The Alphabet Killer (A book review)

Author- Prachi Sharma

Publishers- HALF BAKED BEANS; First edition (2016)

Pages- 180 pages

Genre- Suspense/Thriller

Blurb- The city of Mumbai goes past, cold, impersonal, self-absorbed. A killer waits in the shadows, anticipating his prey. Mia Santos is a successful author, feminist and Chief Editor of the Mumbai chapter an international feminist magazine. Someone is raping and killing the women she works with, one by one, and carving out the initials A.B onto their foreheads. The media gives him the moniker 'The Alphabet Killer' Mia's getting taunted and tormented by someone who claims to be the killer. She's the only one who knows what the initials mean, and the killer's end game. The same is suspected by CID Inspector Damien De Silva, who's investigating the killings. Even as he tries to work with Mia, he starts getting attached to her. What is that horrible past which Mia's worked so hard to bury? Why is the killer so adamant to unravel this past? Will Mia reciprocate Damien's feelings? Will they be able to work together and find the killer before he executes his horrifying climax?

Book Review- “The Alphabet Killer” is author Prachi Sharma’s debut novel.

When I searched Amazon for this title, I found many books by the same name. Ideally, one should try to christen a new book with a unique title.

The cover design of the book has a cool retro look. The backdrop is pink which is incidentally the ‘colour of the hour’. Moreover, the protagonist of the book is a die-hard feminist, working for ‘Feminista’ magazine.

The plot of the book, as the blurb indicates involves three main characters- the heroine (Mia Santos), the cop (Damien) and a serial killer. The narrative is fast paced and the writing style lucid. I read this book in a single sitting. The premise, though not new, is nevertheless promising. Murders, violence and gore are a potent cocktail. A cat and mouse game between the perpetrator of a crime and the law enforcers makes for an interesting read. The same applies to this book. The first 150 odd pages of this book keep you glued to your seat.

The author, however, loses a grip on the proceedings towards the climax. A story, high on adrenaline, fizzles out in the end.  Another 30 pages, a better etched ‘hero’, a more complex antagonist and a riveting climax could have taken this book to another level.

Verdict- A breezy entertainer.

About The Author- Prachi Sharma is a clinical pharmacist, aspiring neuroscientist, book critic and blogger, content writer, and crime novelist. She also counts herself as a foodie, coffee freak, criminology buff, book worm, and an experimental cook. Her short works have appeared in e-literary magazines like Writer's Ezine and Literary Yard and websites like StoryMirror and Readomania. Her crime novella, A Predator in Paradise, has been published on CosyReading as a serialized e-novel. She blogs at The Crimocopeia and can be reached at percykerrywrites@gmail.com.