Review of Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas : Nicole Pyles

As the summer begins to slowly fade away, I’m enjoying reading some new books lately. One of which is The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas. I was lucky enough to read her previous book You Beneath Your Skin and she is such a brilliant author.

Before we get to my review, here’s a bit about the book:

On the dark streets of Mumbai, the paths of a missing dancer, a serial killer, and an inspector with a haunted past converge in an evocative thriller about lost love and murderous obsession.

After years of dancing in Mumbai’s bars, Tara Mondal was desperate for a new start. So when a client offered her a life-changing payout to indulge a harmless, if odd, fantasy, she accepted. The setup was simple: wear a blue-sequined saree, enter a crowded railway station, and escape from view in less than three minutes. It was the last time anyone saw Tara.

Thirteen years later, Tara’s lover, Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput, is still grappling with her disappearance as he faces a horrifying new crisis: on the city’s outskirts, women’s dismembered bodies are being unearthed from shallow graves. Very little links the murders, except a scattering of blue sequins and a decade’s worth of missing persons reports that correspond with major festivals.

Past and present blur as Arnav realizes he’s on the trail of a serial killer and that someone wants his investigation buried at any cost. Could the key to finding Tara and solving these murders be hidden in one of his cold cases? Or will the next body they recover be hers?

My Review

What a book! I was so intrigued by this for so many reasons. First, I enjoyed the setting a lot. The author has a fantastic way of bringing you into the streets of Mumbai and that culture as if you are right there with the main character. Arnav, one of the central characters we’re following, battles personal issues and a poorly funded police department to solve a crime attacking the most vulnerable. There are also alternating POVs offer great insights into each character and the difficult choices they make and the struggles they go through. Most importantly, I thought the plotline was captivating and I absolutely enjoyed this book. There were some dark moments and violent scenes, but overall I highly recommend it!

Be sure to add this book to your reading list on GoodReads or pre-order it for purchase on Amazon.com or Bookshop.org.

You can also follow the author, Damyanti Biswas, on her website (be sure to follow her blog too!), and follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.