New! A sparkling review of my thriller ‘The Madras Mangler’ by Sumeetha Manikandan, the author of ‘The Perfect Groom’. Sumeetha loves the banter, the suspense and the interesting plot and calls the book ‘a must-read’. But being a romance writer, she naturally wishes that the ‘Mangler’ had more of something: Romance. Of course, Sumeetha. Lots of romance in the next one!

The Madras Mangler by Usha Narayanan

This is a classic ‘whodunit’ tale, based in Madras aka chennai. Five young girls, are enjoying their college life but not for long.

Madras Mangler is a gripping thriller with a serial killer out on the streets, dumping bodies of young college girls in the Adayar river. Who will he target next? That’s the scary question that looms large over everybody’s mind.

Kat aka Kathyayini, one of the five girls, is a do-gooder who doesn’t think twice before confronting the college rogue Jambu and his goons. And all the five girls have their own share of problems. While one is hiding behind a make-believe identity, another is hiding away from the unwanted attentions of an ardent suitor. With their lives intrinsically linking with each other, they try to find solace in friendship. I loved the banter and camaraderie, of these girls and it reminded the good old days of my college.

Vir Pradyumna, an ace criminologist from US, gets involved in the case and wants to hunt down the serial killer before he could hurt another victim.

Usha brings in numerous characters with varied motives, just to keep the reader guessing. I loved the blending of many issues that were brought to the forefront in this novel, namely; ragging, acid throwing, forced marriages, illegitimacy, corrupt politicians and inept policemen.

And let’s just hope that ‘Madras’ continues to remain ‘safe’ and that Usha’s serial killer remain a fictional figure The ending of the novel indicates that this might continue as a series, which would be most welcome. A must-read!

Plus Points: Lovely prose, interesting plot and tongue-in-cheek humour

Minus Points: Serial killer’s mother fixation and understated romance of Kat and Vir. I felt that the romance could have developed in a bigger way. However if this is to be a series, then I would love to read more about this pair.

Verdict: Perfect Weekend Read!

You can order Usha Narayanan’s Madras Mangler here