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5 stories:
1) The Chandipur Jewels
2)Vanishing trick at Chandipur
3)S.O.S. form Munia
4)Adventure on the Golden Lake
6)Adventure before Midnight
1) The Chandipur Jewels
2)Vanishing trick at Chandipur
3)S.O.S. form Munia
4)Adventure on the Golden Lake
6)Adventure before Midnight
431 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 8, 2026
5/5
'5 Mystery Stories' by Nilima Sinha is one of the first novels that I ever laid my hands on. Hence through sheer nostalgia alone, this book is rated higher than almost any other book. The book is primary aimed at childrens aged 8 to 12 and comprises adventure and mystery in equal quantities. It was a magical experience just reading these novels in the afternoon sun at my rooftop. Such fond memories. This is the novel that piqued my interest in adventure mystery thrillers for the first time and as such it has a very special place in my heart.
With the general preamble out of the way, let's review each of the five stories individually:
The Chandipur Jewels
4/5
The first story of the book and the first story featuring Sarika, Praveen and Sunil, our yound adventures who travel to their grandfather's palace in the village of Chandipur and stumble upon a conspiracy to poison the old man and steal their family heirloom, the Chandipur Jewels. A fun thriller fun of adventure and mishaps including abductions and secret tunnels. This is the story that started my love for old mansions with their secret passages and tumultous history. An exceeding fun read.
Vanishing Trick at Chandipur
5/5
The second story in the book and the second story featuring Praveen and the gang. While celebrating the reunion of their Grandfather and their mother, an elaborate heist takes place in Chandipur resulting in the theft of the infamous Shahpur Urn, an invaluable piece of history. Suspicion falls upon Ramu kaka, the old family help and the father of Munia, the favorite character in the story. It falls upon Praveen, Sarika, Sunil and Munia to clear the name of her father. This story sees the gang return to Patna and the majority of the adventure takes place in the metropolitan city, involing ricksaw chases and shenanigans on a moving ferry. A great addition to the series.
SOS from Munia
4/5
The third story in the book and the final chapter of the saga of Sunil and his siblings. The trio of Sarika, Praveen and Sunil recieve an SOS message from Munia who has moved to Jhumri Talliya after her marriage. The gang travel to the rural countryside of Bihar with their cousin Rakesh and his faithful dog Rex to solve the conundrum. There they meet the eccentric scientist Dr. Mohan who is deadly afraid of his research being stolen. This is the biggest conspiracy that the gang has ever faced. Full of adventure, secret caves and repeated brushes with death, this is a fitting continuation of the saga but falls short as a finale if this is actually the last story featuring the trio.
Adventure of the Golden Lake
3/5
The fourth story of the book introducing entirely new protagonists, the twin brothers Anand & Ajit and their younger sister Neena. During a trek in the mountains of Kashmir, the trio form a friendship with two fellow trekkers, Ann and her friend from England. They plan to meet up at the Golden Lake aka The famous Daal Lake of Kashmir, but when the trekkers mysteriously disappear before the meeting, the trio take it upon themselves to find out what happened to them. This story has the biggest threat out of all the five stories featuring international spy rings and national secrets. A fun read though it lacks the impact of the others as the characters are unfamiliar.
Adventure before Midnight
5/5
The final story of the book and the only story with a truly book-end finish. Set in the 1940s, the story recounts the adventures of Hari and his friend Anwar, during the tumultous time of Pre-Independence. Hari and Anwar, with their friend Krishna, try to fight for freedom from the British Raj in any way they can. From the formation of the Young Patriots, the massacre of Quit India Movement, to breaking out freedom fighters from the British Jails, this story highlights the brutality of the regime and the part common citizens played in helping India gain Independence. This is also the only story with a nuanced message in my opinion, as it also doesn't shy away from human tendencies and the horrors of discrimination as a mob tries to burn down Anwar and his family following the Partition. A heartfeld story with a sweet albiet a naive ending. A fitting conclusion to this story and the collection as a whole.
Overall, a genuinely fun read, perfect for children inculcating in them from a young age the values of bravery and comaraderie. Hope it helps lot of youngster fall in love with mysteries as it has helped me.
Can't wait to read more!!!
