder until about the 60% mark, which is WAY too late in the book. After the murder, it seemed like everything was rushed, as if the author realized they only had so many pages left and had a lot of story they wanted to continue telling, maybe setting us up for a series.

I felt like even though the first 59% of the book was building up to the murder, it didn't really help me get to know the characters well, and maybe that was because there were too many characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and Amplify Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this cozy medical murder mystery! It’s unique in that I’ve never seen medicine put together with detectives in quite the same way before. It was a very fun enjoyable read, I liked the writing style of the author and the characters were well developed. My 4 star rating instead of 5 star is that I felt that it was a little obvious who the killer was. However, the clues and following the trail was enjoyable the whole way through! I would look forward to reading more books from Niru Mohandas. I have a background in occupational therapy and so I enjoyed the medical lingo, but still it’s not overdone for those who have never been introduced before.

Overall.. Very fun and enjoyable cozy mystery with a unique story telling!

Neena is a medical student on her first surgical rotation. In addition to adjusting to this new fast-paced environment of the hospital, clinical rotations, and studying, her classmates begin to have some unexplained accidents the culminate in the discovery of a dead body! Neena along with her co-interns and residents need to work together to solve this mystery.

I found the concept of this novel to be very intriguing, however I felt the pacing to be a bit slow in the beginning. There were a lot of characters to get to know, but the second half went by in a flash! I'm hoping this is the beginning of a series - I'm excited to see where Neena and her friends go next!

I'm so grateful to Amplify Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

This was an enjoyable and very light cozy mystery. I loved the characters here, and the Desi representation. However, if you want a very satisfying, heavy duty mystery, this may not be the book for you. While I enjoyed reading about Neena's day to day life, the buildup to the murder was extremely slow and very late in the story. I would recommend this story for someone who doesn't want a heavy story at all and just a little bit of excitement.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! I was very excited about this book because it seemed so different than most murder mysteries and as someone in the medical field I was curious on how accurate the medical side of things were. The biggest issue I had was the book didn’t get to the murder until after 60% in. And then the book flew by, almost feeling rushed. I feel like all of the “ground work” in the first half of the book, wasn’t very substantial. I still felt like I didn’t know the characters that well and we could have got to the plot quicker with less unnecessary build up. If I hadn’t seen the reviews that said it didn’t happen until the last part of the book, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. I will say, the medical side of things was pretty accurate. Somethings weren’t but I also wonder if things were different in the time frame the book was written (90’s). Overall, it was fine but wasn’t quite the page-turner I was hoping for.

{I was provided free access to a digital version of this book thanks to NetGalley! All opinions are my own.}

It always guts me to give a low score to a debut, but this one just had too many issues for me.

"A Pre-Med(itated) Murder" tells the story of Neena, a third-year student doctor just beginning her hospital rounds. The book spends a lot of time showing the first few days of the students' rotation and introducing a full cast of characters. Unfortunately, the characters weren't well developed. There was a pretty girl who was nice, a pretty girl who wasn't nice, a student from India, a clutz, a rich socialite... the list goes on, but the characters never really get further than skin deep.

Even the main character, Neena, is not very interesting. I'd hoped that the book would dive more into her Indian culture, but instead, there were a lot of stereotypes. She was a hardworking child of immigrants who did well in school but was nervous to fail in a male-centered field.

The students discuss a curse on third-year surgical students after one of Neena's classmates, Raj, is almost pushed into oncoming traffic. Then, another friend of Neena's, Neel, is injured by a "door closing mechanism" (there was no better phrase for this?)

Eventually (and PAINFULLY DEEP into the book at 59%), there is a murder. Neena and her fellow students/friends have to put together clues that Neena has been noticing throughout the book to solve it. Neena finds herself hit by the curse after she provides information to a detective about the murder, only to be attacked later that night.

Unfortunately, thanks to the clue left by the murder victim, it was pretty clear who the murderer would be. And even though I didn't necessarily guess their motive, there were enough clues to figure that out as well, and it wasn't particularly an inventive backstory.

However, my biggest complaint about this book was the writing style. It makes sense that the author is a doctor herself because the writing was very dry and clinical. The conversation didn't flow the way it does between real people, and almost all of the characters spoke the same (except for the maintenance man, who randomly said things like "tarnation.")

Some examples of the awkward writing style, when two characters were trying to figure out how to get a parked car out of a tight spot:

"'It does seem to be a very tight fit, but I'm sure you can extricate it,' was the encouraging response."

The author also used certain words over and over again. Many things were described as "lovely" and many things were "proffered" to people.

Unfortunately, I couldn't give this one a good score. I didn't particularly enjoy it, did not find the mystery compelling, was disappointed how late the main plot point hit in the story, and the writing style was cold and clunky. I do feel like I have to blame the editor a bit on this one, because it seems like these could have been relatively easy fixes that would have raised the score.

*SPOILERS BELOW*

I have absolutely no idea why, when asked by Ron why she was in the stairwell after she witnessed his fight with Linda, Neena lied? Not finding parking and having to take a different route through the hospital was a perfectly good reason to have taken the stairs. Her lie could have gotten her in way more trouble than just answering the question.

This was just one of several parts of the story that didn't feel like they were fully thought through, though the others weren't memorable enough to note.

This is the first book I've read by this author, and while I found the main character Neena likable, the story itself didn't really work for me.

Neena is a third-year medical student who has just started her clinical rotations. She meets new friends along the way and is really enthusiastic about finally ditching her books to train hands on. Everything is going well.....that is until her and her friends stumble upon a dead body. After witnessing the crime scene, Neena and her friends are determined to get to the bottom of it before anyone else gets hurt.

