The Emperor’s Riddles by Satyarth Nayak

An excellent book which is the debut full-length novel of Satyarth Nayak. Gripping Plot, intriguing characters, curious twists make this book a scintillating read.

Plot

A historian is found murdered on the banks of the pious river Ganga none other than at the Ghats of Kashi aka Varanasi. The murder is so grotesque in nature that even the cops who are used to such violent and heinous acts of crime are dumbfounded. In the recent past similar murders have happened and cops are able to find a pattern emerging in them.

Sia, the daughter of the dead historian accompanied by Om Patnaik, his trusted friend embark on a journey to find the reason behind the gory murder. Slowly they stumble upon riddles which promise to give them something at the end of their journey. During this search, they encounter an enigmatic lady who offers them the help they need. As they uncover each secret, the intrigue seems growing than diminishing.

Finally, they reach the final destination and find the reason for the gory murders and the cold blooded killer who engineered these acts of atrocious crimes.

To find out what the riddles are, who is the Emperor, why was the historian murdered, grab a copy of the book and start reading, you will be transported back in time and the experience is enjoyable.

Character building and Style of Writing

All the characters have been given a good amount of space and a connect can be made with the central characters such as Sia, the dead historian’s daughter, his friend Om Patnaik, the enigmatic lady and the brooding cop among others.

The writing style is good though one thing which I did not like in the initial few pages is the frequent tos and fros from past tp present. But the same is corrected when the plot thickens and the book becomes unputdownable after that. Writing is not too complex neither very amateurish and it is thoroughly enjoyable.

My Verdict

I would give 4 out of 5 stars.

I have reduced Half star some necessary expletives muttered by a character which was not necessary. Another half star, because at times there is much similarity to the Da Vinci Code and it cannot be unnoticed. If you have not read that book then you will be floored by the plot, the historical revelations and the climax of this book.

Happy Reading and Do not Forget to subscribe to my Blog for more such Posts!!!

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