Middle Time

by Priya vasudevan

While going through the papers of her client Tulsi, who died under mysterious circumstances, Maya, a lawyer in Chennai, discovers a motheaten paperback which transports her back in time. Hampi, 1536: the glorious reign of Krishna Deva Raya has ended. The times are turbulent, riddled with fratricidal conflicts, secret plots and territorial battles. At the centre of the storm is Achale, a beautiful temple dancer who is on a quest to uncover the truth behind the murder of Thulasi, a Brahmin widow. Ostracized by the village for bearing an illegitimate child, Thulasi is catapulted to respectability when Manjunatha, her son, is declared a saint after experiencing a miracle. Soon after, her dead body is discovered under suspicious circumstances.Why was Thulasi murdered? And why do her secrets have a bearing on the untimely death of Tulsi in modern day Chennai? Maya has to ask herself these questions as she races against time to catch a dangerous enemy and unlock the mystery of murders spanning across centuries.

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2011

About the author

Priya Vasudevan is a lawyer, writer and
trainer. As a lawyer, she has written training
manuals and trained teachers, lawyers and
judges in human rights law. Priya also serves
as an Arbitrator and is a member of regional
organizations such as Asia Pacific Forum
for Women, Law and Development. She
has written ‘Contempt of Court’ in Halsbury’s Laws of India for
Butterworths India Limited (now Lexis Nexis).
Priya’s articles have been published in magazines such as Femina.
She has also published several short stories for children, including
Nazreen’s Park (Orient Longman Ltd.) and short stories for children
in Children’s World and Target. Priya lives with her husband and
two daughters in Chennai.

Reviews

[Bookspective · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

I was willing to overlook the glitches in the narrative and give this book a shot but my interest was waning and I couldn't read anymore and that's sad coz I rarely leave a book unfinished.

[Allizabeth Collins]

Description:

Maya is a present day Chennai-based lawyer who is investigating the mysterious death of her client, Tulsi - but everyone is a suspect; including Tulsi's mother, husband, and daughter, who act strangely about her demise. So, in order to find the truth, Maya goes into sleuth-mode and finds a metal box under a mattress that contains an old paperback diary. Little does she know, that the book will transport her to sixteenth century India where a temple dancer, Achale, is investigating a similar murder, the strange death of Thulasi - a case that parallels Tulsi's more than Maya would like to admit. Can Maya figure out how the murders are linked and catch the "killers" before they strike again? Or will she run out of time like her client did?

Review:

I am always up for reading something different, so when I spotted Middle Time, I knew that I had to give it a try. Priya Vasudevan has a beautiful writing style and the ability to create realistic characters, but there were a few sections where I felt that the level of detail was lacking. Some of the sections didn't flow as well as they should have, primarily because of the language differences, but it didn't take much away from the overall experience. Most of the character dialogue was easy-to-read and entertaining, although, there was a "translated" feel where certain words came together, which in-turn slowed down the pace. I still finished this book in a couple days, and was satisfied with the story-line and its mid-level suspense. For Priya Vasudevan's first book, I see a lot of potential for books in the future, especially with her creativity and attention to detail/research. I recommend this book to adults who want to experience a double suspense spanning India during two time periods.

Rating: Bounty's Out (3/5)

*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Ahtims · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book, though there are a few grammatical and editorial blips. I loved the 'weaving of modern into ancient' narration style. Came to know a lot about the 16th century kings and fiefdom. I was hampered by the fact that I dont have much knowledge of South Indian history of that time, and I couldnot recollect all their names, alliances and enmities. SO it was pretty confusing. I came to know a lot about the devadasis of the time, and surprisingly there was much sexual freedom in those days, or was it only for devadasis? The gist of the book is the interrelation between murders which occured 450 years apart, the ancient one, a widow spurned by society and the modern one, a would-be-divorcee. There are many similarities between both ladies and their circumstances, and at culmination of the book, we come to (almost) know why.