The Sinister Silence

by Moitrayee Bhaduri

When ace software engineer Saahil is found battling for his life on a rainy
morning, it looks like a case of attempted suicide. However, Saahil's family
strongly denies that possibility and calls in ex-super cop-turned-detective Mili
Ray to investigate.
While doctors are uncertain about Saahil's survival, the police discover the
blood-soaked body of Saahil's colleague Farzad.
Why are IT engineers being targeted? Is there a link between these ghastly
attacks and Saahil's cutting-edge invention – the PA software?
Ray and her team – Advocate Gatha and ex-army officer Anubhav – dive into
this case, which is turning murkier by the hour. Unaware that a conniving
assassin is stalking her, Ray races towards a dangerous trap while murderous
attacks continue to haunt the IT world.
Who is behind these assaults – a jealous co-worker, an IT kingpin, an estranged
friend, or someone else? With the killer on the loose, Ray's credibility is at
stake...
Set in Mumbai, The Sinister Silence is an edge-of-the-seat thriller that traces detective Mili Ray's journey through a
mysterious case that poses new threats every time she inches closer to her goal.

Genres: Thriller

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2015

Reviews

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have said it over and over again that I really admire the present generation of authors who dare to break free of the formulaic way of producing commercial romance stories. And I specifically admire the ones that bring us mysteries. Needless to say that I had picked up this book with great expectations and the book delivered on most of it.

Meet Milli Ray, an ex-cop turned detective. When IT personnel are being attacked in the city, she is brought into the case by the family of one of the victims. While Saahil is fighting for his life, his friend did not get that chance. Farzad’s bloody body was discovered. Milli has to understand the many aspects of the case and catch up with the killer before time runs out. With her career and reputation on stake, Milli Ray and her team must work to stay ahead of the killer or Milli herself may end up dead and a victim.

A female protagonist, who used to be a cop and is now a detective – we need to take a pause right there and applaud the author for coming up with such a character. How many female detectives have you come across recently? And among the few that you know of, how many of them had a law enforcement background? Bored housewife turned detective is the most common background that women detectives seem to have. So yes, sue me, but I fell in love with the character because of her strong background. I also liked her no nonsense personality and the way the author has shaped her up. Go girl power! I wish though I could say equally good things about the plot as well. It is true that the author has laid down a moderately complicated story line with quite a few twists scattered all over. Yet the ending did not shock or surprise me as much. The plot could do with some fine tuning so as to make it more difficult for us to guess things. However the author’s language and narrative does make up for the holes left by the plot. Moitrayee Bhaduri sure knows how to spin a beautiful yarn with her dainty language that in the end paints vivid pictures of each situation and setting.

Overall, I found this book to be an interesting debut. I would sure like to see Milli Ray grow over a series.

[Shweta Kesari · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moment I started reading this book, I was so hooked to it that it was quite hard to take a break. The chapters, the suspense and the spice this story holds made it hard for a reader to disengage himself/herself from it. As I progressed ahead to discover the events it has in store for readers, I got more inquisitive to discover the upcoming ones. All the incidents are tied in a single thread and they chose a single track to travel on.


There is no way one could read author’s mind and what the book will tell ahead. The mystery is knitted very-well and it grabs reader’s attention over and over again. Every facet of the story is portrayed with great intense. Spruced up with humour and well-structured content, it never diverts reader’s mind to something else, instead forces it to think like author and breaks the suspense before the detective does.


Read full review here : http://madhyapradesh.johntext.de/revi...

[Anil Swarup · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast paced engrossing thriller from one of authors from India that have got into writing suspense thrillers.

