Book Review of Chain of Custody by Anita Nair

   

Name of Book: Chain of Custody

Author: Anita Nair 

ISBN: 978-1-908524-74-4

Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press 

Part of a Series: Inspector Gowda series (prequel A CUT LIKE WOUND, sequel HOT STAGE) 

Type of book: India, child trafficking, kidnapping, police officers, politics, mysteries, balancing act, 2011? Bangalore, lovers, daily life, heartbreak 

Year it was published: 2016

Summary:

Bangalore's Inspector Gowda is back in another nail-biting thriller. What does thirteen-year-old Nandita's disappearance have to do with the murder of a well-known lawyer in a gated community? Gowda is soon embroiled in the investigation of a child-trafficking racket. Negotiating insensitive laws, indifferent officials, and uncooperative witnesses, he is in a race against time to rescue Nandita from one of the most depraved criminal rings he has ever encountered. Anita Nair lives in Bangalore and is an internationally acclaimed author and playwright. Her novel Ladies Coupe is a feminist classic, published in thirty languages.

Characters:

Main characters include Borei Gowda, a middle aged determined policeman who owns a motorcycle and often puts justice ahead of family and friends and even a lover. Unlike his ilk, Borei can't be bribed to look other way and he is not a corrupt man who has thousands of side hustles going on. He sees himself as all too human with frailties and failures. Santosh is perhaps a younger Borei (both share the same caste) who has come back from a long leave and wants to get back into action (against Borei's wishes.) There is also new characters of Ratna who is tasked with helping children and women and whom Santosh has strong feelings for. Borei Gowda's lover Urmilla is also present in the book, although the affair is not as passionate as in previous book. Gowda's wife Mamtha also makes an appearance.   

Theme:

There are fifty shades of evil in everyone

Plot:

The story is written in third person narrative from everyone's point of view, although when it came to the character of Krishna, first person narrative was used. Unlike the previous book, the story here begins in the middle; on March 14th, then after a few pages goes back to March 5th leading up to events of March 14th. Like the prequel it is definitely an engaging narrative, both a whodunit as well as a social commentary exposing the vulnerable population's stories of heartbreak. I enjoyed all aspects of the story, from seeing daily life in India to meeting Borei's family and friends and revisiting old characters from the previous book.  And yes, multiple mysteries to solve and to help tantalize reader in trying to understand how they connect to one another.

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

Anita Nair is the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of the novels The Better Man, Ladies Coupé, Mistress, Lessons in Forgetting, Idris: Keeper of the Light and Alphabet Soup for Lovers. She has also authored a crime series featuring Inspector Gowda.

Anita Nair’s other books include a collection of poems titled Malabar Mind, a collection of essays titled Goodnight & God Bless and six books for children. Anita Nair has also written two plays and the screenplay for the movie adaptation of her novel Lessons in Forgetting which was part of the Indian Panorama at IFFI 2012 and won the National Film Award in 2013. Among other awards, she was also given the Central Sahitya Akademi award and the Crossword Prize. Her books have been translated into over thirty one languages around the world. She is also the founder of the creative writing and mentorship program Anita’s Attic.

Opinion:

I will admit that I am definitely in love with Borei Gowda, a tough as nails police officer who refuses to fall in into corruption and does things because it is the right thing to do rather than because he will get more money from it. This is the second book I have read to prepare myself for the third book of the series, HOT STAGE. While the previous book tackles the idea of men to women trans, this one tackles a very tough and heartbreaking subject: that of child trafficking. I am only beginning to get to know India, both the beauty and the warts, and its definitely an awesome chance to have Borei Gowda guide me through the India that many in the West will find unfamiliar and heartbreaking. And yes, it is necessary to read the previous book to understand this one. 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)