Murder in Amaravati

by Sharath Komarraju

Padmavati, the village hostess's body is found in a sacred chamber of the Kali temple. Men wanted her; women hated her; while some men wanted to keep their liaisons hidden.
But who had the motive, the means and opportunity to kill her?
Padmavati charged by the hour - her laughs, her understanding, her empathy, her advice - everything was available only in return for payment, which made her,in the Sarpanch's eyes, a little more than a trader.
'Look,' the priest Krishna Shastri said, pointing to the letters around him . 'Satyam, Shekhar, Seetaramaiah - how many men did she have in her grasp? How many? '
The onus of solving the case puts head constable Venkat reddy in a quandary. He has never even solved petty crimes and here he is faced with murder!
If this were a novel, the constable thought vacantly, would the reader think of him as a worthy detective? Would anyone bother reading about a bungling, confused constable pretending to be a detective? The equation before him is simple; seven suspects,seven motives, one murder.

Genres: Fiction, Murder Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Collections, Mystery

209 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Sharath Komarraju is an author of fiction and nonfiction based in Bangalore, India. Once a software engineer, now he writes for a living, and on lazy days he watches cricket and talks to his wife (often at the same time).

His most popular work to date is the Hastinapur series, in which he speaks into the silences of the Mahabharata story through the epic's many women characters.

Reviews

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a fascinating read on all counts. First, we come across the murder. Then we get to know the stratified society of a small town, and various characters inhabiting that landscape. All these are described using rich language laden with red-herrings. Then we accompany the designated investigator who seems to have nabbed the murderer neatly. But then a completely different scenario emerges through the prime suspect.
And even then, the game doesn’t get over.
This story is definitely one of the best Christi-esque murder mysteries that I have read, in an Indian context.
Recommended wholeheartedly.

[Naseer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder in Amaravati written by Sharath Komarraju a Banglore-based IT specialist is a well crafted murder mystery. The entire plot keeps the reader guessing on who might be the culprit. Though it is a fictional story sharath has managed to make Amaravati and the river Krishna seem very real.You would love to read some beautiful Telugu names like Krishna Shastri, Annapurna, Vyshnavi , Seetaramaiah, Padmavati and Satyam followed by Gaaru after each name in the English novel after so many days.

The story goes like this Padmavati, the village hostess's body is found in the sacred chamber of the Kali temple. Men wanted her, women hated her.The constable Venkat Reddy who didn't have any experience in detective field take the charge and investigates the crime. The equation before him is simple; seven suspects, seven motives, one murder.

Will he would be successful in catching the culprit ?? Read the book to find out !!!

[Surendra Nath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in about 2 days, one of my best speeds. Yes, it’s an interesting, unputdownable book. It’s not fast paced but there is intrigue and suspense that holds the readers’ attention. The author manages to tag everyone as a suspect, convincingly, until the last chapter. All characters appeared to have strong motivations to have killed her.

Another interesting part I found was that though the victim was of low moral character, Komarraju has whipped up good sympathy and liking for her. It started with Head Constable Venkat Reddy showing respect for the dead woman and it turned out that many had sympathy for the woman, though she did nothing right in her life, known to us, readers.

Some points that fell short of my expectations: Venkat Reddy appeared too considerate and unofficial in his investigations. It didn’t seem he was investigating a murder; rather, it seemed he was dealing with a minor theft. No arrests. He was behaving like an unofficial private detective. What happened to Padmavati’s body? Police, took it away, she had no relative, so was she cremated, who disposed it, was it kept in a morgue? That would be an important point to know who cared for her, if at all.

Finally, Venkat Reddy got it all wrong; the priest it seemed solved the mystery. In a nutshell, the investigator didn’t do much except calling from one house to another, while the mystery got solved by his main suspect. That’s interesting, I liked that twist of events, but it highlighted the inefficiency of the constable even more.

The epilogue, according to me, was unnecessary, and impractical. For a very disabled woman with no physical ability except the ability to move just one eyelid, to have engineered a murder is impractical. If she really did, her role was underplayed in the novel. Decoding murder instructions passed through sign language and that too through the use of only one eyelid is too farfetched. How many blinks, just to say ‘BE QUICK’? And what if the other guy didn’t get it the first time and said, ‘Please repeat’?

I don’t mean to say the book is full of flaws. It’s very catchy and engrossing and the language, the descriptions, the setting are truly captivating and original. The observations in the earlier paragraphs are just my opinion, and I could be wrong. All impossibilities are possible in fiction. And I accept them.

It’s a good murder mystery, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading murder mysteries. You will not be disappointed.

[Shree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note : This review is up in my blog Book and Ink

A proper mystery should be savored slowly like the famous South Indian filter coffee – The first sip will hit you like a tornado and simply would keep getting intense. The last sip would leave you intoxicated and floating in heaven – this story to me was just like that. From a true-blue filter coffee lover, this is the maximum compliment that can be doled out.

The village hostess is found murdered and body is sprawled in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. An inexperienced constable is tasked to investigate the case. Given her profession, the villagers are secretly happy that she is gone for good. This simply adds every other villager a suspect. With the help of the temple priest, the constable tries to solve the case.
With a plot which was simple yet well-developed and airtight logical, the book was an absolute utopic read for a hard core mystery lover like me. However, the writer followed the tried and tested method in solving a crime – Periodically add and delete every other character to the suspicion list and end with the most unsuspecting character. The characterization was equally good and matched the caliber of the plot. The writer gave equal importance for all the characters leaving no room for me to complain about the lack of focus on specific characters. The writing, needless to say is flawless and hugely reminds me of RK Narayan’s books. I’ve mentioned the same in the review of this other book – Donoor’s curse and I still stick to it. There was this debate in an online forum as to how writers fill the narration with transliteration of the local language to bring in authenticity. Sharath’s writing is the perfect example of how to bring in that Indian feel with minimal usage of transliterated local language. The highlight of the narration would be the visual imagery. Visualizing the quaint little village, the temple and the characters were no trouble at all

I really couldn’t find a single flaw. Been ages since I enjoyed a good mystery like this.

MY SAY: A must read book.

RATING: 5/5

[Manjri Gopalan · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Murder in Amaravati' is a fast-paced, well written, nail-biting murder mystery. I started reading the book at around 11.30 in the night. I was extremely tired after a long day at work and intended to read only a few pages before going to sleep. But as soon as I started, the book grabbed my full attention. I could not keep down the book and almost finished 40% in the first sitting. The entire plot is quite interesting and it keeps the reader guessing on who would be the murderer till the end.

The story starts with the discovery of a dead body of the village hostess - Padmavati, by the village priest inside the sanctum sanatorium of a Kali Temple. An inexperienced constable, Venkat Reddy, takes on the charge to investigate the murder and bring justice to the poor departed soul. As he starts his investigation, he meets a lot of people and observes that almost everyone has some hidden motive to kill the village hostess. However, all the suspects could not be culprits.

It is an interesting read, where the writer - Sharath Komarraju, takes you meticulously through the story of each suspect, assessing the motives and evidence against each one of them and finally pens down the real murderer.

[Uday Kanth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow what an exhilarating read!!

Was really pleased to see a very good book set in rural Andhra. The premise is intriguing enough. A prostitute is found dead one morning inside a temple with the whodunnit angle uncomfortably looming on the horizon. She apparently has got links to many of the village men, a lot of them who do seem to have a motive to see her dead. How then is the case solved? Led by head constable Venkat Reddy, this book takes you on a suspense-filled ride through the varied human emotions and aspirations you only find in villages.

The author writes well, I felt like I should mention it. The prose and language is a lot better than the current "star" writers of India. He's got a great eye for description and knows how to set the mood just right. I really liked the way he brought believability to the village and characters.

If you've got an appetite for detective stories, this one will be right up your alley. It ticks almost all the boxes that a good whodunnit needs (trust me, you will never be able to guess who) and I'm not even gonna say anything about the end!

[Debarati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book in one sitting over a couple of hours. It is an easy and, very impressively, a rather well-written read. I am impressed that we, finally, have an Indian author (from an unconventional writing background) who knows and remembers High School grammar! :) The plot is fairly simple- the village prostitute is found dead inside the sanctum Santorum of the village Kali temple. No one wants her death investigated, as most of the villagers are relieved that she is dead. However, the police constable assigned to this case starts a simplistic ( and rife with rookie mistakes) investigation into the matter and finds seven people with means, motive and opportunity to commit this crime. A simple story but well-written and sweetly told. Well done, dude!

[Veena Soujanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Murder in Amravathi" is yet another mind blowing work from Sharath. In fact this is his first book which was long listed for Common wealth Book Prize 2013. I would call this a masterpiece of all his works. The plot, the characters and the suspense is well etched and the best is its pace. It is one of those books which you cannot put down till the end. The author carefully weaved the story, placing every character under suspicion. You get engrossed in the mystery and start investigating along with the head constable. The author transports you into Amaravathi where even you start searching for clues. One among the best books in contemporary Indian mysteries.

[Sameer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. It is a proper mystery which keeps you guessing till the end. One thing which I liked the most about this is the way the author treated each character. Looking forward to read more of Sharath.

[Kushal D murthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one. Engaging and good twists. I must say the author will outsmart you. Try it out.

[Siddu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small village, Amaravathi with a lot of history to it. There was a priest in the temple which was built by the local Sarpanch, in honour of Kali Devi.
One fine day, the priest, Krishna Shastri finds a dead body of a women lying at the feet of Kali ma, when he unlocks the doors of the temple. She was the hostess in the village. Though a lot of the villagers were not very keen, a police report was to be logged, the constable, Venkat Reddy, arrives at the village to get the initial details to file an FIR. Initially he was reluctant to pursue, hoping that his superior would investigate the case when they visit the village, once a week as it was. However, something interests him and so he starts talking to the villagers in hope to find some details, well not actually investigating to say, with the help of the priest.
As they discover details, a ambiguity arises, there are multiple suspects. The women died of drowning, as per the doctor’s report. But if that was the case, how did she end up in the locked temple, near the feet of Kali devi. The key to the temple was owned by the priest, who and how, have they killed the women and brought her all the way to temple, more so, why into the temple of all the places.
A random pick from Instagram post, turned out to be an interesting book. Kudos to the author for writing such a simple yet interesting story. The catch of the book is that it really does not sound like any typical detective or suspense novels, it runs so simply, a typical village environment where everyone knows everything, and would only convey when asked or asked by the right person at right time. A slow and smooth going story, unrevealing the murder mystery, and the description of River Krishna and Amaravathi has added flavour to the book. Liked it a lot, one can always try it.

[Lost In Thoughts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading the book of the month which was murder in Amravati. I really love a murder mystery and wanted to come out of the mainstream murder mystery novels. I had my Goodreads account where I stumbled upon this book and did my background research about it. Well, long story short. I loved the book.

The setting of the book is the village of Amravati gives us a brief introduction to the temple and ancient tree. The book is based on the murder of a village hostess, Padmavati. She lies at the foot of Kali ma’s statue. The story shows that women didn’t want her near their husbands. Men lusted on her. Who was the killer? As the story progresses we come across a lot of characters giving their reason to be linked with her and which makes you wonder who can kill her? Constable Venkat Reddy is assigned for this task and this is his first murder mystery. The story in all the bits is thrilling and keeps you hooked until the last page of it. The book has women who play very important roles and shape the story in different forms. Their influence and connection with the murder make this book unique. The author of this book, Sharath Komarraju has written books which exclusively portray women in the lead like Dear Sakhi, The queens of Hastinapur and The Rise of Hastinapur.

The start might be a little slow but as the book progresses you need to keep a watch on the slightest of the evidence and on which character is saying what.

For more visit: https://www.instagram.com/wish_words_...

[Madhu Thaloor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was through reading a couple of books that I didn't really enjoy when I thought of this author who had written dozens of books, mostly on mythology. I wrote to him and asked him which amongst his books he would recommend to a person unfamiliar with his works, that is not mythology related. He suggested a couple, along with this one.

Murder in Amaravati is an engaging book, written with very relatable characters set in southern India. Like any murder mystery, this one too has a predictability element. It is woven around about a dozen characters, and each of them seem like suspects. Read the book to find out the when, how and why part of it.

The language, flow and the way the plot unravels keeps you engrossed. It is refreshing to read a murder mystery set in the south of India in a small village with small families, each having their own tight secrets. A wecome change from typical western fast paced thrillers - and a cozy read as well.

[GenevieveAudrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

The dead body of the local village "hostess" is found laid out in the village temple before the Goddess like an offering to the deity. Who killed her? Why was she killed? This was a well conceived murder mystery with lots of quirky characters in a small village in the hinterlands of India.

The humble constable who thinks he isn't entirely skilled to conduct the the investigation. The Sarpaanch who's the village head. The village priest. The postman and various other people who dwell in Amaravathi. All potential suspects in this heinous crime.

The prose was simple and easy to understand and the pacing was fast enough to keep a reader intrigued but not too fast that the climax arrived too quickly to appreciate properly. You are kept on the edge of your seat right until the absolute end to discover who the murderer is.

I'd recommend this if you're looking for a quick, interesting read.

[Aparajita Shorey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title tells you, this novel by first time author Sharath Komarraju revolves around a murder in Amaravati, a village on the bank of river Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. The victim is Padmavati, the village hostess. Her body is discovered in the locked temple of Kali, which situated next to the old banyan tree of the village.

The protagonist is head constable Venkat Reddy who has been handling petty crimes till now and now finds himself facing the dilemma whether to dismiss the case as suicide or get for the innocent looking deceased. Well as you can guess, he finally decides to do the latter and it is during the course of investigation that he discovers how men just wanted....Read complete review here: http://www.coml13.com/murder-in-amara...

[Sonali Dabade · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Honest rating: 4.5 stars]

[Possible spoilers ahead!]

The reason I keep going back to read Sharath Komarraju’s books is his exceptional description skills. His words have a knack of transporting you into the scene almost immediately. His wonderful insights into the workings of the mind, especially a woman’s, leave me spellbound. At one place, he says, “She wondered if it was the woman inside her that made her worry so. Did she always have to have something to think about, something to fret and brood over?”

Is there a truer description of womanhood and the restlessness that comes with it? I don’t think so.

Murder in Amaravati is a book whose gist and just the first few pages give you your first suspicions about the identity of the murder. But boy, oh, boy, are you wrong!

Before delving into the intricacies of dissecting Komarraju’s brilliance yet again, here are some quotes from the book that will ring true with scores of people everywhere.

“What makes these once perennial rivers dry up every year in the summers? Is it a rebellion against the growing poison in the hearts of people?”

“Unbidden, they returned. They came all at once, and though Venkat Reddy was faintly aware of flashes of useful information in the sea of noise that invaded him, they were lost before he could grab them.” [How often are we left clambering over the edge of dreams and reality to get a grip over ourselves?]

“A whole had to be greater than the sum of its parts. If it wasn’t, it simply wasn’t built well enough.”

“One problem with being an optimist is that you tend to think that the good times will last forever.”

The author puts forth a number of life’s bitter truths: the glaring disparity in opinion, one’s natural callousness towards someone they loathe, ego and its inappropriate timing in coming forth – a reality of life, quelling the ego – seemingly impossible yet necessary, unexpected occurrences crashing through your day, curiosity robbing you of your precious sleep and rest, childhood friendships straying away into oblivion, people changing as they grow up, and how even the best of people can stray from righteousness.

The book, in small bites, describes subtly the effect that parents have on children, by interacting with them, talking to them, and thus molding them into what they will one day become.

Murder in Amaravati also reiterates certain other truths: like how every action has a reason behind it, the cruelty of loneliness – driving people to do what they would never do otherwise, how easily lies can be told to wheedle information out of someone; either to keep their heart in one piece, or for your own personal gains, and the inherent possessiveness of parents, of siblings, of family, that comes out when we are at our most vulnerable.

The author demonstrates every nuance of every emotion admirably.

The book has the power to invoke in you, thoughts and conjectures, giving your mind some sort of an exercise. It has just a dash of history, secrets, tragedy, shocking revelations, sorrow, and a million reminiscences and emotions that brim unchecked – reminiscences of a bad childhood in all its innocent glory of regrets and childish doubts. The book reflects the relationship that siblings share – a fierce love under all the fights and resentment. And when you realize what the author is getting at, after all the little kittens turning into one big messy cat out of the bag, you can’t help but be impressed.