[AI · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made for painful reading. P-a-i-n-f-u-l. A flimsy plot, cardboard characters, stilted dialogue, all compounded by really poor writing. I have read crime fiction by other Indian authors, and there's good stuff out there: the Niki Marwah series for example: well written, decent plots. Then there was the Nikhil Juneja series - pompous writing, but worth a read in any case (you will notice I have deliberately refrained from making any references to the Lalli series by Kalpana Swaminathan - they were just awful!). So I don't see how I'll be doing any service to the Indian crime-writing community by being kind in my review. The plot is far-fetched, but as I recall reading in a John Dickson Carr novel once, the fact that something is improbable, doesn't make it impossible. So let's give grace marks there. But the characters! Most of them have the emotional development of a 13-year old. And the protagonist herself - Mili Ray - is infuriating. Even the way she gets the case - or rather, imperiously commands it for herself - is downright annoying. And the whole thing about using a timeline (which in this case, the author seems to have done to showcase how highly efficient our detective madam is), is you need to use it well! For example, the first few chapters show the first accident being discovered at 6 in the morning, and within a couple of hours, our detective has not only purloined the victim's laptop, but also hacked into it, read through his thesis on some mythical tree, checked him and his entire friends list of 1900-odd people on some social network, and some other stuff as well. This reminds me of Alice in Wonderland: "Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

I even wandered over to the author's website out of a morbid sense of curiosity, and I gather she's busy penning a second novel. Words of advice? Pay more attention to plot, develop your characters, develop a better narrative style.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really-really-really liked it. Could have been even better, if one chapter, one unnecessary murder, and several wholly redundant flashbacks could have been avoided.
Nevertheless, I would like to thank not only the author, but also team 'Srishti' for giving us such a noir-styled taut thriller.
Recommended, definitely.

[Aditya Sathe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sinister Silence take reader on tour of the near-perfect master plan of crime. But when there is seasoned detective to trace those scattered crumbs of evidences culprit can not enjoy his devilish accomplishment.
Amazing book by Moitrayee Bhaduri which keep you glued to the book till you finish it cover to cover. if you indulge in brain twitching murder mysteries written by giants of this genre, this debut novel by Moitrayee is feast for your brain and mind.
Grab your copy soon...
Enjoy.

[Indrani Ghosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced murder mystery with twists and turns! The IT industry is described so accurately, that I could immediately identify with the onsite opportunities in lieu of the promotions, the meetings, the conspiracies et al. Mili Ray is a lady detective who inspires yet has a human side. The characters are all well etched and it is a book that you cannot put down. I am eagerly waiting for Ms. Ray's next case....

[Meghna Mathur · Rating 5 out of 5]

UNPUTDOWNABLE! I finished reading this book in less than two days. I love Mili Ray - the mature, witty, and intelligent private detective. Loved the suspense and the way the mystery unfolds. Full marks for characterization too! Very real, relatable characters.

[Ashish Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written, easy to comprehend in the day to day setting. Page turner at certain areas. Overall a good companion during your travel

[Anindya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creative writing....crime thriller

[Moumita · Rating 5 out of 5]

“’The Sinister Silence’ – A title that readily caught my attention, when I was surfing for some thrillers on a common e-commerce website. That was the beginning. After all these days, since I have finished reading the book, the twisted climax of crime thriller is still afresh in my mind. Not only that, being an avid reader of new-age crime-based novels, undoubtedly, I found this book reading experience one of a kind.”

The initiation of the novel dates back to 1996 at Alibaug, when a champion swimmer accidentally drowns in seawater in the presence of her family. And thereby a sinister misunderstanding is initiated silently.

Henceforth, the story takes a different outlook to modern day scenarios of the tech world. As the novel progresses in modern day, the reader almost forgets the fateful incident of 1996. Only to be reminded towards the end of twisted climax.

The attempted murder of Saahil Kerkar serves as the first ever case of Sleuth Detective Mili Ray, along with her associates – Gatha aka Gates and Anubhav. The common personality trait of crime-detection guides these associates towards the quick success of KQuest, the long-cherished dream of Mili to head a detective agency.

The background introduction of all the KQuest associates, specially Mili encourages the reader to continue the book with rapt attention. This introductory part further mentions that Mili had quit her glorious IPS career after serving for more than 13 years without citing any valid reason. This information on Mili invokes a sense of inquisition within the reader as to why would a successful individual leave a highly-satisfying job for no apparent reason, throughout the course of the novel.

