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BLIGHT
When Inspector Indrani Sampath is handed the Jayesh Prabhakar file, it appears to be a clear case of death due to natural causes. However, Jayesh's wife, Nita, a prominent socialite with the ‘right’ connections, demands an inquiry into the matter.
To Indrani’s dismay, even her colleagues believe that the case was headed towards being shelved with no proof, witnesses, or motive to merit a murder investigation. With the trials of the pandemic complicating matters, Indrani is aware that she has to wrap up the JP case quickly to appease the higher authorities.
Things get murky when an attempt on her life draws Indrani into a dark web of deception and crime through the streets of Mumbai, affirming her instincts that Jayesh Prabhakar’s influence extends beyond the grave.
As Indrani plunges headlong into the chase, she is forced to acknowledge that nothing is what it appears to be. Her intelligence and mettle are both tested as the truth unravels in unexpected ways.
Is the JP case an illusion that camouflages the ugly truth about human nature? Or is it a true murder that can dismantle the foundations of Indrani’s beliefs?
To Indrani’s dismay, even her colleagues believe that the case was headed towards being shelved with no proof, witnesses, or motive to merit a murder investigation. With the trials of the pandemic complicating matters, Indrani is aware that she has to wrap up the JP case quickly to appease the higher authorities.
Things get murky when an attempt on her life draws Indrani into a dark web of deception and crime through the streets of Mumbai, affirming her instincts that Jayesh Prabhakar’s influence extends beyond the grave.
As Indrani plunges headlong into the chase, she is forced to acknowledge that nothing is what it appears to be. Her intelligence and mettle are both tested as the truth unravels in unexpected ways.
Is the JP case an illusion that camouflages the ugly truth about human nature? Or is it a true murder that can dismantle the foundations of Indrani’s beliefs?
154 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2021
2 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Leena Varghese
12 books64 followersLeena Varghese is an eclectic writer who has authored books as diverse as Mills & Boon romance to paranormal thrillers. Her stories are laced with humour, passion, intrigue, and hope. The written word is her closest ally and a cathartic outlet to all that simmers within her soul. She loves the myriad world of multi-dimensional characters, and an alternate reality that words can create. Her writing depicts a range of human emotions from animated expression to silent contemplation. Although she loves romance and heart-warming tales that are entertaining, as a writer she has always tested her capabilities without fitting into a convenient box with labels. She is equally versatile in depicting realistic accounts that are thought-provoking and meaningful.
She was a closet writer for a long time, scribbling funny snippets from life, and tales full of hope and happy endings. Eventually, she decided to send a manuscript to Mills & Boon UK, who brought out her debut book, A Perfect Mismatch, under the Indian Author Collection. The second book, A Silver Dawn, was published by Harper Collins under the Harlequin imprint.
She ventured into indie publishing with A Bittersweet Reprieve, Flawless, Wildflowers in the Rain, The Heir of Kingsley, The Stranger in My Dreams, Blight, and Nothing Serious that were published through Amazon KDP.
She is a post-graduate in English Literature, with a Bachelor’s degree in Education, and a Diploma in Fine Arts. As a commissioned artist, she loves to experiment with various media including oils, acrylic, watercolours, and pastels. She enjoys illustrating children’s books and designing her own book covers. Some of her illustrated works are A Date with Daddy, A Date with Mommy, I Can Love You from Anywhere, Cousins, and A Luna Moth, A Lightning Bug, and Mr. Kipling.
Leena firmly believes that everyone comes into the world equipped with an umbrella for rainy days. Anyone can be creative enough to turn lemons into lemonade, topped with iced pragmatism. A life spent learning and doing new things even when failure stares you in the face is a life well lived indeed. She lives in Mumbai with her family. She loves listening to music, watching movies, and having heated debates on existentialism and spirituality.
Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/stores/Leena-Va...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luminosabooks/
She was a closet writer for a long time, scribbling funny snippets from life, and tales full of hope and happy endings. Eventually, she decided to send a manuscript to Mills & Boon UK, who brought out her debut book, A Perfect Mismatch, under the Indian Author Collection. The second book, A Silver Dawn, was published by Harper Collins under the Harlequin imprint.
She ventured into indie publishing with A Bittersweet Reprieve, Flawless, Wildflowers in the Rain, The Heir of Kingsley, The Stranger in My Dreams, Blight, and Nothing Serious that were published through Amazon KDP.
She is a post-graduate in English Literature, with a Bachelor’s degree in Education, and a Diploma in Fine Arts. As a commissioned artist, she loves to experiment with various media including oils, acrylic, watercolours, and pastels. She enjoys illustrating children’s books and designing her own book covers. Some of her illustrated works are A Date with Daddy, A Date with Mommy, I Can Love You from Anywhere, Cousins, and A Luna Moth, A Lightning Bug, and Mr. Kipling.
Leena firmly believes that everyone comes into the world equipped with an umbrella for rainy days. Anyone can be creative enough to turn lemons into lemonade, topped with iced pragmatism. A life spent learning and doing new things even when failure stares you in the face is a life well lived indeed. She lives in Mumbai with her family. She loves listening to music, watching movies, and having heated debates on existentialism and spirituality.
Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/stores/Leena-Va...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luminosabooks/
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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March 7, 2021Hello everyone!
Romance and suspense/thrillers have always been my favourite genres and they will remain so because of the excitement and the positive vibes a happy ending gives. But every now and then I feel the need to delve into some stories that must be told without frills. I strongly feel that my writing has to be a reflection of what is real along with providing entertainment.
BLIGHT has been on my mind as a flimsy, intangible idea, for some time now. But I was unsure about how to present it. I wanted to write about the pandemic too in some way other than the romance genre. The backdrop of 2020 fits perfectly into BLIGHT as a metaphor for me.
All the characters in my story are fictitious and I may have taken creative liberties with the situations presented in it. But the theme itself is as real and hard-hitting as it gets.
I hope you find my story thought-provoking and interesting. It’s always a pleasure when I find a positive acknowledgement for my writing. Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I would be happy if you can drop a review on Goodreads, Instagram and Amazon.
Romance and suspense/thrillers have always been my favourite genres and they will remain so because of the excitement and the positive vibes a happy ending gives. But every now and then I feel the need to delve into some stories that must be told without frills. I strongly feel that my writing has to be a reflection of what is real along with providing entertainment.
BLIGHT has been on my mind as a flimsy, intangible idea, for some time now. But I was unsure about how to present it. I wanted to write about the pandemic too in some way other than the romance genre. The backdrop of 2020 fits perfectly into BLIGHT as a metaphor for me.
All the characters in my story are fictitious and I may have taken creative liberties with the situations presented in it. But the theme itself is as real and hard-hitting as it gets.
I hope you find my story thought-provoking and interesting. It’s always a pleasure when I find a positive acknowledgement for my writing. Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I would be happy if you can drop a review on Goodreads, Instagram and Amazon.
August 14, 2021
Blight is a gripping novel with a strong-willed protagonist, Indrani, who helps uncover the secret of a business tycoon. This murder mystery is written explicitly, and the author peeled off the layers one by one allowing the reader to get an in-depth of each character in this plot. I would highly recommend this book.
April 6, 2024
3.5⭐️
I liked the story and the last chapter kept me gripped but I felt the language of the story could have been better. What bugged me a bit was that it was slightly predictable otherwise the Concept was good but the execution could have been better.
Could be a good read to come out of the book-reading slump.
I liked the story and the last chapter kept me gripped but I felt the language of the story could have been better. What bugged me a bit was that it was slightly predictable otherwise the Concept was good but the execution could have been better.
Could be a good read to come out of the book-reading slump.
January 3, 2022
A Thriller Beautifully Woven and Paced.
'Blight' aroused interest in me primarily because it was a crime thriller and I have been very keenly studying different story telling styles in this genre as part of my research. Prior to reading this book, I had watched several crime movies with the same purpose in mind.
When I finished reading 'Blight', one of the many things that impressed me most was how author Leena, after having introduced the protagonist Indrani Sampath in a very simple manner, was able to make her earn my huge respect for the way she handled the case, despite facing obstacles from all quarters.
The story has been crafted beautifully, beginning with an insignificant speck and finally unravelling into a layered maze of crime, convincing the reader of a plot that is worth a pursuit. The research that has gone into building this plot calls for appreciation.
Characterization has been beautifully done and Leena has been able to bring out the real feel of the characters for the reader especially the minute vibrations emanating out of some of the characters. I could feel those vibrations. I like the way Leena has managed the turmoil happening within Indrani while in the committed pursuit of this case.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the author's deft usage of vocabulary and being very circumspect about the same while crafting my writings, this book has been a reiteration that a writer should never hesitate using the right words even if they ended up being challenging for the reader to comprehend.
You will enjoy the suspense and the thrill that gets embellished with the impediments that reality brings in.
Looking forward to reading more crime thrillers from Leena.
'Blight' aroused interest in me primarily because it was a crime thriller and I have been very keenly studying different story telling styles in this genre as part of my research. Prior to reading this book, I had watched several crime movies with the same purpose in mind.
When I finished reading 'Blight', one of the many things that impressed me most was how author Leena, after having introduced the protagonist Indrani Sampath in a very simple manner, was able to make her earn my huge respect for the way she handled the case, despite facing obstacles from all quarters.
The story has been crafted beautifully, beginning with an insignificant speck and finally unravelling into a layered maze of crime, convincing the reader of a plot that is worth a pursuit. The research that has gone into building this plot calls for appreciation.
Characterization has been beautifully done and Leena has been able to bring out the real feel of the characters for the reader especially the minute vibrations emanating out of some of the characters. I could feel those vibrations. I like the way Leena has managed the turmoil happening within Indrani while in the committed pursuit of this case.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the author's deft usage of vocabulary and being very circumspect about the same while crafting my writings, this book has been a reiteration that a writer should never hesitate using the right words even if they ended up being challenging for the reader to comprehend.
You will enjoy the suspense and the thrill that gets embellished with the impediments that reality brings in.
Looking forward to reading more crime thrillers from Leena.
May 18, 2021
Blight is a smooth thriller that gives classic noir vibes. Blended with the current pandemic scenario as a backdrop, it moves at a fast pace and keeps you enthralled.
The author never loses her grip on the narrative that takes you through the story of the protagonist, Indrani Sampath, who's investigating a high-profile murder that seems like an open-and-shut case in the beginning. The gritty theme has been masterfully rendered as the plot unfolds with sudden twists and turns, without any gruesome details or gross depiction of violence that seems to have become the norm in thrillers. The language is crisp even though it is deeply emotional.
The climax, sublime and layered with a rich metaphor of life and death, has Indrani facing not only the culprit but also her own conscience.
The author proves once more that she is versatile enough to handle multiple genres with remarkable ease and dexterity.
A wonderful read! Highly recommended!
The author never loses her grip on the narrative that takes you through the story of the protagonist, Indrani Sampath, who's investigating a high-profile murder that seems like an open-and-shut case in the beginning. The gritty theme has been masterfully rendered as the plot unfolds with sudden twists and turns, without any gruesome details or gross depiction of violence that seems to have become the norm in thrillers. The language is crisp even though it is deeply emotional.
The climax, sublime and layered with a rich metaphor of life and death, has Indrani facing not only the culprit but also her own conscience.
The author proves once more that she is versatile enough to handle multiple genres with remarkable ease and dexterity.
A wonderful read! Highly recommended!
March 17, 2021
I loved the story. It was unputdownable and the twists and turns kept me on the edge of the seat till I realized whodunit.
The characters are realistic and relatable and their actions, so natural. The feelings of Indrani have been described beautifully and there were some scenes where I felt that even I do such things, like smiling behind a mask when I should not be doing so.
The author has described the scenes in detail and the book has a real- feel to it, what with the realistic descriptions of the Covid times that we are facing.
The language is simple and the story is fast paced. I finished the book in two sittings.
Looking forward to more cases being solved by Indrani.
The characters are realistic and relatable and their actions, so natural. The feelings of Indrani have been described beautifully and there were some scenes where I felt that even I do such things, like smiling behind a mask when I should not be doing so.
The author has described the scenes in detail and the book has a real- feel to it, what with the realistic descriptions of the Covid times that we are facing.
The language is simple and the story is fast paced. I finished the book in two sittings.
Looking forward to more cases being solved by Indrani.
March 11, 2021
A murder mystery without a dead body and no obvious murder weapon, forensic evidence nearly destroyed...Leena Varghese pulls off a feat with Blight. Her relentless gaze on a heart rending subject that is mostly swept under the carpet, highlights the horror of it all and makes the hair stand on end.Needless to say, it is a riveting story.
May 18, 2021
A riveting tale with a strong female protagonist. The twists and suspense kept me glued till late in the night. A well written murder mystery.
March 15, 2021
Unputdownable!
An engrossing thriller that packs an emotional wallop. Leena Varghese handles an intriguing concept masterfully ... Unputdownable read. Grab it now.
An engrossing thriller that packs an emotional wallop. Leena Varghese handles an intriguing concept masterfully ... Unputdownable read. Grab it now.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews