What do you think?
Rate this book
MURDER IN THE MONASTERY
Ace detective Avinash Roy arrives at a sleepy hill station in Sikkim in the fervent hope that holidaying at a secluded Buddhist monastery up in the mountains will work as a perfect antidote to his jaded, city-weary nerves. And surprisingly, it does. The crisp mountain air and long walks through undulating valleys not only rejuvenates him, but also rekindles his libido, much to the pleasure of his wife.
On their last night, Roy is faced with a strange request from the Head Lama of the monastery. A rare, invaluable manuscript, the very existence of which is a secret, is missing from the underground vaults of the monastery. Could Roy retrieve the treasure without others knowing anything about it?
As Roy agrees to help the senior monk, he soon realizes that the serene ambience of the place could well be just an illusion. Beneath its placid surface lurk intrigues, conspiracies, unbridled passion, ambition, religious extremism and elemental fear.
By the end of of it all, Roys very life is in grave danger, hanging by a thread. Weaving natural beauty with spine-chilling suspense, Murder in the Monastery is an unputdownable read!
On their last night, Roy is faced with a strange request from the Head Lama of the monastery. A rare, invaluable manuscript, the very existence of which is a secret, is missing from the underground vaults of the monastery. Could Roy retrieve the treasure without others knowing anything about it?
As Roy agrees to help the senior monk, he soon realizes that the serene ambience of the place could well be just an illusion. Beneath its placid surface lurk intrigues, conspiracies, unbridled passion, ambition, religious extremism and elemental fear.
By the end of of it all, Roys very life is in grave danger, hanging by a thread. Weaving natural beauty with spine-chilling suspense, Murder in the Monastery is an unputdownable read!
- GenresThriller
226 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2019
12 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 5, 2024
The only good thing about this book is the cover.
April 9, 2019
If we should judge a book with its title, this be it. Murder in the Monastery is what the title says. The whole plot revolves in a Buddhist Monastery and the murder its circumstances to revolve around it.
Avinash Roy, a detective takes a break from his career and visits a hillstation in Sikkim to stay at a secluded monastery. With his idenity under cover, Mr. Roy lives there in peace and solitude with a reconnected relation with his wife. But no longer does the peace stay with him and he is sucked into the mysteries surrounding the monastery. Little did he know that he will have to investigate a murder there. Who is murdered and will Avinash find the killer?
The book takes the readers to a different zone of intellect. The serene calm ambience of the monastery is not lost to the readers. Despite the murder, author has successfully sustained the mood of the monastery in the psyche of the readers. The characters aren't given time to develop. Despite the lack of space, the characters don't fail to appeal to the readers, which in itself is the USP of the book. The mystery is sustained quite well and without too many suspects and complicating plot, author has managed to pull of the suspense well.
The book reminds of Agatha Christie, wherein the murder takes place in a simple plot but creates ample suspense.
April 26, 2019
Murder in the Monastery
Barun Chanda
Rupa
INR 295/
Bengal has a long tradition of detective fiction, though for the most part the fiction is aimed at children. The likes of Satyajit Ray and Sunil Gangopadhyay turned their stories into thrilling adventures. In fact the Byomkesh Bakshi series was probably the only adult detective fiction available. Actor Barun Chanda decided to add his inputs to the genre. Having begun with thrillers in Bengali, he branched out into English with Murder in the Monastery. The story is very definitely adult with sex and violence thrown. Chanda’s detective, Avijit Roy is on holiday in Sikkim when he finds himself drawn into a mystery which involves murder. Chanda chooses the most unlikely of settings for his story, a tranquil Buddhist monastery that has a guesthouse for certain tourists in search of meditation.
Roy, visiting with his wife Sharmi, quickly sends her back to Kolkata when the mystery starts to unravel. He is asked by the head Lama to find a missing manuscript that deals with the last days of Jesus Christ. According to a well-received theory Christ had 12 missing years in his life and was supposed to have spent them in India. The manuscript is therefore known as the Issah manuscript from the Kashmiri name given to Christ and two monasteries are threating to go head to head in order to possess the scroll. It is therefore all the more imperative that the document be recovered before its loss becomes general knowledge.
Roy sets out to talk to the other guests at the monastery, starting with Miriam who teaches the little lamas English and Maths once a year. He also realises that someone is out to dispose of him. While Roy is not murdered, Miriam is, followed by the oldest of the lama students, Tenzing. Roy finds his paths crossing with Thapa, local head of the police and an edgy man with a chip on his shoulder. The story piles detail on detail – occasionally this has the effect of slowing the pace and the investigation, though it does reveal the author’s knowledge of the region and sets the mood. Chanda has obviously been a regular visitor to Sikkim and is familiar with Buddhist monasteries and their ways – not to mention the fact that international tourists, too, make their way to Sikkim and contribute their own dimension of intrigue and anonymity.
Roy has a knack for deduction and manages with the help of his assistant Pradyot to pin down the suspect. However, the criminal is wily and tracking the person down takes time and effort. Add to that the fact that those who are hunting Roy are still on his trail, for reasons of their own.
Chanda utilises the landscape, the snow, rocks and cliff edges to heighten the danger quotient, not to mention throwing in a crazy driver known as Mad Max who likes spinning off the road. Readers will enjoy the dark grittiness of the tale and the modern sex and violence quotient. Bengali detective fiction has certainly gone adult, taking a gritty step towards Ian Rankin and the rest.
