Mussoorie Montage: Tales from the Hills

by Divyaroop Bhatnagar

The old houses of Mussoorie stand like sentinels of the past, their thick stone walls and red roofs guarding long buried secrets. Even years after Independence, the town clings to its old ways—long, languid summers stretch on, untouched by the hum of television or the lure of the Internet. Step into this forgotten world, where echoes of the 1960s and ’70s still whisper through deserted hallways and shadowed verandas.

These tales will lead you deep into the heart of old Mussoorie—a world of passion and perfidy, love and loss, mystery and menace. While some stories will leave you smiling, reading others might send a chill down your spine. Here, murder lurks in the mist, romance blooms in secret corners, and revenge waits patiently in the dark.

Indian royalty, Lucknowi nawabs, and the last of the British spinsters who refused to leave India come together in a vivid, intoxicating portrait of a town where every door hides a story, and every shadow has a past.

198 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2025

About the author

Divyaroop (Debu) Bhatnagar was born and brought up in Kanpur. As a child, his family would go up to Mussoorie every summer for their school vacations and the love for the place and the mountains have stayed with him for a lifetime.

Debu loves reading, travelling and pretends to play Golf and Bridge. He has fancied his hand at writing since he was a young man and in a benevolent alternate universe he may well have been a writer to start with instead of the quintessential corporate honcho that he became.

Debu has finally decided to slow down and find time for all the things he loves, Writing (at last!), long drives in the Himalayas and solving the world’s problems with likeminded friends. He has two grown up daughters and two lovely granddaughters and lives in Gurgaon with his wife, Devi.

Reviews

[Kitabi Keeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories. Long-lasting feelings. Straight from the queen of hills: Mussoorie!


⛰️INSIGHT: Mussoorie Montage is a collection of 13 short stories that take you on a journey through the 1960s and 1970s, full of imagination and emotions, providing a rich and diverse reading experience.

⛰️REVIEW: The author explores many themes- love, horror, suspense, thrill, family reunion, revenge. I loved the way the author uses the backdrop of hills, eerie mansions and forests to create a beautiful story setting. Each story has different characters with distinct personalities; however, I think that some of them are archetypal and others quite relatable. The pace of the stories is just perfect for me. The third-person point of view built up the whole suspense atmosphere for me and delivered an emotionally charged and satisfying climax. After reading each story I experienced different emotions swivelling in my heart- deep disgust, anger, pity, sorrow, compassion and a couple of them even left me horrified.
While the plots are well-crafted, I believe that a couple of them seem to be drawing from common crime and suspense fiction troupes. Some of the stories had very powerful endings, some were very emotionally dramatic, even cliffhangers and I think some seemed very predictable even before the suspects were questioned and the clues were gathered.
Overall, I feel that the author has beautifully used all the elements of story-telling and delivered an engaging reading experience.

⛰️STRENGTHS:
1) The language used is beginner-friendly and fluent.
2) It is a perfect book for those looking for short stories and casual reading irrespective of the mood of the reader.
3) Story plots are very entertaining and have different themes.

⛰️WEAKNESS:
1)The readers who do not enjoy cliffhanger endings may be dissatisfied with a couple of open-ended stories.

⛰️TARGET AUDIENCE: 15 years and above

⛰️GENRE: Short Story

⛰️RATING: 4/5

[Sameer Gudhate · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are books you read, and there are books that read you. I didn’t expect that a quiet-looking hardcover with a nostalgic photograph of Mussoorie nestled on the cover would do that to me—but the moment I cracked open Mussoorie Montage: Tales from the Hills by Divyaroop Bhatnagar, I felt something shift. It was like stepping into a fog-thick morning on Camel’s Back Road where everything feels familiar yet charged with the thrill of what might be waiting around the next bend. I could smell the pine. I could hear the rain ticking on tin roofs. I could almost see the lonely cottages standing like old soldiers guarding stories too heavy to speak.

Divyaroop Bhatnagar—affectionately Debu to those who know him—has crafted something extraordinary here. Part historian, part poet, part illusionist, he brings back the Mussoorie of the 1960s and ’70s with such tenderness that you feel time softening under your feet, bending just enough to let you walk backward into another era. He writes with the patience of an old friend pouring a second cup of tea, telling you a secret he has held for years.

The premise is deceptively simple: thirteen short stories, each named after a house, set in Mussoorie. But simplicity ends right there. Each story is a door—heavy wooden, brass-handled, slightly creaking—behind which lies a world thrumming with passion and perfidy, longing and betrayal, nostalgia and dread. These are not loud thrillers that bang pots and shout for your attention. These are quiet detonations. They explode inward.

Early on, I realized this wasn’t merely a book. It was a guided walk through an emotional museum where every object is stitched with memory. The writing is lush but never indulgent, elegant without being ornamental. The pacing is a slow burn, and thank heavens for that—because this is a book meant to be savoured, not swallowed. I could feel the stories unfolding like lotus petals—deliberate, graceful, impossible to rush.

Mussoorie itself becomes a living character, not merely backdrop. The mist feels sentient. The hills breathe. The silence between sentences hums with secrets. In one story, I paused and looked up because I genuinely thought I heard the shuffle of footsteps from a wooden staircase. In another, a single line pulled the rug from beneath me so suddenly that I flipped back pages, hunting for the detail I had missed. That’s the magic here: Bhatnagar never shows his hand until the very last second.

The characters—oh, the characters. Particularly the older women. There’s something unforgettable about them: stubborn, elegant, bruised but not broken. Their strength sneaks up on you slowly and then grips your heart without warning. They carry loneliness like an heirloom and dignity like a sword. More importantly, Bhatnagar writes them without judgement. He simply lets them exist—flawed, complex, achingly human.

There is love here. There is horror. There are reunions and farewells. There are ghosts—metaphorical and maybe not so metaphorical. There are endings that feel complete and endings that feel like open windows letting the wind in. Some readers might wish for firmer closure; some might predict twists from afar. But I found even the predictability—where it appeared—to be a deliberate echo of life. We often know what’s coming. That doesn’t make it hurt less.

Halfway through, I realized something unsettling: for the first time in months, I had slowed down. I wasn’t reading for speed, achievement, content. I was reading to feel. To be transported. To listen. In a world obsessed with notifications and noise, this book is a quiet rebellion. An invitation to pause.

By the time I turned the last page, I felt an ache I couldn’t explain—like closing the door of a house that had somehow become your own. I sat still for minutes, letting the mist settle.

If Ruskin Bond is the gentle breeze that makes pine trees sigh, Divyaroop Bhatnagar is the unexpected rain that taps on your window, whispering stories you didn’t know you needed. His Mussoorie isn’t just geography; it’s emotion. It isn’t just a location; it’s a holding space for memory.

This book is a companion for quiet afternoons, for rainy evenings with socks on and phone on silent mode. It deserves to be read slowly, lovingly—preferably with a cup of chai steaming nearby.

And if stories truly had a scent, this one would smell like old pinewood, monsoon-soaked earth, and ink drying on yellowed pages.

So here’s my soft nudge: find a corner, wrap a blanket around your shoulders, open this book. Let Mussoorie whisper to you. Let the hills tell their tales. You may not return the same.

[Prerna Shambhavee · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mussoorie Montage" is like stepping into a time machine that whisks you away to the charming hill station of Mussoorie in the 1960s and '70s. The author's vivid descriptions will transport you to the misty mountains, deserted hallways, and shadowed verandas, where secrets lurk and stories unfold.

Imagine sipping tea on a veranda, surrounded by the whispers of the past, as Indian royalty, Lucknowi nawabs, and British spinsters come alive in these captivating tales. Each story is a masterfully crafted gem, full of twists and turns that will leave you smiling, gasping, or frantically flipping back pages to uncover the secrets hidden within.

The author's writing style is like a gentle breeze on a summer day - soothing, comforting, and effortless. He paints vivid pictures with words, etching characters with care and consideration, making it impossible not to fall in love with them. The affection he has for Mussoorie shines through in every story, making the hill station a central character that will capture your heart.

What sets "Mussoorie Montage" apart is its unique blend of mystery, romance, and menace. Murder lurks in the mist, romance blooms in secret corners, and revenge waits patiently in the dark. The author's command over language is impressive, introducing you to words that might be in your vocabulary but haven't been used in conversation - a surefire way to expand your linguistic horizons.

The stories are woven with such care, each one precious and unique, making it hard to choose favorites. The author's voice is free from judgment, allowing the characters to shine in all their complexity. With its smooth pacing and engaging narrative, "Mussoorie Montage" is an absolute delight to read.

If you're looking for a book that will transport you to a bygone era, introduce you to unforgettable characters, and keep you guessing until the very end, then "Mussoorie Montage" is the perfect choice. Get ready to be enchanted by the author's storytelling prowess and the charming world of Mussoorie, where every door hides a story, and every shadow has a past.

[Rajendra Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mussoorie Montage: Tales from the Hills" written by author Divyaroop Bhatnagar is a captivating collection of thirteen stories that transport readers to the enchanting hill station🏔️ of Mussoorie, where the past intertwines seamlessly with the present. Set against the backdrop of post-Independence India🇮🇳, the book evokes the lingering echoes of colonialism and the slow unraveling of tradition in the face of modernity.

           Each story in this collection dives deep into the heart of old Mussoorie, exploring themes of passion, betrayal, love, and loss. The town itself emerges as a character—a place where every stairway, every veranda, and every shadow holds a secret waiting to be unraveled.

              One standout story, "Leopard's Face," revolves around Dorothy, a young girl living in a colonial bungalow🏚️ with her family in the 1940s and 1950s. As her family members gradually leave the bungalow, Dorothy finds herself isolated, until a small boy⛹️ unexpectedly enters her life and brings about a profound change.. This poignant tale captures the essence of longing and transformation, illustrating how even the smallest encounters can alter the course of our lives.

          Divyaroop Bhatnagar’s prose is evocative, drawing readers into a world🌏 where the past lingers stubbornly, resisting the encroachment of modernity. Overall, "Mussoorie Montage" is an evocative read that is sure to resonate with anyone who appreciates the intersection of history, mystery, and the complexities of the human experience💙🎑

[Megha Bhatia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review Post will Start like

If stories had a scent, this book would smell like old pinewood, monsoon-soaked earth, and ink on yellowed pages. I picked up this book due to its title and my immense love for Mussoorie, and it doesn’t start with a bang or a twist, but seeps in, like mist curling around the edges of your thoughts, quietly anchoring you in the charm of a hill town that feels half-forgotten, half-dreamed.

The author’s collection of thirteen stories is less of a book and more of a slow, graceful drift through Mussoorie’s alleys, attics, and the quiet corners of its people’s hearts. Each story reads like a memory passed down, sometimes warm and familiar, sometimes startling in its turn. And yet, none of it feels overly nostalgic. The prose is precise, elegant, and completely unhurried, making space for emotion without ever forcing it.

What’s striking is the way the author writes with restraint and affection. The characters- flawed, reflective, sometimes aching, are handled with care, never judged. Mussoorie itself becomes a silent witness, a participant even, in tales of loss, rediscovery, revenge, love, and longing. There’s a stillness to this book that’s almost meditative.

And then, just when you’re lulled into its rhythm, a line or a twist makes you pause, flip back a page, and marvel at what you missed.

This book made me slow down, and in that stillness, I remembered what it feels like to truly listen to a story. This book is not just a read; it’s an experience waiting to be savoured.

[Mahi Aggarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books take you to another world. Mussoorie Montage took me to another time.

This collection of 13 stories is like a walk through old mussoorie—slow, quiet, and full of hidden emotions and secrets. Each story opens a door , where everything feels untouched by time… stone houses, red roofs, misty mornings, and lives that hold love, loss, mystery, and silence.

What I really loved was how real everything was . Even though I wasn’t there, I could hear , i could feel , and imagine the people , with stories written all over their eyes. Some tales made me smile softly, others made me pause and think, and a few left a lingering chill.

The writing is gentle, almost like someone narrating old memories to you over a cup of chai. You don’t read it in a rush. You read it slowly, like you're walking through fog.

But if I have to be honest, not every story had the same pull. A couple of them felt a little stretched or less impactful compared to the rest , feels like incomplete . The pace is quite fast no doubt , but still something is missing I felt . But overall it's an interesting book.

Still, if you love stories wrapped in nostalgia, if you like places that feel alive with their own mood and memory, this book will speak to you. It’s not just simple story book it’s about time, about people who stayed, and the whispers they left behind.

A soft, shadowy, emotional read. The kind that leaves behind a quiet echo.

[Sanjeeva Maithani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful estate that has no buyers is bought by Arun and Maya and find themselves in the midst of a mystery

Damyanti, a servant, who cannot understand why the wife of the owner of the house left.

The separation of two siblings and the subsequent meeting of another two siblings

The student who had come to Mussoorie to prepare for IAS and found a mysterious mother-daughter duo owner of the lodge he stayed in.

Vijay who married for money but found the entire marital set-up creating problems for him.

Dorothy who was left alone at Leopard's Face her father and sisters abandoning her one after another.

Many more like this in the backdrop of Mussoorie have been brought to life by Divyaroop. I feel as if I am qualified to be a "mussoorian" now. Camel's back road, Mall road, Kulri etc . I know them all. The seasons, the trees, the people, the hotels all at a time when Mussoorie was a haven. The age of Britishers selling off their houses to the Indian rich and semi-rich, few left behind because they wanted to stay back or because they could not go to Britain. All beautifully captured by Divyaroop

A must read for lovers of stories with a twist. I finished it in one go.

[Booklover_rimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mussoorie Montage" by Divyaroop Bhatnagar is a collection of short stories. And all the short stories are set in the backdrop of one of the beautiful and old hill stations, Mussoorie, India.

But the unique quality of the book is that, in the book, the author did not tell us about the tale of the local people, but about the beautiful villa, cottage, and old houses around the place. How they are made, who made them, and then we get to know about the people and their lives who are occupying those old houses. The stories are fictional, but somehow because of the writing and the scenarios the author portrays here, they seem more real.

There are 13 short stories, which cover many genres; most have some thrilling and suspenseful elements. I like each one of them, but my favorite ones are "Eunice Pond," "Bushmills Lodge," and "Dilkusha State."

I highly recommend this collection if you want to immerse yourself in the beauty of mountains and old estates and in the thrilling stories of various diverse people. I love the book immensely.

[Abhijeet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mussoorie Montage is not short stories—it's a mood, a frame of mind, a wistful sigh from a beyond-the-stage period. Bhatnagar takes us into a Mussoorie that remains frozen in sepia color and monsoon mists of bygone years. The novel luxuriates in susurrant storytelling—stories in which a sentence, the creak of a floorboard, or a glance between people in a room speaks more than the melodrama of all that talking. There is artistry and there is refinement in the manner in which the author accomplishes it. Every one of the stories has a certain emotional weight—anything from the agony of love undone to the exhilaration of revenge lurking behind politeness. The old houses stand mute testimony to human complexity. This is a novel to recommend to anyone who likes rich storytelling with a sense of place. You don't read Mussoorie Montage so much as you experience it, stroll its dripping streets, and carry away memories that never quite fade.

[Utkarsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here, the past never quite lets go. In these ghostly tales against the backdrop of mist-shrouded hills around Mussoorie, the town is not just described as background, but given a presence—grumpy, enigmatic, and wistful. Such stories are not one-line stories but cross over with vignettes in other lives: a young woman discovers an old diary hidden in her grandmother's attic that tells of a doomed wartime love; a dishonoured Nawab consoles himself with a British spinster and vanishes on a wet night; a one-time-celebrity painter returns to his ruined old family home and finds a murder still unsolved.

The writing is spare and fertile, a reflection of the landscape itself—beautiful but haunted. Most haunting is the intermixing of innocence and devastation, and how at times silence can be more deafening than words in a town too used to hiding things from itself. It's a melancholic lament for lost India and those it never quite freed.

[Praveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel transports us into an eternal Mussoorie, where every creaky step and dusty glass is a secret. But far from a maudlin ride, the stories here entwine themselves out like in a thriller novel. Each is independent, but a set of strings holds them all together--each sighting of a white-hatted intruder, a constant reference to a "Queen's Cottage," and mysterious letters found in alternate decades.
It has a royal heir accused of treason who escapes to the hills only to fall for a schoolteacher with a dark past. Another is about a retired detective who goes into seclusion and begins investigating a series of disappearances that trace back to a series of murders back in colonial times. Suspense is crafted with literary style by trading gothic horror with emotional depth
Aside from nostalgia, the novel provides suspense and atmosphere in equal proportions. This is a gem that is hidden for slow-burn mystery enthusiasts with a strong passion for history

[Pratyush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Divyaroop Bhatnagar's Mussoorie Montage is not remarkable just because of the richness of its themes, but for sheer elegance of prose. Each tale is a prolonged sigh, the words unwinding ponderously to release emotion, character, and impact. The word-painting is so evocative that you can almost smell the dampness of the fog, hear the groan of rusty stairways, and sense yourself in those low-beamed, candlelit cottages with something to conceal. Most impressive is the contrast—the book never allows itself to stay in one feeling or cheat. You feel a mix of gentleness, dishonesty, nostalgia, and surprise stitched through the chapters. There is something wonderfully satisfying about the tone—it's reserved, elegant, but persuasive. Mussoorie here is not just a location, it is a friend—quiet, lovely, and full of secrets. Mature storytelling for older readers, this is perfect for anyone who reads for both good plots and atmospheric prose in equal measure.

[Pushkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is the unassuming powerful manner in which Bhatnagar interlaces mystery and memory that makes Mussoorie Montage so gripping. There is a near-biblical aura about these tales being told—dawn crepuscular mornings, ghostly villas, secrets passed from generation to generation. And at every turn of the page, the reader is led deeper into Mussoorie stood still in time. It is a land of whispered gossip and unspoken resentments, where vendetta hangs like mist upon the hillside. Unseen love shines between moss-covered walls. The author’s voice is neither rushed nor loud; it’s confident and patient, like a seasoned guide through a world of secrets. The blend of atmospheric description and emotionally resonant plots makes this more than a suspense anthology—it’s a reflection on how places remember. Each story may be brief, but the emotions they stir last much longer. This is a book you’ll want to revisit, just like the town itself.

[Vedant · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Eyes of Forgotten Lives Mussoorie Montage does what very few anthologies ever get to do effectively—it brings individual life to every one of the stories, but wraps them all up in a loose thread of place and time. Mussoorie here isn't just a place; it's a living, breathing thing which sees, hears, and reacts.
The houses themselves seem to know something more than the people in them. Bhatnagar toys with tension and silence, and love and loss, too close to the bone. The magic is in the pace—adamant and measured, just like that of the town itself. The characters seem to be weighing out the consequences of choices made ages ago, and that lingering power infuses all of these stories. It's not flash fiction—it's legacy fiction. A novel where revenge isn't answered with violence, but with witty reprisals; were love flowers not with grand monuments, but in a turn of the head or a stumbling step. It's slow writing at its best.

[Kartik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Echoes from the Hills Reading Mussoorie Montage is snuggled up on an old creaking armchair by the window on a mountain drizzle, swathed in a shawl of stories.There is something intensely absorptive in Bhatnagar's writing about Mussoorie—not place, nor just place. Every tale captures some shade of human nature, distilled through the prism of nostalgia and over-dominating tension. The irony that the town lies just outside the digital age only has the effect of increasing the intrigue. You're taken out for strolls with people from a hand-written letter, garden party, and implicit information world. Some books chill you gradually, others make you comfortable with their beautiful wistfulness. And then there's this impression that the hills have a memory for everything. It's a slow read book, and each word allowed to settle. Bhatnagar doesn't speak—his are evoked, suspended as it were, in the fog like photographs in amber.

[Rohan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of Mist, Memory, and Menace. There is a magic to Mussoorie Montage that's subtly woven, not of fantasy but of history, suppressed pain, and tentative hope.
The stories are as vaporous as the mist that clings to Mussoorie's rickety streets. Bhatnagar's strength is in taking human emotions—loneliness, love, revenge, nostalgia—and spinning them into landscapes that lie close to the breath. You can almost hear the 1960s wheezing through swinging doors or wafting the scent of the mildew on tattered curtains. The humans—the old British ladies, forsaken royals, chattering villagers—are not merely talking; they are remembering. There is a storm building quietly throughout all these stories, at times boiling over and then otherwise leaving you to the annoyed frustration of ideas not worked out. The quietness is deliberate, and it's what makes you read on. This book does not yell at you—it entices you softly, then holds you there in quiet, like a good ghost story that never actually ends.

[Nayan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets in the Stone Walls. Mussoorie Montage is a map of abandoned paths and phantom memories, hidden behind firm stone faces of colonial bungalows. With each anecdote, Bhatnagar leads us deeper into Mussoorie's rich brocade—a hill station set on not giving in to the times, where quiet sounds louder than words. You can sense the isolation in verandas shrouded in darkness, or nearly feel the whispery thrill of retribution simmering just below polite conversation. The writer evokes an emotional topography in which every home has its own heartbeat, its own spectre of memory. Stories transition from warmth to cold dread effortlessly—one moment, you’re swept up in romance blooming behind lace curtains, the next you’re confronting betrayal that festered for years. This is a more-than-anthology book; it's an exploration of memory, legacy, and lost landscapes. For readers who love atmosphere, tightly woven suspense, and emotional resonance, this is a very rewarding book.

[Jyoti · Rating 5 out of 5]

. A Symphony of Stillness and Storm. Bhatnagar plays with tone as a musician plays with notes in Mussoorie Montage. The stories are a lullaby—whisper, dream, almost-catharsis—to some, but the others bludgeon with instant, spine-jolting comprehension. But all of them are rooted in the town: Mussoorie, mystical and trapped in a post-colonial fantasy. All the titles are derived from a house, and that itself urges the reader to allow the town to speak as loudly as the people. We glimpse royalty whose pride accompanies them into exile, British women whose enthusiasm for a far-off empire makes them lost, and domestic secrets taken down the decades. There is a profound respect for pace here that is unhurried, for characters unfolding like the petals of a lotus flower. The mist, the stillness, the understated luxury—these are not decoration, they're part of the texture of the stories. It is a book to be read slowly, and remembered in awe.

[Uday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where Walls Whisper and Shadows Remember
There is something strangely beautiful to the mood of Mussoorie Montage. The novel is a stroll through the streets of an old town where each door creaks with memory and each shadow wears a tale. Divyaroop Bhatnagar's writing is rich with ambiance, creating a world that is old and magical. These are no mere suspense or romance novels—they're stories of capturing feeling, emotion, and place. The town's old architecture—stone walls, red roof, vacant floor ways—is literally the backbone of stories. Characters are the remnants of a world still hugging its pretense. You're caught in the under-keyed tension of dawn mists and secretly brewing resentments, where the past never quite leaves the present behind. It's a slow read, to indulge in its writing and soak up the muted melancholy of lives long ago behind closed windows and draped rooms. A forceful, poetic book.

[Roshan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Divyaroop Bhatnagar delicately strips away the lost memories that hide behind the veiled verandahs of Mussoorie in Mussoorie Montage. The town, still dressed in its finery from post-Independence, is simultaneously setting and character—a breathing, seeing, remembering being. Each story digs deep into this period's sensibility when life was less eventful but infinitely more layered beneath. The greatest thing that these stories do is the suggestive layering—a story will leave you with an afterglow, and then some other story will leave you unsettled with the cold sting of a good betrayal. There is truthfulness in the manner in which Bhatnagar describes individuals like Indian royalty, Lucknowi nawabs, or stranded British women so that they are figures of reality and myth. These stories do not scream, but they whisper, echo, and haunt so that one feels that they themselves have traversed Mussoorie's mist-shrouded corridors and overheard things that are better unsaid.

[Shridha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Patchwork of Passion and Shadows
Walking through a gallery of stories reading Mussoorie Montage is an experience where each story is a painting tinted with a variety of shades of emotion. Divyaroop Bhatnagar weaves passion and sorrow, light and darkness with impeccable skill. The title of the book is aptly chosen—this is indeed a montage, pieced together with immense attention, each piece taking you into another moment, another puzzle, or an unexpected denouement. Some of them slide through on the sweet romance of nostalgia and some surprise you with horror or suspense. The inclusion of antique characters such as nawabs and English spinsters brings flavor and hue of culture. But in the middle of it all is Mussoorie—a town described so lovingly that one feels certain that the stories must be of this place. This book is not just engaging; it evokes a sense of longing—for the past, for secrecy, for an era when stories were said and unsaid.
 

[Harsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

If walls in Mussoorie had voices, they would speak in Mussoorie Montage style. Divyaroop Bhatnagar's collection of thirteen short stories is an old photo album type of thing—sepia, intensely personal, and sorrowful. Each tale transports you to a new home, a new life, and gives you a slice of drama—sometimes tender, sometimes biting, always compelling. There is some underlying web of tension and suspense, but not all turns are violence-motivated. Some are merely bare-faced in revealing the vulnerability of human beings and what they hide, and no less frightful. The even stretch of Mussoorie, dead and untouched by technology, is a canvas against which everything that happens acquires an emotional tone. The author never comes into the stories; he lets walls and weather tell their own tale. That is why it becomes unforgettable—like sneaking a glimpse of someone's truth through a keyhole.

[Ujjawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something strangely beautiful to the mood of Mussoorie Montage. The novel is a stroll through the streets of an old town where each door creaks with memory and each shadow wears a tale. Divyaroop Bhatnagar's writing is rich with ambiance, creating a world that is old and magical. These are no mere suspense or romance novels—they're stories of capturing feeling, emotion, and place. The town's old architecture—stone walls, red roof, vacant floor ways—is literally the backbone of stories. Characters are the remnants of a world still hugging its pretense. You're caught in the under-keyed tension of dawn mists and secretly brewing resentments, where the past never quite leaves the present behind. It's a slow read, to indulge in its writing and soak up the muted melancholy of lives long ago behind closed windows and draped rooms. A forceful, poetic book.

[Huzaifa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was poetry tinged with sadness. A young woman leaves behind an olc ơilapidated house Mussoorie the process reveals the story of her preat-aunt who had loved a British officer. Secret missives between floorboards and a crushed rose concealed in a Worn diary reveal an affair that never reached its conclusion. What is remarkable in this affair is not the affair in itself but in how Bhatnagar choreographs the inexorable unwinding of nemory, the rustle of lace curtains on a cold breeze, and the weight of unspoken language. The past and the present are intertwined by luck here, so you are a witness to both the present and the past.I couldn't help but weep at the end of the last line, where the heroine, in pity for her sick aunt, chooses to tay back. It's a poignant realization that there are some tales not to be a wrapped up. They're just to be remembered

[Udit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mussoorie Montage is peeling wallpaper—a world under the surface, worn but forgotten.
This book's poetry is being un-sanitized for sake of convenience. Rather, Bhatnagar immerses us in Mussoorie of the bygones, pre-computers and internet, a town still abounding in old gossips. Each story stands like a dusty yellowed, faded letter left in the attic to be read. The characters are wretchedly imperfect—some dreaming, some lying, others nostalgically reminiscing. No residues remain in the form of caricatures; they are written with honesty and emotional nuance. There is a poem of loss interwoven in the novel—a memory that things of beauty are things we can never have back. The convergence of mystery, romance, and regret gives each tale richness of emotional content. This is not a book—it's a listening to the memory of a hill town, dumb in the quiet of old stone houses and broken hearts.

[Namrita Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book that I have read from Divvaroop Bhatnagar. The first one was 'The Mussoorie Murders' and I really loved that book. Now talking about this one.

Mussoorie Montage is a collection of 13 short stories that explore themes such as love, revenge, mystery, loss, familiarity, and menace. Some of the stories I particularly liked include Mountain Rest, Marilyn Villa, Dilkusha Estate, Eunice Pond, Bushmills Lodge, Leopard's Face, and Oakwoods. Mainly if I talk about the book, it gives you a sneak peak into the life of people of Mussoorie and you'll feel like taking a walk on the streets while reading this book. The cover is really beautiful.

I would love to read another book by the author, but this time, I’d prefer a full-length story rather than a collection of short stories. I am yet to get over magic created by the author in The Mussoorie Murders.

[Priyanshu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mussoorie Montage: Tales from the Hills is an expertly crafted anthology that takes readers directly to the core of the Himalayan foothills. Divyaroop Bhatnagar's prose is vivid and imagery-rich, describing Mussoorie not merely as a backdrop but as a living, breathing entity unto itself. Every tale stands alone but held together by a common aura of nostalgia, local flavor, and cultural richness. The characters are real, with feelings and motivations that you can sense to be very much in sync with the ethos of the region. You can almost feel the rustle of deodar leaves and smell the Landour mist. For readers who are wanting to experience India's regional narratives and slow and soulful storytelling, this book is an ideal friend.

[Prakash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bhatnagar's Mussoorie Montage is not merely a collection of short stories — it is a montage of life in a charming hill town, rendered with compassion and refinement. Every story explores the intricacies of Mussoorie's folk — their aspirations, sorrows, habits, and small pleasures. The strength of the book lies in the way it describes the socio-cultural changes in small-town India with such understatement, never losing the magic of the past. The writing is smooth and accessible, but intensely poetic in parts. The emotional depth of each tale lingers even after the final page. It's a contemplative, gratifying read — one which will find favour with fans of R.K. Narayan, Ruskin Bond, or anybody who loves subtle storytelling.

[Sidhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Divyaroop Bhatnagar's collection is a loving ode to a town and lifestyle that is fast disappearing. In Mussoorie Montage, he not only records the outward beauty of the hills, but the inward lives of its people as well. Every tale is like strolling down memory lane — whether it is one of lost friendship, a stranger from nowhere, or an individual's struggle against modernity. Every page declares the author's close connection with the region. His characters are complex, and the background is rich in detail. There is a stillness of wisdom here that counsels us to come to a halt and ponder the little, oftentimes forgotten moments of life. Wholeheartedly recommended to readers who enjoy rich storytelling.

[Ravi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What sets Mussoorie Montage apart isn't its location but its emotional depth. The tales are rich with atmosphere and come near to being cinematic in their power to evoke scenes of mountain trails, battered colonial bungalows, school corridors, and sleepy marketplaces. But the heart of the book is in its characters — every one of them imperfect, optimistic, and human. Bhatnagar is writing with the wisdom of one who has lived these moments or witnessed them play out intimately. The subjects vary from generational transition to stoic endurance, and from boyhood recollections to isolation in old age. It's the sort of novel that unfolds quietly over a cup of tea and lingers in your mind like an old friend.