According to me, the most interesting part of the book is the unfolding of mystery-solving. Reading a crime novel for a prolonged duration encourages the reader to start connecting the dots as the detective identifies the clues. But in this case, the reader is astonished to find that no amount of connecting dots can help the reader guess the killer till the detective herself presents the accused. All the clues were provided as per the requirement but the essential connectors remained invisible for the reader till the final showdown between the Detective and accused. Lastly, the reader is bound to get thrilled by the twisted nature of the novel climax.

The progress of the novel is gradual but never ever it pushes the reader towards the threshold of boredom. Instead, the reader remains glued to the paragraphs of this unputdownable thriller till the last page. The crime novel reflects the shady influence of Revenge on creative mind of an individual that can destroy completely the currently prosperous as well as potential high-profile career of the concerned individual.

[Bibliophile Talks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rainy morning begins with brilliant software engineer Saahil's life hanging in the balance, an indication of a possible suicide attempt. Nevertheless, Saahil's family hires Mili Ray, a former exceptional police officer turned skilled detective, vehemently refuting this notion. As medical professionals grapple with uncertainty over Saahil's fate, law enforcement makes a startling discovery: the lifeless, blood-stained body of Saahil's coworker, Farzad. This perplexing pattern of incidents raises questions about the safety of IT engineers.
Stepping into action, Ray assembles a team comprising the legal insight of Advocate Gatha and the tactical expertise of ex-army officer Anubhav. Together, they plunge headfirst into an increasingly enigmatic case that grows darker with every passing moment. Unaware of the insidious figure shadowing her every move, Ray races against time, heading straight into a dangerous snare, all while a string of murderous incidents continues to cast a sinister shadow over the realm of IT.
There is a pressing question: who is behind these attacks? Is the perpetrator a resentful coworker, a prominent figure in the IT industry, a once-trusted friend estranged, or someone else entirely?

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE:
https://www.bibliophiletalks.in/book-...

[Jyoti Kerkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Indian woman writing crime stories intrigued me , and i recommended my library to stock it .
Now about the book , i found it too long , could have been compact, for me crime thriller should grab you by your throat and take you to the end . This did not happen , the plot though interesting , why was it done is not convincing , i for a longtime could not understand the relationship shared by Morena Dave and Sahil Kerkar , though she is married to Varun Kulkarni . next why were the Dates and time given on each Chapter , how does a reader relate to it ? Its taxing to remember the same and relate it to the story.

The Detective Mili Ray , is not someone you would be a fan of , she is not sharp and a lady to be wary off as described when she was in the police force , she gets mugged when she is Detective Mili Ray in this book .

In all the book did not impress me . #sinstersilence , #moitreyebhaduri

[Pritha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Mili Ray, the ex- super cop had left her job for unknown reasons and now she has plans to open a detective agency "Kwest"...
She hires two people, Gatha, a lawyer and her friend and Anubhav, an ex-army professional. A month after Kwest opens, she gets her first case, a case that literally begins before her eyes.
One IT employee is severely injured, the other one has been crushed to death. The prime suspect commits suicide out of remorse. Or did she?
Bhaduri delves into the depths of the software industry, the lies, the cover-ups, the office flings, deep seated emotions leading revenge and of friendships. And she does it well.
However, ACP Purab Trehan and Gatha Tripathy has been unduly overshadowed by ex-encounter specialist DCP Mili Ray. Their characters by virtue of the positions they hold, had more potential than merely playing Ray's side-kicks.

[Hema Myer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely gripping plot that commences with the surprising death of an accomplished swimmer. The storyline portrays a serious attempt to murder an amiable and highly popular IT expert - Sahil. While the famous police turned detective Mili Ray is searching for clues, another murder occurs hours after Sahil's attack. Days later Mili Ray is stalked and attacked.

I will not give out any further details of this intriguing unputdownable book, as I continually tried to guess the motive for murder or who the culprit may be. The debut author Ms. Moitrayee deserves accolades for keeping up the tempo of the fast-paced novel and the nail-biting suspense with a few red herrings strategically interspersed.

