The Sixth Time

The Sixth Time – Mystery/Suspense

High-Concept novel. If you like movies like the ‘Butterfly Effect’ and ‘Inception’, this is the book for you!

What happened after the sixth time that David and Gemma fought and broke up? All their break-ups were bad, but this one was the worst. He was accused of rape, put on trial, and before the trial could conclude, Gemma just goes missing!

The detectives working on the case of the missing girl get the transcript of the ongoing trial from the court. While they continue to look for her, the defendant produces fresh evidence that gets him off the hook completely. Still under suspicion for her going missing, the defendant’s movements are however restricted.

Gemma’s, last known whereabouts are thoroughly examined, and then the big guys show up. The feds. This becomes an international manhunt now because of Gemma’s status as a fashion model and the various countries she toured during her last assignment.

The missing person’s case takes a new turn when they realize that all the people associated with her, during her last project, are also missing. Meanwhile, closer to Gemma’s home where she was last seen, certain clues lead local investigators to a possible stalker. As luck would have it he’s on to them and flees the country, just before they can nab him, taking off to yet another exotic location. In his abandoned house however, they manage to unearth a treasure-trove of information - photographs from his meticulous stalking.

Will these photographs help though? Will that lead to where Gemma could possibly be? And what about the diary that Gemma’s sister Pippa provides? A diary with Pippa’s notes, her impressions about David and Gemma, taken down after each time that Gemma speaks to her after each break-up? Do those notes really hint at something more sinister closer to home? Could it even be possible that Gemma wasn’t lying when she accused David of raping her, after infusing her with drugs that rendered her motionless? Drugs that no one could find anywhere around David’s person or house or even in her system?

However hard the detectives try to stay on track, following the clues from the photographs and the diary keeps leading them back to the first case, and it becomes impossible to solve the second one without looking at the first one anew.

This is a high-concept, suspense-filled story about two people who've let their emotions entangle them in way too many twisted ways. The intricate plot is like no other, and the surprise twist in the end exposes the curious nature of the labyrinth that is the mind.

A novel not to be missed.