Anuja Chauhan’s whodunit that keeps interest alive

Rajdeep Bains

‘The lockdown made me want to murder people. Hopefully, I’ve done it well!” That’s Anuja Chauhan’s candid take on her upcoming murder mystery, and she has certainly pulled it off. Her foray into the world of crime, police investigations and murder is a success, and not just because the story is good (it is), but also because it keeps alive all the elements her fans have come to expect of her — fast-paced, character-driven stories with a deep sense of location.

The spice, the drama, the juice, the craft — it’s all there. And so is the upper class world of Lutyens’ Delhi that all of Chauhan’s characters seem to inhabit; a world of easy wit and engaging conversations, of privileged lives and the sad little secrets they hold. All of this is presented in the salty language that has come to be accepted as her hallmark. The setting is a delicious little murder that involves the elite Delhi Turf Club (DTC). It’s pure ‘masala’.

The world of DTC members is astir. It is election season, and for the first time a woman wants to be the club president. Then just a day before the votes are to be cast, Leo, the hot personal trainer, is found dead, and ACP Bhavani is brought in to solve the crime. Things keep getting stranger till almost every member of the club is a suspect.

In a time of short attention spans, Chauhan has managed the near impossible — to sustain the reader’s interest. The privileged world of DTC is contrasted against the underbelly of Delhi — shadowy, seedy, and fraught with suffering. This is a world of blackmail, revenge and desolation, where hope is lost in the grimness of reality. The book addresses privilege, social hierarchies and hypocrisy.

The author believes balance is key — a mix of humour, depth and frivolousness. “In earlier books, the romances, a boy and a girl coming together was the propulsive thrust. In this one, it’s the mystery being solved. This one is also definitely a romantic book in a way, but I’m going beyond the ‘happily ever after’ and exploring the element of mystery,” she has told an interviewer.

A fan of Agatha Christie, she has succeeded in creating her own version of Mrs Marple in ACP Bhavani. An old-school character people readily opened up to, there’s just so much scope in him that it would be a pity if we didn’t see him return in subsequent mysteries. ‘Club You to Death’ is surely another winner for Anuja Chauhan.