The Astral Alibi

Stellar Investigations Detective Agency #2

by Manjiri Prabhu

If you like your crime in a foreign clime, join Sonia Samarth and her Stellar Investigations Detective Agency as they confront a rash of baffling misdeeds plaguing the city of Pune, India–and solve them as only they can, with a unique combination of traditional Indian wisdom, modern-day detection, and ancient astrology.

The Astral Alibi

After a slow start to the New Year, Sonia Samarth’s crime-solving services are in high demand. There’s the bride whose arranged marriage may include murderous in-laws, the theatrical team whose death scene was no act, and the deceptively happy couple whose stars foretell domestic danger. Good thing Sonia has her opinionated assistant, Jatin, to help–except that even he may be caught up in the unlawful fray. Fortunately, it takes more than a few misguided souls–not to mention a preposterous proposal from the world’s most notorious diamond thief–to rattle this yoga-practicing, astrologically inspired sleuth.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

371 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 27, 2006

About the author

#18 The DOGtrine of Peace
When two magical beings, decide on a spiritual goal,
One with a wagging tail, but both with a unique soul…
The way to inner peace lies in our heart…and in the company of dogs. With this belief, Dr. Manjiri Prabhu has poured a lifetime of her work with dogs and her learnings, into a spiritual adventure, The DOGtrine of Peace, a novel blueprint for spiritual awakening and enlightenment.
Rich with anecdotes, interviews, and experiences, of dog-lovers, scientists, animal communicators & therapists, activists, spiritual thinkers & yoga gurus, and environmentalists from across the globe, the DOGtrine of Peace is a powerful book of love and compassion for those who seek a unique spiritual path.
This intuitive philosophy provides profound and life-changing Sutras to those with a yearning in their hearts, for those who love humanity, who pursue peace, harmony and truth, and of course for dog lovers and compassionate souls!


VOICE OF THE RUNES
(When Souls Connect, But Vengeance Speaks)
A Haunting love story and a destination thriller.

Dr. Tharoor's endorsement on the book :
"Evocatively written, Voice of the Runes delves into the mystical nature of the Scandinavian runes, with a layered and thrilling storyline that makes for a compelling read." Dr. Shashi Tharoor

'The Trail of Four' an international mystery thriller published by Bloomsbury.
"The Trail of Four - Clever plotting, evocative writing and a compelling mystery. Dan Brown has met his match." ~ Dr. Shashi Tharoor
"Swirling across Europe, The Trail of Four is an intricately woven mystery that emanates from a human heart buried under a Salzburg castle in 1744. A compelling and fascinating read." ~Ashwin Sanghi
"A superb mystery which blends the thrill with the ethereal, 'The Trail of Four' will leave an indelible print/mark on your mind. I highly recommend this book!! "~~ Anita Moorjani



https://kitaab.org/2017/04/11/book-re...

http://www.new-asian-writing.com/book...

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifest...

http://www.dailypioneer.com/sunday-ed...

https://incrediblewomenofindia.wordpr...

http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/ind...

http://swatisrai.blogspot.in/2017/04/...


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/li...

http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-a...

https://pune365.com/trail-four-manjir...

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetail...

https://www.harmonyindia.org/leisure_...


'Stellar Signs' the Indian version of 'The Astral Alibi'


'In the Shadow of Inheritance' (A Haunting Love Story) from Penguin India

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/...


The Gypsies at Noelle's Retreat
(A Riva Parkar Mystery) - The first in a YA mystery series.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Gypsies-Noe...


'The Cavansite Conspiracy' has been awarded the Best Mystery 2012 by BTB Indian Literary Awards.

Tête-à-Tête with Manjiri Prabhu
http://suprose.blogspot.com/2012/12/t...


Dr. Manjiri Prabhu holds a Doctorate in Communication Science and is a short-film-maker, an award-winning international author and also the Founder/ Director of two Festivals. She has directed over 200 children’s TV

Reviews

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of threaded tales. Sonia, the mystic sleuth, uses horoscopes to solve crimes. The book jacket boasts 12 original horoscopes- I guess these might mean something to someone, but nothing to me-page wasters. I m not crazy about the appearance of The Owl I find he simply takes away from story.

[Karla Huebner]

I went ahead and finished reading this despite strong misgivings (see below). It improved a ways in, in that its positive aspects became more evident--aspects of present-day life in India, such as foods and festivals, weather and architecture, play a role, and I was able to take some interest in the sleuth and her friends. The structure of linked adventures ultimately worked acceptably, although I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who wants to see much evidence leading to the solutions. Still, I think this book needed a good copyedit. Giving a sense of Indian English is one thing, but random capitalization of nouns, rampant exclamation points and unnecessary sentence fragments, and incorrect or poor choices of word should all be fixed soon after acquisition.

I thought this might make an interesting change from American and British mysteries--it's set in India, with an astrologer sleuth--but I question whether I'll be able to read much further. No one appears to have copyedited it, so it reads like an unpublished manuscript by an enthusiastic amateur. That doesn't bother me when I'm in editorial mode and my job is to help the writer (note: I no longer edit for a living, so don't query me), but it really grates on me in a book published by a big house. On page two the sentence "The glow of a fluorescent peach dawn stained the sky" set off Bad Writing alarms and things went rapidly downhill from there.

Sorry, I don't like to trash other writers. We all write badly at times, and our publishers are supposed to help fix our errors of punctuation, capitalization, and even our occasional (or, heaven forbid, repeated) lapses into fatuous garbage. Bantam seems to have figured that the exotic locale would blind American readers to its editorial inadequacies here. Once the book was acquired, Bantam should have done its job and helped this book become the lightweight but cute fare the author clearly wanted to achieve.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read because of its setting in Pune, India and the heroine's reliance on astrology to solve cases. She still needs her ingenuity, however, to get the evidence that will stand up in court. Plotting is improbable and the question of determinism is somewhat of a shadow over the book. Still, a good, light read.

[Krishna · Rating 1 out of 5]

was not able to read after 30 pages , annoying boring !!