This was a good mystery read. Actually, this is the first time I enjoyed a mystery read written by an Indian author. That's a good sign for me. The plot was intriguing enough to keep me glued and the twist at the end was good, though I would have loved it if it had punched me right in the face.

*Note: A copy of the book was provided in exchange of an honest review. I would like to thank the publisher Hachette India for the copy.*

Review:

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

The Disapperance of Sally Sequeira is a page turner. I haven’t ever been to Goa, and a quick Google search tells me that there are a lot of hamlets like Movin, around. The biggest takeaway for me then, is to find one of these hamlets and add it to my Goa Travelogue.

As soon as we switched off the light and lay in bed, I noticed a gentle murmur of the sea in the distance, as if it was unfazed by the mysterious incidents that had taken place in the village in the past few hours.

 On to the book now, honestly the novel is very atmospheric; a peaceful little community, hidden from the bustling tourists, a perfect place to come and relax. No one would even assume that there could be a mystery here, which is what makes the setting so different from other detective novels. The setting is peaceful and yet at the same time it is this location that perpetuates the crime, or gives ample space for the criminal to go through with it.

Maity is what I assume our Hercule Poirot, with a side kick though. The entire plot is build on the theory of Chekov’s gun, each element, details or little spacial marker later adds up to something or the other, and is not only there for convenience.

Having spent quite a bit of time with Maity, I had learnt a thing or two by watching him. One of them was the subtle art of letting the other person speak.

The novel starts with these two friends on a vacation. On their first night their housekeeper tells them of the weird incident: a local man gets a letter in his mail box asking him to get fifty lakhs if he wants to save his daughter. Only problem is that his daughter is safe and sound in their house, and rather it is the neighbour, Sequeira’s daughter, the shy, lonely Sally who has gone missing.

Sally is a bit of an enigma, not only for the reader but for the townsfolk as well. For starters no one can say what she looks like, or why she is the way she is. There is a general family tragedy rumour which floats around about the Sequeiras, but that rumour is about the only thing everyone can agree on with respect to the girl.

“I do not believe in God, Father, but I believe in faith. Because i have seen with my own eyes what a man’s faith can make him do.”

I did not see that twist coming, like I said every little detail adds up. It is a very well plotted book. I was truly amazed how talented Chattopadhyay is. The writing is perfect, first person, informative, and Prakash Ray’s perspective makes it even better. In Ray, Chattopadhyay has tried to recreate his reader, the one who keeps guessing what Maity is thinking, and also looks at everything from a fresh perspective, not a detective’s perspective.

Would highly recommend this novel for a good, short, fast paced thriller, set in familiar territory. 

- Peace.

The Disappearance of Sally Sequeira..........

Truly amazing mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seats for sure.....

This book was a short and amazing mystery that i truly and fully loved. The unexpected twists and turns and the great reveal...its an age old phenomenon which i will never get bored of. The plot is well thought off and the characters are truly humane with many flaws and secrets to keep. It was like reading an Agatha Christie novel for me. This is the highest credit yo get, as for me murder mystery means only one : Agatha. Really enjoyed this book and is looking forward for more of the author's works.

Written by Bhaskar Chatterjee , 'The Dissappearance of Sally Sequeira', belongs to a series of detective novels featuring the astute Crime detector Janardan Maity and his friend/writer Prakash.

Intially appearing in
'Penumbra' and 'Here Falls the Shadows', this is the 3rd entry in the series.
Despite the 2nd book being quiet weak and falling flat.
This has honestly been a welcome return to form.

Arriving to a secluded yet stunningly picturesque hamlet in Goa with a much earned holiday in mind, our protagonists find themselves in midst of an intriguing scenario. As the father of a local teenage girl receives a letter asking for a huge ransom in exchange of their daughter. The story takes an unlikely turn as they discover, the girl in question hasn't been kidnapped at all, and is currently safe and sound in her own house.

How will Janardan Maity solve a crime, that has not yet been committed ?

We get the answer in a quite enjoyable fashion. As the writer weaves a tale of crime and mystery, while doing a beautiful job in describing the 'pristine beaches and clear turquoise waters of Goa'.
The language is quite easy to grasp, and lacks any unnecessary boasting of vocabulary.
An easy read indeed.
He has described the various scenes with some genuine care and attention to detail.
The pace is quite breezy and taut till the end.

This is one of those stories, where every minute details are important and falls into pieces at the conclusion.

And the conclusion harbours an almost Hitchcock-like twist, I swear I never saw coming.

All in all, a detective by interest and his writer companion going to far away places and solving crimes, is for sure a 'clichéd' scenario at this stage. However the old sense of familiarity is addictive. And might just be why I come back to this series yet again.

A rainy day. Blankets. Detective mystery. A Chopin nocturne piece playing in the background. Some coffee.
Give it a try.

