Ten Days in October

by Ashish Malpani

5 a.m. phone call broke Police Inspector Shivaji Chavan’s sleep informing him that local jeweler Anil Kokate, was found hanging from a tree on the banks of Pravara River in a small town of rural India. Although the signs point to an open and shut case of suicide, Chavan suspects foul play. While trying to find the missing pieces of the story he finds more hidden skeletons and comes across astonishing & cruel past of the victim. What begins as a routine investigation quickly turns darker, ruthless and pressing. Can Chavan handle the pressure of his superiors, local media and frightened masses? Can he navigate the system to reach the killer? Can he solve the moral dilemma when he comes face to face with the killer?

198 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2016

About the author

Ashish Malpani is an Indian-American freelancer and blogger. Born in Sangamner, a small town in rural India, he spent much of his adult life in Austin, Texas. A technology product marketer by trade, Ashish earned his MSE from Purdue University and MBA from the University of Texas.

Ashish fell in love with reading and traveling at a young age. As a kid he had two dreams in life: to write a novel and to travel around the world. Thirty eight countries and counting, Ashish has explored various cultures and captured the world through the lens of his camera with his wife Samta and son Ayan.

Reviews

[Samta · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intense, thriller novel, rich in detail, complex plotting and the exhilarating twists to the story makes it hard to put down.

[Sumita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing, thrilling, full of twists that keeps the reader interested till the very end.

[G Sarda]

A very entertaining, fast-paced story … the breathers are short and every hour seemed to thicken the plot. The suspense is really well built up and kept me guessing (wrongly :)) till the very end ! Also, having grown up in India myself, can definitely relate to the complexity and how-to-work-the-system attitude that the author blends into the book. The book has a wonderful set of core characters, though I was left wishing for a little more background on some of the support cast. All in all a fun weekend read.

[SaySayjal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very gripping thriller. One annoying part was the word meanings given in brackets after the words... but maybe I felt that way because I knew the Indian words. Plot line was good. The end is kind of not very effective because I feel if he would have introduced the murderers a little earlier and not made it so clear that it was them then the curiosity would have increased and the book would have a different effect. But still very well written for a debut novel. So 4 stars.

[Satyajeet Darak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well articulated with twists and turns which keeps you engaged and on toes throughout. It's quite difficult to keep it down once you start reading it.

Detailing of events is quite well written which creates a nice picturesque journey throughout the story..

It keeps you guessing who is/are the murder ;) read it to find it....

[Pamee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cleverly plotted murder mystery depicting series of murders in small Indian town. There is a lot of suspense that keeps you guessing and turning pages till the very end. It really is, an enjoyable read.

[Bikaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating -3.5 \ 5

yes! indeed, the book is nicely written and the plot is somewhat intense . out of all the authors(indian) who write thriller malpani's language and his plot is more compact than his other counterparts .

the story unfolds 10 days of police investigation under inspector chavan . who than under immense pressure tries to solve the mystery .

the only thing i didn't liked was the predictability , 60% into the book and i already knew who was the killer and under emphasis on characters .

i will recommend it to the one's who love to enjoy a light and decent read on a sunday morning with a mug of beer of course .