Book: Hot Stage
Author: Anita Nair
Genre: Crime And Thriller
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Pages: 444
Hot Stage by Anita Nair is a crime and thriller story in the Borei Gowda Series, which can be read as a standalone as well. When an elderly Professor Raghava Mudgood is found dead in his home in Bangalore by his daughter, it points towards a homicide, a murder being politically motivated, as the Professor was a well-known critic of right-wing forces. But then ACP Gowda starts investigating the case with his team, he doesn’t feel it was an assassination. So when the Central Crime Branch (CCB) starts interfering in the investigation, he and his team launch a parallel investigation and stumble upon a secret and murky world with calculated risks. Would they be able to crack it before their calculation falters? Read the book to find out.
The author crafted the plot very well and it is capable of indulging the readers into the story from the first few pages. The deep narration about the characters and their background, and of the differences in the city that comes along with “development” is very well depicted and creates an interesting world that can hook the readers and make them emotionally invested in the story, as it did to me.
The characters are very well written. The character of ASI Ratna being the only female cop gives a much-needed perspective in the story and shows the ground reality. The internal politics, hierarchy, and patriarchy, that’s deeply rooted in the system are shown and mirror the society as it is.
Although the book is 400+ pages, it doesn’t feel like a big book, which is rare. The family dynamics of ACP Gowda are shown quite well and I liked how the relationship of ACP Gowda is shown with his father and son, depicting the generational differences and family ties realistically.
As someone who reads Crime and Thriller once in a while, it was a delight to read. Although the ending felt a little underwhelming and I was expecting more, it was well-written. I would have liked to see more details of ACP Gowda with his wife, which I felt was underdeveloped or I might have felt that because I haven’t read the previous books. The story takes its time to settle and mark an impact, making a connection with the characters. So if you expect this story to be very fast-paced or things happening in succession and quickness, it might not provide you that.
It was my first book by Anita Nair, and after hearing a lot about her writing, I was excited to read it. And the writing does captivate. Being someone who prefers reading short books, and reading a book having 350+ pages rarely, it was a delight to finish this book in less than two days, which shows how interesting and captivating the writing was. After reading this one, I want to read the previous books in this series as well as other books by the author.
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