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The Brotherhood Chronicle #1
The Brotherhood
*Amazon #1 Bestseller* *Winner-Pencraft Award for Literary Excellence* *Winner-Silver Medal-Global Book Awards* and 1st Book in Tejas Desai’s Riveting International Crime Trilogy The Brotherhood Chronicle (The Brotherhood, The Run and Hide, The Dance Towards Death)!Enter a sinister, exotic world of danger, surprise and suspense. Niral Solanke, a down on his luck private investigator living in New York City during The Great Recession, is trying to redeem himself from a life of sin by rejoining a conservative Hindu religious organization called The Brotherhood. But when his childhood friend Priya Mehta dies mysteriously, he is tasked with investigating her demise.As he probes her boyfriend, wealthy financier Vishal Patel, her brother, Hindu fanatic Amrat Mehta, and a wide variety of characters including visual artist Lauren Juvonich-Adams and building custodian Lance Portman, he realizes nothing is as it seems as he is drawn into a netherworld of crime, corruption and religious fervor.This second edition contains many additional features, including a preface by the author, a note from the copyeditor, a detailed map of New York City, a list of characters, an updated Glossary of Hindu Terms, a study guide, trivia questions and a peek at the second volume, The Run and Hide.Select praise for The Brotherhood and The Brotherhood Chronicle Crime Trilogy. Scroll down for much more!“Tejas Desai’s novel The Brotherhood has mesmerized readers due to the thrills it offers with twists and turns you don’t see coming”—Buzzfeed“This thrilling series has caused shockwaves in the literary world since it was released.”—Thrive Global”A legit page turner…a spellbinding thriller.”—NYK Daily”In the world of literature, Desai has become a superhero, delivering readers the rides of their lifetimes.”—USA Reformer”Desai is a wunderkind when it comes to crafting compelling characters that take you down a rabbit hole of betrayal, greed and hypocrisy.”—California Herald“[A] rather amazing crime series.”—Digital Journal”You can’t do better than Tejas Desai and his epic The Brotherhood Chronicle.”—Vincent Zandri, New York Times bestselling Thriller Award winning author of The Remains and The Girl Who Wasn't There“A literary rollercoaster ride.”—Authors Reading“[Desai’s] characters come alive in a way that gives readers an insider's view into a world loaded with raw emotion, greed, religious hypocrisy, and treachery."—The London Post
- GenresAmazon
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2012
245 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Tejas Desai
17 books18 followersTejas Desai was born in New York City in the early 1980s. He is the author of The Brotherhood Chronicle, an international crime trilogy with Hindu/Buddhist themes, and The Human Tragedy, a series of short story collections that creates a panoramic portrait of American society. He is also the founder of The New Wei literary movement which seeks to promote provocative and significant narrative artists who are determined to create oeuvres in their respective forms, and advocates a more dynamic multiculturalism in literature.
His articles on literature have been published in HuffPost and other publications and are available to read online. His aesthetic philosophy, readings, lectures, interviews, and international adventures can be followed through his various social media accounts and can be accessed through his website http://tejas-desai.com
He currently works as a supervising librarian at Queens Public Library in New York City. He holds both a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing/Literary Translation and a Master of Library/Information Science from CUNY-Queens College in New York City. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and The Bronx High School of Science, and studied abroad at the University of Oxford. He has won the Wesleyan Fiction Award, sponsored by Norman Mailer, and has been an honorable mention in the Princeton Poetry Contest.
His articles on literature have been published in HuffPost and other publications and are available to read online. His aesthetic philosophy, readings, lectures, interviews, and international adventures can be followed through his various social media accounts and can be accessed through his website http://tejas-desai.com
He currently works as a supervising librarian at Queens Public Library in New York City. He holds both a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing/Literary Translation and a Master of Library/Information Science from CUNY-Queens College in New York City. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and The Bronx High School of Science, and studied abroad at the University of Oxford. He has won the Wesleyan Fiction Award, sponsored by Norman Mailer, and has been an honorable mention in the Princeton Poetry Contest.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 27, 2013
The best way to describe Brotherhood is simply this: a Mickey Spillane novel with a Bombay (or is it Mumbai … bloody hell) flavour … set in New York City. Betrayal, religious hypocrisy, greed, and sexual nastiness … it is nice warm cuddly pulp fiction with a nice global marinade.
December 12, 2019
Seething with mystery and thrills!
New York author Tejas Desai received his education from Wesleyan University, Oxford University, and CUNY-Queens College and is a Supervising Librarian for Queens Library. In addition to his published books – THE HUMAN TRAGEDY series (noted for the award winning novel GOOD AMERICANS) and THE BROTHERHOOD CHRONICLES TRILOGY – he is the founder of The New Wei literary movement, an important venue for promoting provocative narrative artists, and an actor, playwright, culture critic, and educator!
Tejas is an American born Indian and utilizes his knowledge and experience with Hindu culture enhances the mystery of this involving thriller. His prose is both elegant and at times raw – a combination that fits his story well. The sense of mystery is present as the novel opens – ‘Union Square was finally quiet. Four a.m., when even the homeless quit the streets. Priya, tears streaming down her face, wearing her favorite panjabi, stared down as if the street was an abyss rather than a sign of promise. Once, it had seemed that way; once, she had watched enviously at the women swaying down the street with their Prada bags. One person could take it away from her. But she knew she’d already taken it away from her self. The long journey down didn’t seem as empty as her future – or as void as her soul.’ How better to hint at suicidal ideation than this…?
For this Trilogy, Tejas has created a unique central character in Niral, and the story unfolds as follows: ‘Niral Solanke, a failed writer and a down on his luck private investigator living in New York City during The Great Recession, is trying to redeem himself from a life of sin by rejoining a conservative Hindu religious organization called The Brotherhood. But when his childhood friend Priya Mehta dies mysteriously, he is tasked with investigating her demise. As he probes her boyfriend, wealthy financier Vishal Patel, her brother, Hindu fanatic Amrat Mehta, and a wide variety of characters including visual artist Lauren Juvonich-Adams and building custodian Lance Portman, he realizes nothing is as it seems as he is drawn into a netherworld of crime, betrayal, religious hypocrisy, sexual deviancy and much more, until shocking revelations threaten his core beliefs—and his very existence.’
Brilliantly conceived characters populate this engrossing novel and in addition to penning a fast paced thriller, Tejas provides a detailed map of New York City, a very helpful list of characters to keep us on track, a fine Glossary of Hindu Terms and study guides and entertaining trivia questions. Reading this novel is both entertaining and pleasantly educational, offering insights into Hindu culture and religious elements. Highly recommended.
New York author Tejas Desai received his education from Wesleyan University, Oxford University, and CUNY-Queens College and is a Supervising Librarian for Queens Library. In addition to his published books – THE HUMAN TRAGEDY series (noted for the award winning novel GOOD AMERICANS) and THE BROTHERHOOD CHRONICLES TRILOGY – he is the founder of The New Wei literary movement, an important venue for promoting provocative narrative artists, and an actor, playwright, culture critic, and educator!
Tejas is an American born Indian and utilizes his knowledge and experience with Hindu culture enhances the mystery of this involving thriller. His prose is both elegant and at times raw – a combination that fits his story well. The sense of mystery is present as the novel opens – ‘Union Square was finally quiet. Four a.m., when even the homeless quit the streets. Priya, tears streaming down her face, wearing her favorite panjabi, stared down as if the street was an abyss rather than a sign of promise. Once, it had seemed that way; once, she had watched enviously at the women swaying down the street with their Prada bags. One person could take it away from her. But she knew she’d already taken it away from her self. The long journey down didn’t seem as empty as her future – or as void as her soul.’ How better to hint at suicidal ideation than this…?
For this Trilogy, Tejas has created a unique central character in Niral, and the story unfolds as follows: ‘Niral Solanke, a failed writer and a down on his luck private investigator living in New York City during The Great Recession, is trying to redeem himself from a life of sin by rejoining a conservative Hindu religious organization called The Brotherhood. But when his childhood friend Priya Mehta dies mysteriously, he is tasked with investigating her demise. As he probes her boyfriend, wealthy financier Vishal Patel, her brother, Hindu fanatic Amrat Mehta, and a wide variety of characters including visual artist Lauren Juvonich-Adams and building custodian Lance Portman, he realizes nothing is as it seems as he is drawn into a netherworld of crime, betrayal, religious hypocrisy, sexual deviancy and much more, until shocking revelations threaten his core beliefs—and his very existence.’
Brilliantly conceived characters populate this engrossing novel and in addition to penning a fast paced thriller, Tejas provides a detailed map of New York City, a very helpful list of characters to keep us on track, a fine Glossary of Hindu Terms and study guides and entertaining trivia questions. Reading this novel is both entertaining and pleasantly educational, offering insights into Hindu culture and religious elements. Highly recommended.
July 23, 2019
What a well-written, intriguing not to mention engrossing story. Each plot point pulls you along building tension and drawing you into the life and goals of the main character. Characters are fleshed out perfectly, layered and flawed with excellent detail that makes you like or hate them instantly. Story paces well and sub-plots enhance not detract from the main plot. A great mystery with the promise of more like it to come as the series progresses.
This author also wrote "Good Americans."
This is a self-published author who is on a great journey to becoming so much more.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.
This author also wrote "Good Americans."
This is a self-published author who is on a great journey to becoming so much more.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.
September 17, 2019
This novel gives a nostalgic yet new perspective of reimagining Queens as having a secret underworld with mystery and corruption. Niral is torn between being eventually sucked into the investigation of the murder or to continue the path towards the Brotherhood. This novel is a page-turner as the more you read, the more that is solved in this puzzle, and the more that needs to be found out. There are several themes throughout the novels including religion, sex, and free will that intertwine with Niral’s interactions with the other characters. The use of the vernacular in the novel portrays the meshing of culture and the surrounding community that feels new while also close to home.
July 23, 2019
What a well-written, intriguing not to mention engrossing story. Each plot point pulls you along building tension and drawing you into the life and goals of the main character. Characters are fleshed out perfectly, layered and flawed with excellent detail that makes you like or hate them instantly. Story paces well and sub-plots enhance not detract from the main plot. A great mystery with the promise of more like it to come as the series progresses.
This is a self-published author who is on a great journey to becoming so much more.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.
This is a self-published author who is on a great journey to becoming so much more.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.
October 25, 2023
Complicated
The brotherhood held my attention for the most part. There were a lot of characters that I couldn't keep up with even though they were developed very well. There was just a lot of situations and people involved that seemed very confusing. I finished to the end and was somewhat surprised at the ending.
The brotherhood held my attention for the most part. There were a lot of characters that I couldn't keep up with even though they were developed very well. There was just a lot of situations and people involved that seemed very confusing. I finished to the end and was somewhat surprised at the ending.
April 3, 2020
I Enjoyed everything about this book there was nothing I didn't like about the book. I Like the setting, the writing style,the plot,the plot twists and the characters in the book were amazing.I would gladly reread it again.
April 16, 2020
I don't mind reading about sex, as it's an important and natural part of our lives, but this book seems to be so focused on sex it gets ridiculous. The plot seems messy, but is actually OK, and there are lots of characters to keep track of.
Readable, but could have been tidier.
Readable, but could have been tidier.
May 15, 2020
Definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea. I took a very long time to get through it even though it wasn't a long book. The writing is good and the murder mystery is entertaining but there were too many other little things going on and too many themes that it got confusing to follow.
It's different because it's cultural but that's not this book's downfall. Maybe footnotes would have worked better to adjust to the terminology. Morality in an economic recession where people are desperate for money, at a time where the lifestyle of people was different and to include religious fanaticism in it too is a tricky combination which doesn't appeal to people who have close to nothing in common with age/heritage/religion/knowledge that the characters have.
It's a personal preference thing. Each person really has to decide for themselves if this book is suitable to their tastes.
It's different because it's cultural but that's not this book's downfall. Maybe footnotes would have worked better to adjust to the terminology. Morality in an economic recession where people are desperate for money, at a time where the lifestyle of people was different and to include religious fanaticism in it too is a tricky combination which doesn't appeal to people who have close to nothing in common with age/heritage/religion/knowledge that the characters have.
It's a personal preference thing. Each person really has to decide for themselves if this book is suitable to their tastes.
December 23, 2012
By Tejas Desai. Grade: B
A failed writer and libertine living in NYC, Niral Solanke moves from Bushwick to his parent’s house in Queens, where he expects to make amends with a Hindu religious organization called the Brotherhood. But when a childhood friend commits suicide, Niral is thrust into a netherworld of crime, corruption and religious fervour that tests the limits of his newfound faith. Set during the current recession, featuring a variety of larger-than-life characters and sprinkled with Hindu imagery and philosophy, The Brotherhood is a unique and urgent noir thriller.
The Brotherhood by Tejas Desai
The novel is basically about the chain of events in the life of the protagonist Niral and his family members triggered by the apparent suicide of a close friend. The whole plot is set against the backdrop of a religious organisation known as the Brotherhood.
They say that never judge a book by its cover, but nobody said anything about judging the cover, so. There is only so much any reader can do to ignore the cover, to not actually be put off by it and continue reading the book. Every author must keep in mind not just the validity and descriptiveness of the cover page, but its impact, the first impression, on the reader.
The synopsis says “larger-than-life characters”. The problem with this claim is two-fold: first, the characters have done nothing to prove the statement correct and second, the plot and the writing don’t portray the characters in the aforementioned manner. There are some serious issues in the writing as well.
The language of the book seems to be pretty laboured most of the times. It seems to be dangling between urban slang and learnt, unnatural English. This is not just about certain scenes where the characters are “required” to do so. The complete flow of the book seems to be this way.
“We are not here to judge the tastes of others.” “Yes, Pappa.”
The double-p is a good way to emphasize the Gujarati way of addressing one’s father.
The build-up to the suspense showed spark at times but the suspense itself was mediocre. As is essential, the unravelling of the suspense should be the crescendo of the novel, something which was lacking in The Brotherhood.
A proofreading error:
“Can you finish up the bookkkeeping when you get a chance?”
The correct term is bookkeeping.
The author has tried to incorporate too many elements in an attempt to cover as much ground as possible – sex, organised crime or mafia, religion, love, passion, and art. It’s not a grand mess but it certainly is not far from it. It’s good to bring variety into the plot with different elements but it better be right, otherwise the gamble is bound to blow up in your face.
This is a common trend nowadays. Indian authors who write in English seem to be unduly tilting towards their school of writing: maybe due to language, maybe due to the fact that being Indians we “think” in Hindi. Nevertheless, this tilt is pulling down the overall reading experience. Overall, it was a good attempt that had scope for improvement.
Originally reviewed at http://vaultofbooks.com/
A failed writer and libertine living in NYC, Niral Solanke moves from Bushwick to his parent’s house in Queens, where he expects to make amends with a Hindu religious organization called the Brotherhood. But when a childhood friend commits suicide, Niral is thrust into a netherworld of crime, corruption and religious fervour that tests the limits of his newfound faith. Set during the current recession, featuring a variety of larger-than-life characters and sprinkled with Hindu imagery and philosophy, The Brotherhood is a unique and urgent noir thriller.
The Brotherhood by Tejas Desai
The novel is basically about the chain of events in the life of the protagonist Niral and his family members triggered by the apparent suicide of a close friend. The whole plot is set against the backdrop of a religious organisation known as the Brotherhood.
They say that never judge a book by its cover, but nobody said anything about judging the cover, so. There is only so much any reader can do to ignore the cover, to not actually be put off by it and continue reading the book. Every author must keep in mind not just the validity and descriptiveness of the cover page, but its impact, the first impression, on the reader.
The synopsis says “larger-than-life characters”. The problem with this claim is two-fold: first, the characters have done nothing to prove the statement correct and second, the plot and the writing don’t portray the characters in the aforementioned manner. There are some serious issues in the writing as well.
The language of the book seems to be pretty laboured most of the times. It seems to be dangling between urban slang and learnt, unnatural English. This is not just about certain scenes where the characters are “required” to do so. The complete flow of the book seems to be this way.
“We are not here to judge the tastes of others.” “Yes, Pappa.”
The double-p is a good way to emphasize the Gujarati way of addressing one’s father.
The build-up to the suspense showed spark at times but the suspense itself was mediocre. As is essential, the unravelling of the suspense should be the crescendo of the novel, something which was lacking in The Brotherhood.
A proofreading error:
“Can you finish up the bookkkeeping when you get a chance?”
The correct term is bookkeeping.
The author has tried to incorporate too many elements in an attempt to cover as much ground as possible – sex, organised crime or mafia, religion, love, passion, and art. It’s not a grand mess but it certainly is not far from it. It’s good to bring variety into the plot with different elements but it better be right, otherwise the gamble is bound to blow up in your face.
This is a common trend nowadays. Indian authors who write in English seem to be unduly tilting towards their school of writing: maybe due to language, maybe due to the fact that being Indians we “think” in Hindi. Nevertheless, this tilt is pulling down the overall reading experience. Overall, it was a good attempt that had scope for improvement.
Originally reviewed at http://vaultofbooks.com/
May 1, 2013
I enjoyed The Brotherhood, by Tejas Desai. I have two problems with the book and one is that I did not know that there was a glossary of terms at the end of the book and the other was that the names of many of the characters are Indian and I had some trouble keeping the characters in order. Both problems, I feel, are my fault and not the stories.
The story starts with a death of a young college student by the name of Priya. She leaves the story right away in a suicide, or is it a murder? That is where the story starts and it runs through the streets of Queens, NY and Manhattan. You will be taken into the homes of people who are drawn back into Hinduism, wannabee, religious types, Wall Street money people as well as hookers who are college students and many, many, people who are good friends to the main character, Niral. He tries to do the right thing and has to figure out not only who is good and bad but also who he can/should trust in his journey to uncover what really happened the night Priya died.
The story starts with a death of a young college student by the name of Priya. She leaves the story right away in a suicide, or is it a murder? That is where the story starts and it runs through the streets of Queens, NY and Manhattan. You will be taken into the homes of people who are drawn back into Hinduism, wannabee, religious types, Wall Street money people as well as hookers who are college students and many, many, people who are good friends to the main character, Niral. He tries to do the right thing and has to figure out not only who is good and bad but also who he can/should trust in his journey to uncover what really happened the night Priya died.
June 20, 2014
This book is a very enjoyable read. It has well drawn and interesting characters and a fast paced plot that will keep you guessing. I loved the dialogue which was real and well crafted. The depth of the book comes in its themes which is deeply rooted in religion and politics. As other have commented, there is no clear line between the "Good guys" and the "bad guys" as each character has her or her own flaws which are explored. The book is a quick read and it will leave you wanting to read more about the characters and from this writer. Thankfully it's number one of a trilogy!! :)
November 24, 2014
A very interesting book that touches on the issues of murder, deceit and religious fanaticism. Quite a page turner. The author skillfully keeps the reader in suspense as he moves from one scene to the other and then surprises the reader in the end. A very entertaining book: while the plot revolves around finding the murder of Niral's friend Priya, the author skillfully incorporates current social issues too.
February 11, 2015
Really enjoyed this book. It kept you reading with various twists and turns. And I loved the ending.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews