Six Suspects - Book Review

Vikas Swarup’s six suspects is a murder mystery. Vicky Rai, a minister’s son is killed at his farmhouse in a party which he had thrown to celebrate his acquittal in a murder case. Apparently he had shot a bar girl for refusing him a drink. The police cordon off the venue. They search each and every guest. Six guests are found in possession of guns. These are the six suspects.

All these six suspects have a back story of their own. A corrupt bureaucrat who is suffering from a split personality. An American foreman who travels to India to marry a girl whom he has seen only in her photographs. On landing in India he finds out that the photograph is of a famous Indian movie star, who too is found with a gun at Vicky Rai’s party. Then there is a mobile thief who has had a sudden windfall and is in love with Vicky’s sister. A tribal from the distant land who is in search of a sacred stone which is stolen, is also one of the suspects. Vicky Rai’s father, a minister, who dreams to become a chief minister, is forced to resign because of the wayward ways of his son. He wants to get rid of his son. He too is found in possession of a gun. So who has done it?

The author creates wonderful back stories. Though they are far stretched and highly improbable, they are riveting and entertaining for sure. There is a flow in the author’s writing which wants you to read more.

However with a novel called Six Suspects you want to read a good murder mystery. On this count alone this novel is disappointing. The climax, if it can be called one, is wafer thin. This thick book would have been worth the read, if it had an interesting climax.