Club you to Death is famous chick-lit author Anuja Chauhan’s venture into mystery. I have enjoyed her chick-lit books tremendously. She is a witty writer with a gift for character building and sizzling chemistry between the lead pair.
Would she be able to bring that flair into a murder mystery? Well, to a great extent, she does. And I immensely enjoyed Club you to Death and look forward to more mysteries from her.
About Club you to Death
When a hunky personal trainer is found asphyxiated to death under an overloaded barbell at the posh Delhi Turf Club on the eve of the club elections, it is first thought to be a freak accident. But soon, it becomes clear that one of the members of the DTC – all pickled-in-privilege Dilliwallahs – is a cold-blooded killer.
Crime Branch veteran ACP Bhavani Singh is appointed to investigate the case as the capital bristles with speculation and conspiracy theories. Together with his able deputies – ex-lovers Akash’ Kashi’ Dogra, hottie crusader for human rights, and Bambi Todi, wealthy girl-about-town – ACP Bhavani sets out to solve a crime that seems simple enough at the surface but turns out to have roots as deep and spreading as those of New Delhi’s famous Neem trees.
~ Synopsis from GoodReads
My Review
Club you to Death is surprisingly not unlike her romances. There is the trademark hawt hero, the perky heroine, eccentric family members, and witty side characters. The only difference is that there is also a murder.
I was pretty impressed with how Chauhan seamlessly merged romance and mystery into one novel. I also liked how she lent a light touch to a somewhat dark novel. Structurally, it’s like an Agatha Christie novel with the detective Bhavani Singh doing a Poirot at the end, where he calls all the suspects and does the final denouément.
Like Christie’s novels, the murderer is hard to guess. But also, if you are familiar with the old AC format, you know how to look for clues and determine the culprit.
What I enjoy about Anuja Chauhan’s books is how she writes a Dilliwalla well. All the characters were so immediately relatable; I just fell in love with them (yes, even the villain was quite likable).
Overall, this was a solid mystery. I enjoyed it, and hopefully, there are more books with Detective Bhavani Singh. I’d like this to become a series.
