An accident, a mystery, an unexplained tragedy. And nothing at all to connect them. Until, that is, Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths, searching for something - anything - to take her mind off the tedious job of evidence-cataloguing she's been assigned to, starts to wonder if all three incidents are not quite what they seem. It could just be her imagination. After all, she'd be the first to admit that she isn't exactly in the prime of psychological health right now, the darkness she's held at bay ever since she joined the police force now lapping dangerously at her door.

But something tells her there are invisible threads linking the crimes, and as she investigates further, she starts to see the outlines of a conspiracy so unlikely and on such a vast scale, that it takes her breath away. And that's when they come for her.

In modern, beautiful Green City, the capital of South West Asia, gender selection, war and disease have brought the ratio of men to women to alarmingly low levels. The government uses terror and technology to control its people, and women must take multiple husbands to have children as quickly as possible. Yet there are women who resist, women who live in an underground collective and refuse to be part of the system. Secretly protected by the highest echelons of power, they emerge only at night, to provide to the rich and elite of Green City a type of commodity that nobody can buy: intimacy without sex. As it turns out, not even the most influential men can shield them from discovery and the dangers of ruthless punishment. This dystopian novel from one of Pakistan’s most talented writers is a modern-day parable, The Handmaid’s Tale about women’s lives in repressive Muslim countries everywhere. It takes the patriarchal practices of female seclusion and veiling, gender selection, and control over women’s bodies, amplifies and distorts them in a truly terrifying way to imagine a world of post-religious authoritarianism.

A quick-witted satire for anyone who has struggled with weight-loss issues only to realize that the journey is filled with many failed diets and cravings. Zoie has tried all possible diets, she is now turning 40 and the body she dreamt off is not happening. With an important wedding coming up in the family she has a few months at hand to get in perfect shape. Amid a frenzy of weight control fads and diets; Zoie struggles every day to hit the gym and try out quick weight loss regimes as she jumps from one diet bandwagon to another. Surprisingly, all her efforts go unnoticed by the people around her. In her journey to attain the perfect body, she realizes that there are many issues pertaining to body shaming, stereotyping and social pressures faced by women - not only in her part of the world but globally as well. Her own weight battle makes Zoie empathize with many around her who are silent sufferers and need a little nudge of support.

It started out as nothing much. A minor payroll fraud at a furniture store in South Wales. No homicide involved, no corpses. Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths fights to get free of the case, but loses. She's tasked with the investigation. She begins her enquiries, only to discover the corpse of a woman who's starved to death. Looks further, and soon realizes that within the first, smaller crime, a vaster one looms: the most audacious theft in history. Fiona’s bosses need a copper willing to go undercover, and they ask Fiona to play the role of a timid payroll clerk so that she can penetrate the criminal gang from within. Fiona will be alone, she’ll be lethally vulnerable – and her fragile grip on ‘Planet Normal’ will be tested as never before ...

A Wattpad read to kill time. It was a cute read but suitable for young adults. Not my cup of tea anymore.

My name is Sebastian Lindstrom, and I’m the villain of this story. I’ve decided to lay myself bare. To tell the truth for once in my hollow life, no matter how dark it gets. And I can assure you, it will get so dark that you’ll find yourself feeling around the blackened corners of my mind, seeking a door handle that isn’t there. Don’t mistake this for a confession. I neither seek forgiveness nor would I accept it. My sins are my own. They keep me company. Instead, this is the true tale of how I found her, how I stole her, and how I lost her.

She was a damsel, one who already had her white knight. But every fairy tale has a villain, someone waiting in the wings to rip it all down. A scoundrel who will set the world on fire if that means he gets what he wants. That’s me. I’m the bad guy.

Hello!

I am back with another book review. Is this not what a lot of us have done during this lock down period? We actually read!!!

Book Title: Talking to the Dead

Genre: Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Organized Crime, Detective

No. of Books so far: 6

Series: Fiona Griffiths

Book Order: 1

Author: Harry Bingham

Hello Beautiful!

I am so pleased to declare that I kept my wits and took a more achievable reading challenge this year, around with 12 books in total. I recently finished a thriller on the recommendation of a young famous writer, Sara Naveed. I already had my eyes on this one but being endorsed by a writer, its a bonus. Here is my review on the recent read.

The woman in the window

Synopsis: Once upon a time, in small-town India, there lived two intelligent boys. One wanted to use his intelligence to make money. One wanted to use his intelligence to create a revolution. The problem was, they both loved the same girl. Welcome to Revolution 2020. A story about childhood friends Gopal, Raghav and Aarti who struggle to find success and love in Varanasi. However, it isn't easy to achieve this in an unfair society that rewards the corrupt. As Gopal gives in to the system, and Raghav fights it, who will win?

Hi Beautiful!

Before I start of reviewing this book, I must mention, this book took me by surprise. I was expecting a book much similar to "Mrs. Funnybones" but fortunately, "The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad" turned out pretty different. This book comes out as a much better read and makes the author shine as a writer. It is in no way outstanding compared to the standard I had set for Mrs. Funnybones, however Twinkle's second book comes off as a whiff of fresh air. 

A collection of utterly magical stories that will leave you crying, laughing and wholly enchanted.

A gangly young girl transforms her village with a revolutionary idea. Sixty-eight-year-old Noni Appa finds herself drawn to a married man – ‘Why do people have to define relationships, underline each word till the paper gives way beneath,’ she wonders. Bablu Kewat becomes obsessed with sanitary napkins much to his family’s horror, and a young woman keeps checking the weather forecast as she meticulously plans each of her five weddings. Funny, observant and wise, this is storytelling at its most irresistible.

The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad

Good morning, it’s 6 a.m. and I am wide awake because the man of the house has decided that he needs to perform a series of complex manoeuvres that involve him balancing on his left elbow. When I fell asleep last night, there was a baby lying next to me. Her smelly diaper is still wedged on my head but aside from this rather damp clue, I can't seem to find her anywhere. I could ask my mother-in-law if she has seen the baby, but she may just tell me that I need to fast on alternate Mondays, and God will deliver the baby back to me . . . Full of wit and delicious observations, Mrs Funnybones captures the life of the modern Indian woman—a woman who organizes dinner each evening, even as she goes to work all day, who runs her own life but has to listen to her Mummyji, who worries about her weight and the state of the country. Based on Twinkle Khanna’s super-hit column, Mrs Funnybones marks the debut of one of our funniest, most original voices.