Neena is so likable. You can truly feel her genuine love for her field and her patients. As one who works in the medical field, I could easily immerse myself into Neena's world. My favorite part about this book was the characters. The group of friends gave me major Scooby-Doo vibes, which was super lovable. The setting and her interactions with her peers and patients really made this story.

I will say, I personally didn't love the pacing of the story. The mystery didn't unfold until about halfway through the book. There was a lot of world building involved. That being said, once everything was revealed, I enjoyed the ending. It was a fun short read!

Thank you to NetGalley & Amplify Publishing for the eARC and congratulations to Niru Mohandas for a wonderful debut novel!!

I was hooked from the start.

I was so excited to receive this cause I loved the blurb and was super excited to start this.

This did not disappoint. Such an exciting and interesting premise.

As a medical professional myself. I love reading this kinda books.

And it was quite accurate and very well written.

Loved this. Tq for the opportunity

An awesome read. A beautiful medical mystery filled with suspense and lots of drama. Until the very end, one would not have guessed the motive and the actual killer.
This book gives a good insight to the wheels behind hospital operations, the daily activities and helps one have a better understanding and an appreciation for all who work in the hospital. A beautiful read.
Neena's level of organization, attention to details and determination is superb. Cecilia, Neel, Raj and all other characters bring a lot of spice and excitement to the story. Thoroughly enjoyed the way the friends created a unique bond as they dealt with their daily grind of hospital activities as they gradually adjusted as student doctors in the hospital.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Premeditated Murder was such a fun and unique twist on the cozy mystery genre. Following Neena Sundar, a third-year medical student navigating her surgical rotation, the book blends the high-pressure environment of a teaching hospital with a clever murder mystery. The premise was incredibly engaging; death is expected in a hospital, but murder? Think Grey's Anatomy meets Knives Out.

This book excelled in its blend of genres. It was a cozy mystery at heart but also offered an insightful look at medical training, balancing humor and the serious pressures of life in a hospital. I loved how the author incorporated aspects of South Asian culture into the story. The dynamics between Neena, Cecilia, Raj, and Neel were one of my favorite parts of the book. Their friendships felt genuine, with moments of humor, banter, and heartfelt support that made me truly care about them as a group.

The mystery itself was quite well-crafted, with small, subtle clues dropped throughout the story. When the twist was finally revealed, it made perfect sense but still managed to surprise me. The pacing of the book was excellent overall, though the first half focused more on setup and character development, which made the mystery feel a bit slow to start. However, once the investigation kicked into gear, the story flew by, leading to a dramatic and satisfying finale.

A Premeditated Murder is perfect for fans of cozy mysteries and medical dramas.

I enjoyed this book, I didn’t want it to end! It started out super fun and intriguing, then about 50% through it takes a wild turn and becomes super fast paced. Everything was super detailed, dropping little hints toward the end throughout, and I loved it. I also liked the setting of following med students, I felt like I was learning alongside them. The friendship between Neena, Neel, Raj and Cecilia was so wholesome. I also loved the South Asian culture that was involved throughout the book.

i thought that this book was a good quick and easy read! it started quite slow as it took a while to get to the proper mystery and there was a lot of character building but the last half went really quickly, and i didn't want to put it down. ive never read a book in this setting so i thought it was very interesting. i would 100% recommend!

This was an enjoyable and entertaining read.

The reader gets to know Neena, the other medical students and hospital staff as she starts her surgical rotation. Then a murder occurs, and they investigate.

I found this book very very slow to start (the murder occurring approx 60% of the way through the book) but then quick to read from there until the end. I guessed who the murderer was but it didn’t spoil the story. I’m not completely sure the medical details are 100% accurate but they didn’t detract from the entertainment. For a cosy quick read this was fun.

I read this book via the ‘read now’ feature of NetGalley.

Summary: This book is a cosy mystery book about a group of medical students figuring out how they fit in at the local hospital. A murder then occurs, and the group try to find out as much information as they can about what happened.

What I liked:
- every one of the characters had such good depth, and they were so loveable
- the relationships between the characters were realistic
- the setting is really accurate, with lots of details specific to the medical fields
- the plot twist was unexpected
- the pacing and length of the book was great

Review: 5/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Are you in the mood for a murder mystery? Check out A Pre-Med(itated) Murder. It was a great book and a fun time.

The premise of this was really fun - a third year med student has just started her surgical rotation and is navigating this new environment, when there is a murder at the hospital.

There is a lot of world building in this book which was quite interesting, although I did feel like it made for a slow pace for the first 45% of the book. The setting however was really interesting, and very different to anything else I have read. Once the mystery starts to unfold, things start to pick up - all leading to a dramatic finale.

I did not feel as connected to the characters as I would have liked, but this was a fun short read.

Thank you NetGalley and Amplify Publishing Group for the eARC.
Neena is a 3rd-year medical student working hard on becoming a qualified doctor, studying all her free hours and not getting enough sleep or decent meals. But it's all worth it to her.
Her world and that of her student group is upended by finding a dead body ... not that of a patient, but caused by murder.
As a lover of puzzles she's soon investigating this murder along with her group.
This was a fun and interesting story (I did thank my lucky stars I never wanted to be a doctor, wow, what a hard road to follow!) and I really liked Neena a lot.

I love how Niru really focused on character development and the world building. From the first chapter, I was drawn in. I kept second guessing who the murderer was, but I also was reminded of when I was in nursing school. (I changed majors in the end), but it was sort of a throw back for me! One thing you hardly see in books is culture really represented and as other reviewers have said, it was nice to see that!