A crisp page turner

The third in the series of Lalli mysteries, Kalpana Swaminathan’s The Monochrome Madonna is definitely a page-turner.

The Monochrome Madonna;
Kalpana Swaminathan;
Penguin, pp 251, Rs 250 

The writing is crisp. There is the seemingly unsolvable murder mystery. There is the incorrigible Lalli with her astute skills of detection. And, at the end the murderer is caught, and the motive explained. It is in this last bit that the book falters. The murder is a motiveless one —  which is fine — but the interpretation of the murderer’s behaviour appear so flimsy, that at the end of the tale you’re left with a feeling of disappointment.

As the first Indian fictional woman detective, Lalli is an adorable character. Despite being in her 60s she has the energy and verve of a teenager. She is as comfortable talking about murder as she is about foundation creams and lipstick. Nothing escapes her hawk-like scrutiny and nothing ruffles her calm demeanour. Although retired from the police force, she is still approached by her former department as a desperate last resort when her former colleagues are faced with intractable problems, earning her the sobriquet of ‘Last Resort Lalli’. When Lalli goes off on her annual vacation — that’s when she is unreachable — her niece, Sita, gets a strange call from an old college mate, Sitara.

Full review here Deccan Herald