The character who is investigating the case, Venkat Reddy, the head constable is a novice at investigation who thinks that he is ill-suited to do the job. He is trying hard to make out if what appears to the eye is exactly what it is. But he eventually eases into a Hercule Poirot-like role.

The book alternates quite smoothly and perfectly between different points of view while giving the reader the suspense – a suspense that is multiplied due to the slight illusions and expressions – that frustratingly elusive information that clinks into place, making perfect sense while still hidden, and the exultation and shock of finding out the answers!

The book slyly includes the issues of casteism (ill-treatment of Dalits) and bias (how a village hostess gets the short end of the stick). Just one single paragraph makes you reevaluate your definition of beauty. A few lines of description of an idol of Goddess Kali gives you goosebumps. The book makes you think of the thin line between the acceptance of right and wrong.

And most important of all, the book is a jumbled list of all the reasons why one holds a deep-rooted resentment towards anything or anyone in life, or life itself. This list and the realization of its importance, is eye-opening.

All in all, Murder in Amaravati has the power to make you cry with its strong portrayal of emotions. It has brilliant twists all along! Gets your pulse racing, makes you gasp, and makes you stare at the pages in awe. The one phrase that left me as I finished the book was “Oh, brilliant!”

I am a huge fan of Sharath Komarraju’s work. The way he puts together events and incidents and weaves them into stories with reasons, are incredibly excellent. And Murder in Amaravati lists among those of his books that I absolutely love. And I am glad that I picked the book.

No wonder Murder in Amaravati was long-listed for the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize.

Review also posted at: https://themelodramaticbookworm.wordp...

[Vijayshree Menon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first murder mystery that I read from author's work. His plot and creation of setting is really good. Each character had distinct voices . In terms of the plot, it was tight and gripping. No loose ends. The reason I rated it 4 was that while I liked the twist in the story, I felt the means seemed a liitle unrealistic. However, On the whole as a reader, I traveled to Amaravati and seemed to live in the little village.

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word - Amazing! It has been a long, long, long time since I've been caught up in such a riveting mystery. I felt this one to be on the similar lines of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I liked the way the village life has been portrayed and the hierarchies inside every village. It was a complete mystery even towards the end - unexpected twist! Beautiful. Definitely worth reading!

[Sapthagiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batting the Eyelid means Ok!

The title of the novel attracted me to read it. Sharath's use of vocabulary is highly appreciated in comparison to the plot of the novel.
Author's detective imagination can certainly improve as ans when he pens more of similar plots.

[Ramendra Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intricate thriller

Well written, well conceived and well narrated. Doubts and suspicion keeps shifting from one person to the other until it gets resolved in the most logical manner. An Indian Agatha Christie story.

[Sreejith K R · Rating 5 out of 5]

It started slow... but as it progressed I really liked reading it.

[sneha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic murder mystery close set in local town and a pure delight to read. Characters feel nostalgic and the setting is very exciting!

[Sai Rama · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent murder mystery with excellent ending setup and based in Rural Andhra Pradesh. One of the best South Indian Murder mysteries I Can Dare say

[Aswathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light reading.. Loved the climax..

[Umair · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whodunit story where you have several suspects and the actual killer becomes known at the end.Story starts a little slow but picks up pace gradually and ends up quite well. Twists and turns were not too many but plot had decent and enjoyable twists. Some part of it was predictable but I guess all in all it was a worth reading murder suspense.
Character building was real and good except that of constable trying to trace the culprit all of his own similar to a private detective, which seems a little unrealistic. The environment of the village, people, their lifestyle is well captured. Those who lived or had been to a south indian village will definitely feel it. For me this book is a must read for whodunit murder suspense lovers.

[Rekha Rajgopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good writing, crisp and to the point.

The book is devoid of flab.

The plot is good and the suspense is good but the twist in the tale is too darned good.

[Sami · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was pretty surprising however the intention of the murderer is not clearly defined. The story telling went flat halfway. Also, Shekhar trying to adopt Padmawati didn't seem plausible.

[Avinash Barnwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect Thriller Book!!!!!!!

[Akash Mashalkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Megha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read! Kept me engrossed and guessing till the end.