The Colours of Passion - Book Review

The Colours of Passion
By Sourabh Mukherjee
Review By Ila Garg

The Colours of Passion, a novel by Sourabh Mukherjee, is published by Readomania. The cover totally grabbed my attention. The amazing use of shades from red to orange to yellow is amazingly spectacular. The knife and blood drops further make it a captivating cover. The sub-title—Unveiling Dark Secrets behind the Limelight—further adds to the mysterious outlook of the plot.

Sourabh Muherjee is the author of the psychological thriller ‘In the Shadows of Death: A Detective Agni Mitra Thriller’ and ‘Romance Shorts’, a collection of dark-romance short stories. His books have been highly appreciated by readers, bloggers and the mainstream national media. Sourabh received the Golden Pen Award in the Monsoon Romance Contest 2014 organised by Sulekha.com and judged by an eminent panel of literary luminaries.
Sourabh speaks in several events on a variety of topics. His points of view in a panel discussion on serial killings, occult crimes and ritual killings in the Supernatural Literary Festival, Kolkata (2017) with the legendary Ipsita Ray Chakraverty was highly appreciated. He was also an invited panelist in a debate organised by Rotary Club, Kolkata on International Women’s Day, 2017. Sourabh writes a column for “Sportskeeda”, India’s largest all-sport website. His articles have been featured in “Yahoo Sports” too.
An Electronics and Telecommunications Engineer from Jadavpur University, Kolkata with a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from School of Management Studies, New Delhi, in his day-job, Sourabh works in a senior leadership position in a technology consulting multi-national. Author of several publications on emerging trends in business and technology, Sourabh speaks regularly in various national and global conferences and technology summits.
A keen observer of human behaviour and cultural diversities, Sourabh loves travelling and has travelled across USA and various countries in Europe and Asia. An avid reader of fiction, Sourabh is equally passionate about photography, movies and music.

The blurb reads as, “Who killed Tollywood heart-throb Hiya Sen?
Within days of her fairy-tale wedding with Manav Chauhan, the dashing young entrepreneur, Hiya Sen, the reigning queen of Tollywood, is brutally raped and murdered by three men. As ACP Agni Mitra investigates into the high-profile murder, he meets Neha Awasthi, with whom Manav broke his engagement to marry Hiya, Neha’s father Deepak Awasthi, who was eyeing business benefits through the alliance, Mayank Kapoor, an alcoholic model, and Rituja Bose, the diva who had reigned over Tollywood over the past decade. When two more murders connected with the case make headlines, it’s time for Agni to find answers to perplexing questions and unveil shocking truths.
The Colours of Passion breezes through Kolkata’s glamorous world of industrialists, movie stars, models and fashion designers laced with drug addiction and illicit liaisons, with a heart-wrenching tragedy at its core.”

So, I will start by telling you all that why I started with this book on the day when I received it. The cover is so interesting that you won’t be able to resist yourself from reading this quickly. It seemed to be a good read since the beginning. I was glad to read the blurb that managed to make the book look promising. And as I turned pages after pages, I was hooked.

It’s a crime thriller. The story revolves around the Tollywood sensation Hiya Sen and Business tycoon Manav Chauhan. At the very beginning, there’s an attack on Hiya Sen, her husband Manav Chauhan and their driver, Lakhan. Hiya is raped brutally and dies subsequentally. Manav and Lakhan are heavily wounded. Such a fast-paced start of the novel is intriguing for the readers and compels them to read on.

The three attackers who raped and murdered Hiya Sen and wounded Manav Chauhan and his chauffer were exposed then and there. The investigation follows and many nail-biting revelations are made. Characters like Agni, Arya, Rituja and Mayank are introduced. The story moves back and forth in flashbacks to unravel the mystery.

The language is simple, lucid and easy to comprehend. Nowhere will a reader feel any disconnect. I found it quite engaging. The characters could have been described in more detail. Other than that, I loved the pace and the way te plot unfolded.

Further, this 238-page book is a light read and overall a compelling book. How the Tollywood heart-throb Hiya Sen was raped and murdered, who were the attackers, would ACP Agni Mitra able to find the real culprits, who is Rituja Bose, who is Mayank Kapoor, how are Mayank and Hiya related are some of the many reasons why you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens in The Colours of Passion.

Set in the city of joy, Kolkata, the book is highly recommended.

Ratings: 4.5/5

Buying Link: Amazon