Barun Chanda
Rupa
INR 295/
Bengal has a long tradition of detective fiction, though for the most part the fiction is aimed at children. The likes of Satyajit Ray and Sunil Gangopadhyay turned their stories into thrilling adventures. In fact the Byomkesh Bakshi series was probably the only adult detective fiction available. Actor Barun Chanda decided to add his inputs to the genre. Having begun with thrillers in Bengali, he branched out into English with Murder in the Monastery. The story is very definitely adult with sex and violence thrown. Chanda’s detective, Avijit Roy is on holiday in Sikkim when he finds himself drawn into a mystery which involves murder. Chanda chooses the most unlikely of settings for his story, a tranquil Buddhist monastery that has a guesthouse for certain tourists in search of meditation.
Roy, visiting with his wife Sharmi, quickly sends her back to Kolkata when the mystery starts to unravel. He is asked by the head Lama to find a missing manuscript that deals with the last days of Jesus Christ. According to a well-received theory Christ had 12 missing years in his life and was supposed to have spent them in India. The manuscript is therefore known as the Issah manuscript from the Kashmiri name given to Christ and two monasteries are threating to go head to head in order to possess the scroll. It is therefore all the more imperative that the document be recovered before its loss becomes general knowledge.
Roy sets out to talk to the other guests at the monastery, starting with Miriam who teaches the little lamas English and Maths once a year. He also realises that someone is out to dispose of him. While Roy is not murdered, Miriam is, followed by the oldest of the lama students, Tenzing. Roy finds his paths crossing with Thapa, local head of the police and an edgy man with a chip on his shoulder. The story piles detail on detail – occasionally this has the effect of slowing the pace and the investigation, though it does reveal the author’s knowledge of the region and sets the mood. Chanda has obviously been a regular visitor to Sikkim and is familiar with Buddhist monasteries and their ways – not to mention the fact that international tourists, too, make their way to Sikkim and contribute their own dimension of intrigue and anonymity.
Roy has a knack for deduction and manages with the help of his assistant Pradyot to pin down the suspect. However, the criminal is wily and tracking the person down takes time and effort. Add to that the fact that those who are hunting Roy are still on his trail, for reasons of their own.
Chanda utilises the landscape, the snow, rocks and cliff edges to heighten the danger quotient, not to mention throwing in a crazy driver known as Mad Max who likes spinning off the road. Readers will enjoy the dark grittiness of the tale and the modern sex and violence quotient. Bengali detective fiction has certainly gone adult, taking a gritty step towards Ian Rankin and the rest.
April 15, 2019
A simplistic and elegant cover with a title that's self revelatory of the possible plot, I went into this book for the mystery thriller aspect of the story.
The plot: Avinash Roy is a very well known detective from Kolkata and is holidaying at the Denziang monastery in Sikkim. A very surprising request for an audience with the head lama leads to a revelation of sorts and the beginning of the mystery.
A vivid description and an easy to read narrative kept me engaged.
What I found lacking was the pace that the mystery thrillers usually have. It became a bit stretched out in the middle and didn't sustain my interest. A few questions did remain ambiguous. Overall the story was mildly engaging and I did sustain reading it till the end as I needed answers to my questions.
This book will appeal to readers who like mystery stories with slow pace. Beginners or people new to the genre will particularly enjoy it.
The plot: Avinash Roy is a very well known detective from Kolkata and is holidaying at the Denziang monastery in Sikkim. A very surprising request for an audience with the head lama leads to a revelation of sorts and the beginning of the mystery.
A vivid description and an easy to read narrative kept me engaged.
What I found lacking was the pace that the mystery thrillers usually have. It became a bit stretched out in the middle and didn't sustain my interest. A few questions did remain ambiguous. Overall the story was mildly engaging and I did sustain reading it till the end as I needed answers to my questions.
This book will appeal to readers who like mystery stories with slow pace. Beginners or people new to the genre will particularly enjoy it.
March 12, 2026
I feel it was a mismatch of expectations and reality with this book. The title suggests intrigue and a sure-fire murder mystery in a place that is remote and unattainable (making it that much more interesting)...but the story itself didn't throw one off course enough or pique one's interest.
It was an easy read and was most fun to read about the landscape and places (although not drawn out either).
Good for quick reads.
It was an easy read and was most fun to read about the landscape and places (although not drawn out either).
Good for quick reads.
August 28, 2021
Story revolves around the murders in the monastery. The chief reason for what whole search started and murders are no where related.
November 12, 2022
A detective is in a Sikkim Monastery for holiday. Now there he found a lost manuscript from the monastery. Now Avinash Roy the Detective has to find out the manuscript and solve the series of murder.
October 13, 2024
Very nice
Liked the plot twist
Liked the plot twist
March 4, 2020
A murder mystery based in Sikkim. A Calcutta based detective,Roy is holidaying in a big monastery when he is requested by the head Monk to help in tracing an important parchment which has been stolen. This is followed by two murders and Roy continues to investigate along with the local police.
The description of the mountainous state is terrific. The story is above average but the suspense and the pace of the book are just about average.
The description of the mountainous state is terrific. The story is above average but the suspense and the pace of the book are just about average.
June 8, 2021
The book was successful in keeping the mystery till the last pages. Though would have liked a little bit more definitive end, it’s a good read with coffee or scotch.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews