May Reading – Part 3

 

21. Of Course, I Love you by Durjoy Dutta & Maanvi Ahuja

When I picked this one, my expectations were not much. With a lot of Indian novels coming up, most looked like time-pass rather than serious fiction stuff which would leave me impressed. This one turned out just the same but on the whole I enjoyed reading it.

I read this across 2 days and enjoyed the minor twists and turns of the story of a playboy kind of guy who is in and out of relationships and keeps messing up things in his life. His various kinds of relationships with girls are an interesting read. I am sure there would be quite a population who would identify with the character (not me though). The novel does have an element of veiled eroticism with references to the several escapades of our protagonist with the various girls in his life including too many references to the assets of various female characters. The book also reinforces the myth that 'ek ladki ladka kabhi dost nahin ho sakte'. I am sure the engineering student crowd (or the recent graduate) would like this book.

A light read. I enjoyed reading although I wouldn't say I liked the book.

 

22. Sherlock Exploits: The Adventure of the Gold Hunter by Adrian Doyle & John Carr

A strange death has occurred where people suspect murder and even have a suspect but the problem is that no one can fathom HOW the murder was carried out. A man with a perfectly routine life dies in his bed during the night and there is no trace of any murder … but the man was healthy and would have survived another decade which leads to suspicion … as well as the fact that he had recently changed his will.

 

23. The Three Investigators & the Mystery of the Kidnapped Whale by M V Carrey

The investigator trio find a baby whale stranded on the beach and do their bit to save it from dying of dehydration. When they return to see if they can help it; they realize that the whale is no longer there. Further investigation reveals that the whale has been 'kidnapped' and they even get a mysterious call from a person who offers them the case (of finding the whale) and a fee of a 100 dollars (highest fee offered to them till date).

A little investigation gives them startling revelations and they have a nice under-sea adventure with the whale and even recovering a much-sought-after box from a boat which sank to the bottom of the ocean a few miles off the shore.

 

24. Sherlock Misadventures: Holmes and the Dasher by Anthony Berkeley    

The story itself was not very interesting as much as the style of writing. This particular story was written as if a Sherlock Holmes story was being written by P G Wodehouse in his typical Ask Jeeves style. It was interesting to read this fusion of Sherlock Holmes with Jeeves. The climax was equally surprising in true PGW style.  

 

25. The Three Investigators & the Mystery of the Missing Mermaid by M V Carrey

The investigator trio goes to Venice (of America, not Europe) for some school project and meet a set of pretty interesting people after a child is lost and Jupe finds him. They begin to study the place and its interesting history. There is a 4th July carnival which they are enjoying when the kid disappears again and his companion dog is found dead in a trash can. The trio has a case.

Strangely, a haunted house and a treasure chest get involved in the story making it more and more interesting. The missing mermaid though not at the centre of the mystery is something that provides a BIG clue to the trio in solving the case. If not for the missing mermaid, this novella might have been titled 'the Case of the Trapped Tubby' or 'What Goes Down Must Come Up' … 

 

26. Sherlock Misadventures: The Case of the Missing Lady by Agatha Christie    

Just imagine … Agatha Christie writing a detective novel where Hercule Poirot is NOT the lead character. On the contrary, the leads are 2 detectives who idolize and copy Sherlock Holmes (not Poirot)

An adventurous person who has a dislike for fat women (and consequently his would be mother-in-law) returns from an expedition before schedule and finds his fiancé gone away visiting some friends. Mother-in-law is not very helpful with information and he smells a rat somewhere; after going off on a wild goose chase. He approaches the 2 detectives and asks them to locate the fiancé. In true Sherlock style, the detectives solve the case BUT decide NOT to tell the man about the correct whereabouts of the lady or the reason for her disappearance; since the reason is not just fickle but even funny … and the girl would definitely return to her man after doing appropriate 'damage control' 

 

27. Sherlock Misadventures: The Adventure of the Illustrious Impostor by Anthony Boucher    

Nothing much to write about the story except that it was an example of armchair investigation and deductive reasoning.

 

Series Completion Score: (as of 31st May 2012)

The Three Investigators          36 out of 43

Best of Satyajit Ray                 16 out of 21

Sherlock: Exploits                    02 out of 12

Sherlock: Misadventures        07 out of 33

Total                                      61 out of 109

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