Customer Reviews

Six Suspects

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A rich spoiled brat is murdered and an assortment of characters are identified as suspects. Vikas Swarup's Six Suspects rewinds time and takes us through the events that led up to the eventful night of the murder. Everyone has their motives but do they have what it takes to pull the trigger?

The first thing that intrigued me was the book's layout. In fact, it prompted me to buy it as I was strolling idly through a bookstore in Mumbai. Each chapter is dedicated to one suspect. The second thing that I enjoyed was the detail spent developing the characters of each piece in this chess match. Everyone has an agenda. Nobody is a saint. Thirdly, the writing style of the author is markedly different for each back-story. This gives each chapter a different flavor. Finally, the book takes us all over India and shows us the myriad threads that weaves the country into a giant multicolored quilt.

Having said that, the book did feel a bit linear in some parts. I would have liked the story to be a bit more intertwined than it was. A few more run-ins between the main characters perhaps?

All in all, its a fun read and the ending, which is the bar by which whodunits are judged, was refreshing and satisfactory. I fully expect the big names in Bollywood to clamor for movie rights to this book. It has all the formulaic elements of a "masala" movie with an interesting climax.

One of the subjects I like to read is 'mystery/adventure/investigation'. I picked up this book because this book contains the mystery surrounding the death of a person, who is a rich spoilt brat, and the investigation following it. There are, as the name of the book suggests, six suspects, who have could have murdered this person.

The way the author, Vikas Swarup, has divided the book into sections is methodical. In addition, within each section he has dedicated one chapter each for each suspect & built up the story. It's like building up from where you left.

In weaving this story, Vikas Swarup has added many major headlines that hit the Indian subcontinent in the past few years. These headlines have been added to appear as part of the story. For example, Jesicca Lall (model/actor) murder in 1999. The way the son of a politician killed this model/actor in a bar - this was weaved in the story by Vikas Swarup. In a way we could immediately relate to them because we read about these cases a lot.
Similar sounding names of some real life famous reporters/journalist have been used.

Overall, it's a good read - specially if someone likes to read about investigative mysteries.

This is even better than Q & A. The plot starts off quickly and never lets a reader go. Criticism that the characters are hard to remember is valid because they are more caricatures than actual compelling figures in their own right.

Six semi-independent narrative strands, each of which might have been slappeded into some sort of novella, but which eventually interlock more tightly than one was made to suppose at the outset; a panoramic view of Indian society, shamelessly suffused with a storyteller's uninhibited lust for bizarre twists and outrageous coincidences; instances of appalling cruelty, heart-warming kindness and abject misery jostling for space with sheer farce: One might argue that too many ingredients have been stirred into the stew, that it has been quite crudely overspiced and that there has been ample recourse to fictional stock-in-trade.

Even if one doesn't enjoy (as I did) this eastern baroque mix of flavours, it should at least be difficult to altogether withhold admiration for the technical intricacies of such a liberally oiled plot machinery and for the virtuoso performance of the concluding pages, in which the traditional denouement of a whodunit spirals away into dizzying heights of absurdity.

Entertaining and moving though it is, however, the book's basic recipe is very similar to the one employed in the author's first novel ,Q & A'; and for his next offering, Mr Swarup would in my opinion be well advised to dish up something that works along other lines.

I thought the book was pretty good. The characters were hard to keep track of, partly because the names were difficult to remember. They were interesting, but I didn't really care what happened to most of them. The ending had some interesting twists. Before the book was finished, I was tired of it. I learned about the different parts of India, so I appreciated that.

"Six Suspects" wasn't as good as this author's previous novel, "Q&A", but overall it was a good book.
This book mostly held my interest, but it was a little slow and drawn out in some parts.
I like how you get to know the six different suspects. Their lives and situations all vary.
The ending to this book was a well done surprise.

After reading and loving Swarup's first novel Q&A (also known as Slumdog Millionaire), I was incredibly excited to check out his second tale, also set in India. The book takes us through the streets of India yet again, in an amazing, yet harrowing tale of death and, maybe, redemption.

Vicky Rai, the son of a high-profile Minister, was found shot dead in his farmhouse on March 23 during a very glamorous party. Although seemingly a sad event, the party was to celebrate Rai's acquittal from a murder he committed. This was the 3rd time he got away with murder. Apparently, someone didn't like that.

At the party, six suspects were found with guns. The six people included Mohan Kumar, a crooked businessman who might have been possessed by none other than Ghandi; Larry Page, a Texan tricked into going to India to marry a mail order bride; Shabnam Saxena, a very famous Bollywood actress who tries to prove that she's more than a pretty face; Eketi, a tribal trying to find his village's sacred relic; Munna, an unemployed cell phone theif ; and Jagannath Rai, the Home Minister of Uttar Pradesh and, of all things, Vicky Rai's father.

The lives of the six suspects are told in rotation throughout the novel, leading up to the murder. Each character has their own voice; where one character's story is told through diary entries, another's is told through phone calls. Swarup is amazing at building excitement and intrigue as each character's tale unfolds. As you read each character's story, you start questioning everything. "Could they be responsible for it?" "Is it worth it?" "Can we forgive them?"

Much like Q&A, everything comes together in the end, revealing that in one way or another, each life is wound together like a tapestry. And then end is definitely worth it. As each character's story wraps up, you see in a very satisfying manner who did it, why, and how. Much like the game of Clue, the book keeps you guessing.

Swarup has an amazing talent when it comes to describing elements. He gives an accurate, if not terrifying at times, look at India - from the swanky houses in Delhi to the slums down the road. For those who've read Q&A, there are some quick comments mentioning the characters, which made me cheer. I love when authors do that. (If you've only seen the film, you won't get the references, sadly).

I really enjoyed Six Suspects and am excited to see what Swarup brings us next. Once the book comes to America, I suggest checking it out if you're interested in crime dramas, life in India, or just really intense books that keep you up wondering what might happen next.

All six had reason. All six had opportunity. All six look really guilty. This book was so unexpected in its twists and turns. One suspect per chapter and filled in with such fine detail you will feel like you are standing in the corner watching Arun Advani (India's best-known investigative journalist) question each suspect and explore each suspect's situation. Great imagination!

I was attracted to this book because I had enjoyed reading the author's short stories "Q & A" which formed the basis of the movie "Slumdog Millionaire". I found this novel to be
interesting but at the end too involved and confusing. It is recommended to those who have time to spare and who would like to get some understanding of politics in India. Some of the
telephone conversations of politicians are brilliantly expressed. The book was purchased from amazon.com who have been suppliers of the books I read for the past many years.

To be frank, I LOVED this book. I read it in a matter of days, and could not put it down!

The story revolves around 6 extremely different individuals who have the motive and opportunity to kill a high-profile thug which results in a whodunnit thriller.

The ingenious way Swarup has pulls these extremely different characters together is stunning. It is a well thought out, well written book, that is easy to read and gathers ample momentum towards the end.

I highly recommend this read and very much look forward to Vikas Swarup's next book.