'5 Mystery Stories' by Nilima Sinha is one of the first novels that I ever laid my hands on. Hence through sheer nostalgia alone, this book is rated higher than almost any other book. The book is primary aimed at childrens aged 8 to 12 and comprises adventure and mystery in equal quantities. It was a magical experience just reading these novels in the afternoon sun at my rooftop. Such fond memories. This is the novel that piqued my interest in adventure mystery thrillers for the first time and as such it has a very special place in my heart.
With the general preamble out of the way, let's review each of the five stories individually:
The Chandipur Jewels
4/5
The first story of the book and the first story featuring Sarika, Praveen and Sunil, our yound adventures who travel to their grandfather's palace in the village of Chandipur and stumble upon a conspiracy to poison the old man and steal their family heirloom, the Chandipur Jewels. A fun thriller fun of adventure and mishaps including abductions and secret tunnels. This is the story that started my love for old mansions with their secret passages and tumultous history. An exceeding fun read.
Vanishing Trick at Chandipur
5/5
The second story in the book and the second story featuring Praveen and the gang. While celebrating the reunion of their Grandfather and their mother, an elaborate heist takes place in Chandipur resulting in the theft of the infamous Shahpur Urn, an invaluable piece of history. Suspicion falls upon Ramu kaka, the old family help and the father of Munia, the favorite character in the story. It falls upon Praveen, Sarika, Sunil and Munia to clear the name of her father. This story sees the gang return to Patna and the majority of the adventure takes place in the metropolitan city, involing ricksaw chases and shenanigans on a moving ferry. A great addition to the series.
SOS from Munia
4/5
The third story in the book and the final chapter of the saga of Sunil and his siblings. The trio of Sarika, Praveen and Sunil recieve an SOS message from Munia who has moved to Jhumri Talliya after her marriage. The gang travel to the rural countryside of Bihar with their cousin Rakesh and his faithful dog Rex to solve the conundrum. There they meet the eccentric scientist Dr. Mohan who is deadly afraid of his research being stolen. This is the biggest conspiracy that the gang has ever faced. Full of adventure, secret caves and repeated brushes with death, this is a fitting continuation of the saga but falls short as a finale if this is actually the last story featuring the trio.
Adventure of the Golden Lake
3/5
The fourth story of the book introducing entirely new protagonists, the twin brothers Anand & Ajit and their younger sister Neena. During a trek in the mountains of Kashmir, the trio form a friendship with two fellow trekkers, Ann and her friend from England. They plan to meet up at the Golden Lake aka The famous Daal Lake of Kashmir, but when the trekkers mysteriously disappear before the meeting, the trio take it upon themselves to find out what happened to them. This story has the biggest threat out of all the five stories featuring international spy rings and national secrets. A fun read though it lacks the impact of the others as the characters are unfamiliar.
Adventure before Midnight
5/5
The final story of the book and the only story with a truly book-end finish. Set in the 1940s, the story recounts the adventures of Hari and his friend Anwar, during the tumultous time of Pre-Independence. Hari and Anwar, with their friend Krishna, try to fight for freedom from the British Raj in any way they can. From the formation of the Young Patriots, the massacre of Quit India Movement, to breaking out freedom fighters from the British Jails, this story highlights the brutality of the regime and the part common citizens played in helping India gain Independence. This is also the only story with a nuanced message in my opinion, as it also doesn't shy away from human tendencies and the horrors of discrimination as a mob tries to burn down Anwar and his family following the Partition. A heartfeld story with a sweet albiet a naive ending. A fitting conclusion to this story and the collection as a whole.
Overall, a genuinely fun read, perfect for children inculcating in them from a young age the values of bravery and comaraderie. Hope it helps lot of youngster fall in love with mysteries as it has helped me.
Can't wait to read more!!!
May 29, 2018
The book that initiated my interest in mysteries. Highly recommended. You will fall in love the stories.
October 19, 2022
Not a mystery for advance readers . But the book is good though. The last story was not that thilling. I like Praveen and his sis Sarika
February 17, 2023
The book is alright , didn't really like it because the crime in the book is idiotic. Getting straight to the point, it's not one of those really good books.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews