A Time for Murder: A Das Sisters Mystery

by Anjana Rai Chaudhuri

A towering condominium near railway lines. A woman is murdered. The Das sisters must uncover a murderer in the Singapore heartland who is on a killing spree. The first of the Das Sisters Mystery Series finds Inspector Dolly Das of the Singapore CID and her sister, Lily, on the trail of a cold-blooded murderer in the Singapore heartland. It is 2009. On a dark, hazy December night, Mary Jacob's dead body is found at Silver Springs Condominium in the Singapore heartland. Is it a suicide, or did someone push Mary out of her kitchen window? Forensics investigation points to murder. Inspector Dolly Das of the Singapore CID is assigned to the case. Multiple suspects have means and motives for murdering Mary, ranging from her estranged husband to her neighbours. When two more murders occur, pressure mounts on Dolly putting her job at risk. Desperately, she turns to her sister, Lily, for help in solving the murders. Lily runs a café and minimart at Silver Springs Condominium, placing her in a good position to gain information that the police cannot access. Supported by Uma, their sharp-tongued 78-year-old mother, Lily's assistant, Vernon, his girlfriend, Angie, and Lily's domestic helper, Girlie, the Das Sisters team up to solve the murders. But can Dolly concentrate on the case when her marriage is breaking up? What will Lily do when she finds herself drawn to one of the chief suspects? And which of the Das sisters uncovers the crucial clue that unmasks a cool and calculating murderer?

330 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2021

About the author

Anjana Rai Chaudhuri grew up in India and studied and worked in India, America and the UK, before settling in Singapore. A retired scientist, she divides her time between writing, reading and social work.

Reviews

[Anjana Rai Chaudhuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read my first crime thriller at the age of 10, it was a Perry Mason legal thriller, and I read my first Agatha Christie at age 12. Thus started a lifelong appreciation of crime thrillers. My favorites in this genre are the sub-genres of cozy and police procedural. My favorite cozy detectives are Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple (Agatha Christie), and my favorite police detectives are Inspector Lynley (Elizabeth George) and Inspector Morse (Colin Dexter). After having read (and continuing reading) so many crime thrillers, it was a matter of time till I wrote my first murder mystery after I became a writer. I wanted to pay tribute to the cozy genre, the police procedural (PP) genre and to my home, Singapore. So was born 'A Time for Murder', a mystery set in a cozy condominium in the Singapore heartland where a woman is killed. There are many suspects so many red herrings as in cozy mysteries. When I read cozies, I used to try to guess who the killer was and dear reader, I wished for you to do the same. So, I have left you clues along the way so that along with the Das sisters, you can try to solve the crime before they do. The hook of the book, like any whodunnit, is can you guess who the killer is? But to leave my original stamp on this series, I have made the mystery a blend of cozy and PP. The cozy detective is coffeeshop-owner, Lily Das, and the police inspector is her sister, Inspector Dolly Das. As per cozy mysteries, there is a lot of conversation as Lily talks to the suspects to try to find out the identity of the killer. And as per PP, there are autopsy results, DNA analysis, forensics, interviews of suspects which are the tools Dolly Das has to solve the murder. The fun of having two sisters as detectives is that they are loyal and loving but they have that competitive edge which is brought into play in the book. Who finds the crucial clue that unmasks the killer? The cozy detective or the trained police officer? I sincerely hope other mystery book lovers like me, familiar with both the cozy and PP genres, will be entertained reading A Time for Murder and I look forward to your reviews.

[Shahridzuan Azali · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Review copy courtesy of Times Reads]

Yeap, I was frustrated nearly the entire time I was reading this book. It's a murder mystery but certainly did not feel like it for me.

However, there are some elements which I feel were nicely done. The characters, especially Dolly, were crafted into three-dimensional personas through background stories. I could relate to their internal conflicts. I wish Dolly's conflict was further exploited to the point that it jeopardizes the murder case. It felt a little lukewarm in that sense.

My major disappointment was the dialogues. Way, way too many in this one. It was almost as if nothing much actually happened. Instead, it felt like all I was reading was the characters talking about things that happened.

Another glaring thing for me was how Dolly passed around information about the case to Lily. It felt illogical that a police would disclose details like that beyond the force. I do feel this could have worked with the right execution. In this case, the entire thing came across "gossippy" for me.

The book does have a good backdrop. The condominium is filled with residents who could've been suspects, making the plot dynamic. To a certain degree, I was hauled into a guessing game.

I strongly believe the overuse of dialogues messed with my experience. I see potential in the setting, the suspects, and even the personal conflicts. But I'd like to note one brilliant element - the groundbreaking clue to the mystery. A neat play by the author!

All told, this book wasn't for me. A relatively easy read and good potential but not much of a hook.

[Royston Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent plot with a strong atmosphere. There are a number of red herrings and the investigative path the sisters take to reveal the murderer is rivetting. Add that to a cast of relatable and likeable supporting characters, coupled with strong dialogue make this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Abanti Gopan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Time for Murder , the first of the Das Sisters Mystery was a light fast paced good read. The suspense built up made it a page turner. Multiple characters were intricately woven into the story with a gradual build up of suspense and mystery. The bonding between the two Das sisters was heart warming . On a lighter note the frequent mention of Indian cuisine, specially Bengali delicacies was interesting .
On the whole an enjoyable , light, fast paced book. If you like murder mysteries , go for this one!!!
I look forward to the next one in the series of Das Sisters Mystery.

[Jacky · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing reads like a YA detective fiction and feels slightly "juvenile" for want of a better word. Didn't exactly feel for the protagonists. I enjoy local reads with local elements but this failed to bring the usual 'thrill" reading about a based in Singapore story. A good old murder mystery should bring the tingles but if my interest was piqued during first half, it dissipated three quarters in.

[Khelath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like reading local murder mysteries as I think they are an under-explored genre. I just wish the dialogue could have been more authentic.