Tied to Deceit by Neena Brar |ARC Review|Blog Tour|

Hi Guys,

I haven’t been here in a while and I should apologize for that. I’ve been ignoring your comments and posts and I really hope I can make it up with you all soon. But today, I’m making an appearance for a blog tour. This is my first ever participation in a blog tour and I feel… well you know how it feels with first time. That being said, hope you guys forgive me or excuse me and give me pointers if I’m doing something wrong. But I’m really thankful to my friend, Shalini from Digital Reads Blog Tour for inviting me to be a part of this. Another thing I’m glad she offered me THIS book as just like the first ever real novel I’ve ever read, it’s a murder/crime mystery.

TITLE: Tied to Deceit

BY: Neena Brar

GENRE: Murder/Crime Mystery, Thriller

PUBLICATION: August 4th 2018 by Penguide Books

BLURB:

On a drizzly August morning, the inhabitants of the hill town of Sanover, Himachal Pradesh, wake up to the shocking news of the murder of the exquisite, secretive, malicious, and thoroughly immoral Devika Singh.

As Superintendent of Police Vishwanath Sharma begins to sift through the hidden secrets of Devika Singh’s life, it becomes evident that everyone who knew her seems to have a clear-cut motive for killing her.

Faced with the investigation of a crime that appears to have as many suspects as there are motives, Vishwanath Sharma probes the sinister web spun around a tangle of lies and deception.

Praise for Tied to Deceit:

“A remarkable whodunit that’s as sharp as it is concise. Brar enhances her taut murder mystery with an engaging setting that effectively incorporates the local culture. The smart, believable denouement will have readers looking forward to Brar’s next endeavor.”       -Kirkus Reviews

“A literary mystery saga that includes far more depth and psychological and cultural insights than your typical murder mystery’s scenario.”    -D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

Dr. Rajinder Bhardwaj, the owner and the head physician at Lifeline Hospital, Sanover, had showered after his brisk morning walk and joined his wife for an early morning tea. Gayatri Bhardwaj sat with her second cup of ginger tea on her favourite old, worn, woven chair on the verandah which overlooked their front garden: a tapestry of blooming carnations, marigolds, roses, and chrysanthemums. She longed for a clear, bright day and the dazzling blue sky of summer.

It was her favourite spot to sit in the mornings; a place from where she could witness the brilliant dawn streaking half of the sky coral; raindrops soaking everything wet during the monsoon; specks of silvery snow falling from the sky during winter. She could take in everything from the serene mountain peaks and the forest to their house—its roof, windowpanes, and the pebbled driveway that snaked its way criss-cross toward the outside big iron gate. She would sit there until Dr. Bhardwaj joined her after his daily ritual of a brisk morning walk.

They had done this for years despite the changing seasons and the changing equation of their marital relationship. They had spent endless mornings of their initial married years there, when their hearts were still giddy with the feeling of young love, and they would talk about everything and nothing. She’d been a bride at barely twenty, young and naive. He’d been ten years her senior, already on the way to establishing himself as a successful physician, the younger son of a landlord aristocratic family with old wealth. He had swept her off her feet then, and was all charm and charisma but then the magic slowly diminished and finally died due to his secret betrayals over time. Thousands of little resentments had replaced the early warmth. But their hearts, although heavy with bitterness and anger at the failed expectations, had gotten used to the solace of each other’s company that often comes with years of living together, and they never stopped performing this morning ritual of their married life.

The story started with Gayatri reminiscing about the murder that happened a year ago and it’s obvious she’s filled with so much regret that instantly made me root for her whatever revelations is in store for me ahead. Like it wouldn’t matter if she’s the murderer or not. Needless to say, I’m hooked right from the start. I love how mysterious and at the same time emotional the storyline goes. I’m intrigued on how everything will play out throughout the story.

And then Police Superintendent, Vishwanath Sharma was introduced and he’s a great character. And that’s saying a lot because all throughout my reading life, I’ve already met so many interesting police officers/detectives. Truth is, I’ve figured out something very early in the story, I had a hunch who did IT. But I was misguided, misled, and that’s a good thing in a murder mystery. The reason why I was misguided? It’s because Sharma’s investigation was really well done. It was entertaining and engaging enough for me to get along with him every step of the way, suspecting every single character in the story. His thorough investigation made me forget my first hunch and that’s really a good thing.

But I can’t deny the fact that this book has flaws too. The writing can be at times very descriptive; both in the setting and story itself. Maybe the author was just trying to really bring the reader to India and she succeeded, I must say. I really felt like I’m in India, 1970’s. Also, it has lot of Hindi words but there’s a glossary at the back. This I don’t mind since I really love India and I have plenty of online friends from there. But too much description can distract the reader from the real story and sometimes, it seems like there’s so much telling and less showing, but this is a minor issue.

Overall, I recommend this book to all fans of this genre. You won’t regret picking this one up. And hey, you’ll get experience India while reading. I’m looking forward for this author’s future works.

P.S. I love black and white covers (or pretty much everything).

|Amazon India | Amazon UK | Amazon US Barnes & Noble | Kobo | 

Neena H. Brar lives in Edmonton, Canada with her husband, two children, a highly energetic German Shepherd, and a lifetime collection of her favorite books. A hermit at heart, she’s a permissive mother, a reluctant housekeeper, a superb cook, and a hard-core reader.

Tied to Deceit is her debut novel.
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