3.5/5

I have read the last two Janardan Maity novels, and was really excited about this one's release ever since it was announced. Now the question is, whether I was rewarded suitably for my patience or not. The answer, very simply, is yes! It was exactly what I was expecting - a quick, cozy-ish mystery, in the style of Agatha Christie, set in an Indian small town.
Janardan Maity is very similar to Hercule Poirot and I don't mind that similarity at all. Infact, its a good cure to a Christie hangover. I will eagerly wait for the next book in this series for the very same reason.

At first, the blurb of 'Sally Sequeira' didn't interest me as much as the blurbs of the other two books in the series had. But when I read the story, I found that the plot kept getting interesting as it went on. However, I couldn't connect with the characters/people of Movim, Goa (where this story is set in) like I had with the characters/people of Nimdeora (where 'Here Falls The Shadow' was set in) because we didn't get to spend a lot of time with them. I would have loved to know more about the young cleric, Father Dias, and most of the time I was not sure who or what Mike Doherty actually was. That's why few of the reveals at the end felt a little 'meh'. A part of the big reveal (the kidnapper's identity) at the end was also pretty predictable. However, the other part of the reveal, though not a very novel concept, fitted well with the story and was quite satisfying.

All in all, I don't quite know how to rate this book. There isn't much novelty or literary merit in the story, but Mr. Chattopadhyay's command over the English language is very good and I really enjoyed reading this book (It helps that I am quite fond of Maity). Like the other books in this series, this one is also an enjoyable detective story, primarily for loyal fans of Poirot or Feluda.

Author : Bhaskar Chattopadhyay

Genre : Mystery

Number of Pages : 238



Any book which has a strong beginning absolutely gains my attention and this book is one of them. From page one I started solving the mystery and it was a beautiful ride for me as a reader to be able to put my guesses in and occasionally shout in excitement when my guess was correct.

Set in Goa, the author has set a perfect crime scene near a beach along with a lighthouse and all the residents of the town are hiding something. Chattopadhyay, has explored and used the setting of the story very cleverly and to his advantage.

It's a short, and fast paced thriller which doesn't keep you waiting for long for the mystery to unravel and that makes it all the more merrier. Sally Sequeira, is a mysterious character for everyone in the town and the unravelling of her story really keeps the reader interested.

The one thing I didn't enjoy in this book are the unnecessary details of every room entered by the protagonist, Maity, if it was foreshadowing I would have excused it but it was just the author's way of misleading the reader to think that something necessary is in these informations.

The suspense is good but it did not catch me off my guard, maybe because I have read so many mystery books that I expected a bit more. I would recommend this book to crime, mystery lovers who are looking for a quick read.

My Verdict : 4/5

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Thank you Hachette India for providing a review copy! All opinions in the following review are my own honest thoughts.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Things I liked about the book:

- The plot line was really nice. It can be difficult to write a well-rounded detective story, but Chattopadhyay manages to pull off the "mystery" factor pretty well.
- The story was not one filled with unnecessary details. It is short, compact and hooking.
- The whole assembly of a variety of characters. Detective stories have a typical way of incorporating a certain group of new characters for every installment, and this is what makes each novel different and interesting. The Disappearance of Sally Sequeira has realistic and smoothly written characters that enhance the plotline.
- The setting. I have never been to Goa, but it seems to be a rather smart choice for a backdrop. I don't remember reading anything before that has been set in Goa, especially not a detective novel, and I was charmed by the beautiful descriptions and the secluded and breezy feel it lent to the story.

Things I didn't like about the book:

- Being a Bengali, I have been brought up on the steady diet of fish and Feluda novels. There was too much of the latter in this book. There is a very fine line between inspiration and plain echoing, and I wish this book had more of its own style to offer. The author is clearly a good writer, and I personally feel that he could reach his best potential by letting go of the Byomkesh-Feluda-Holmes-Poirot vibe that overshadowed everything else.
- I wish I liked Prakash a bit more. Since the Feluda comparison is inevitable, I can't help but compare Prakash to Topshe (who I LOVE with all my heart, just saying).

Overall:

The Disappearance of Sally Sequeira is a great beach read. If you are looking for a short and fast-paced detective novel to read, this one is perfect. Although the book has its limitations, I believe that the author has a lot of potential and can grow better at this art with a few alterations in style. Sidenote, the cover of this book is gorgeous.

I have not read a lot of mystery novels by Indian authors, but decided to give this one a try after reading a few reviews. And boy it did not disappoint!
It was a quick and breezy read and I did not for once feel like putting this book down.

What I liked about the book:
Good plot, hooked me from the get-go and kept me guessing till the very end.
The story did not have unnecessary details, it was succinct and compact.
After a very long time, I've read a book that describes the surrounding in great detail which lent a breezy feel to the novel.


What I did not like:
The reverence with which Prakash treats Maity, I felt like the author went a little overboard with trying to establish Maity's character as a great detective.

Last thoughts: I would definitely pick more of Bhaskar Chattopadhyay's book in the future.