[Akshara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to this book in Literary Fest Litventure. I have had a chance to witness the author herself talk about this book. Learning about the interesting twists in plots and twists, I was keen to read this book. She also guided me on how to write a beautiful thriller and mystery book. When I started reading the book later, I was so engrossed that I couldn't leave the book. The setting, plot, characters, and the writing of Moitrayee make the tale entwining. I loved the book and the story. I must also mention that many Indian Young Authors have been narrating tales flawlessly and Moitrayee is one of them. A Good Read!

[Pavan Reddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Crack the motive, you will get your lawbreaker" Detective Mili Ray words.

The story is well sewed and characters & actions was rational. The Sinister Silence is a fine thriller with some edgy chapters and it was suspense till the end but the narrative part was dull it could have been better. But I am fascinated that indian writers are producing this type of art which is intrigued by crime lovers like me. I would recommend this novel to those crime lovers who are developing liking towards crime thrillers.

Be happy & Thank you

[Customer · Rating 2 out of 5]

To begin with the story was quite different and interesting. The plot moved in an interesting manner but i was disappointed with the end. The suspense turned out to be really pathetic. The whole motive behind everything was just based on assumption. The characters friendship or so called association was weird. Why the husband hated the main guy was not mentioned anywhere. AS it says that All is well if it ends well here it is a major disappointment. Sorry Moitrayee you have done a way better job in your other books. So Read it only if you have nothing else to read.

[Vinay Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the setting up of the plot. The book turned out to be a page turner but lot of deception that takes it to almost an unbelievable kind of ending. Goes this way, then that way and then a whole other direction.

I liked the character of Mili Ray, confident almost to the point of being cocky. It was a refreshing change to see a female lead PI.

A decent read, written in a simple engaging language that does help make it entertaining.

[Sourabh Mukherjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, I love the story at the core of this book. Every time I read a thriller, I look for the story at the core when the obvious elements of tension, suspense and adrenaline rush have been stripped off. And this book scores big time there.

There are intriguing subplots that kept me guessing all through. Moitrayee brilliantly portrays the complexity of relationships, the politics and the vested interests we all encounter at work and at home everyday.

Moitrayee has an eye for details and while there are a number of characters in this intriguing play, she develops them through their actions and dialogues and sometimes sketches their character graphs with crisp backstories. I also loved the way she cobbles up the intricate sequence of events of the night of the murders.

And finally, as the chain-smoking, apple-gorging, ex-encounter specialist supercop, Mili Ray kicks butt - literally. Here is a lady sleuth Indian English fiction badly needed.

Look forward to the next adventure of Kwest!

[Uresh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Page turning one seating suspense drama.good to read more of author.
Easy language and excellent characters with each suspected one by one

[Shiva Shakthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good the book is. Very interesting and the twists are so unexpected and good.
Indeed astonishing.🪻

[Binge reading stories · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like the reveal but Millie was good.

[Naveen Verma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright! I picked this book in a whim and started reading. I wasn't expecting anything like Agatha Cristie but it was seriously good and i got ao hooked up that it was hard to take a break.

Meet Ex-cop Mili Ray, who resigned from IPS and became a private detective. The story starts with the murder of an IT guy and unravels quite beautifully. While he is fighting for his survival in hospital, detective and her team is busy unraveling the killer. The story keep you guessing and involves you so much that you keep turning the pages to find the real culprit.

You get so much engrossed in the flawless writing that you cannot disengage from it.
Every chapter brings out new and hidden facets of the story and every incident itches your mind to calculate and find out who would be the culprit?

A page-turner and an interesting suspense-thriller!

[Sagnik Ghosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic plot ! Twists till the end. Must Read

[Deepaksampathkumar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sad, sad, sad.

Totally avoidable. Felt like I was reading a script of one of the daily soaps on indian television!! Look alike, revenge, private detective........

[Shuchita Tripathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting from the start and till the end.