Name of the book: Déjà Karma
Author: Vish Dhamija
Published by: Rumour Books India
Genre: Thriller
ISBN: 978-1630412845
No. of pages: 243
Price: INR 200
On the jacket: Deja Karma is about Jay Singh who is the best defence lawyer in New Delhi that money can buy. But Jay Singh is a closet alcoholic; he has a dark and ominous past. His mother has been accused and convicted of killing his father… something he doesn’t accept even after twenty years.
Flamboyant, wicked, lethal, Jay Singh never loses a case, though his methods might not always be within the law. If the law is after you — guilty or not — there is only one man who can save you. If Jay Singh takes your case, witnesses for the prosecution disappear or turn hostile, evidence evaporates, technology and science fail to provide any cogent support. What’s more — Jay Singh can even provide you with an ironclad alibi.
And then he gets a case that can completely destroy him.
If he loses the high-profile case he can kiss his career goodbye; if he wins the case he better keep his obituary ready.
Review: Touted to be the as India's John Grisham, I was intrigued as to how it is going thrill me and leave me in splits; whether it will be a perfect whodunit and will the climax not turn out to be predicted. Well, to answer all these questions, I would only say one word, YES.
Yes, the story greeted me with a tinge of uneasiness that refuses to leave until and unless you finish the entire story. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish the read in one go, but that's what made me more interested in knowing what will be there in the coming chapters. I sort of started predicting the turn of events which somewhat matched to that of author's and some didn't.
The story is gripping, right from the word go. Although, I couldn't comment much on the pace of the story as I myself was reading at a snail's pace but trust me it will keep you on the hooks till you finish reading the entire story. The introduction of Jay Singh, the dual style of narrative to separate the current on-goings in his life and his personal life, almost goes in sync with the overall plot. Moreover, it helps in taking the story forward.
The characterization of Jay Singh is aptly done where I could almost feel and empathize on the turmoils going on in his mind viz-a-viz his ruthlessness to win any case at hand. Along with that, a small plot of love developing over the more important case is what made the middle and the latter stages of the plot interesting. It added a bit of much needed garnish to present the dish beautifully. The characterization of other characters, especially that of Bhima is nicely etched. In fact, I am in love with Bhima's loyalty towards Jay and that too without any conditions attached.
The climax is what made me cringe as I felt it a bit over the top, filmy style, but I guess that's how the term 'fiction' got developed, didn't it?
I did find a few grammatical and spelling errors and it would have been much better if the font size would have been a couple of scales on the higher side. It would have made my reading much more at ease.
Overall: A good plot, nicely woven story and a strong characterization is what kept me turning pages of this superb novel. A must, must read.
Ratings on:
Plot - 4/5*
Characterization - 4/5*
Writing - 3.5/5*
Entertainment - 5/5*
Overall - 4.5/5*
That is a good rating.
ReplyDeleteI will check out your recommendation.
Indrani, do read. I am sure you won't be left disappointed.
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