Kiran Manral’s latest book ‘The Kitty Party Murder’ is a delicious feel-good concoction of humour and mystery. As evident from the title, ‘The Kitty Party Murder’ revolves around a ladies’ kitty group that has some dark, deep secrets regarding the recent death of a kitty member.
The mundane life of Kanan Mehra/Kay suddenly gets interesting when her detective friend, Runa asks her for help in a suicide investigation. Kay has to infiltrate a kitty group and try to unearth the dark secrets of the members. The secrets are buried underneath fancy meals, designer dresses, and frivolous conversations. At the same time, the apartment building of Kay is shaken by a mysterious death.
Kay is a woman in her mid-thirties who is bored with mommyhood and dreams of shedding those extra pounds without going to the gym. Climbing up and down the stairs seems to be a much better option. It is during one of those exercise sessions that she hears a startling scream. So, in the very first chapter, we are given a glimpse of what we can expect from the book- mystery marinated in dollops of humour.
I liked how Kiran has weaved two mystery plots in the same story. We are left guessing if those two plots would intersect at some point in time.
There are some hilarious scenes in the book that will make you laugh out loud. One such scene is when Kay falls in the washroom of the restaurant while trying to behold the murderer from the exhaust fan vent.
Kay is a person who enjoys the thrill of investigation. Despite being chided by her husband to not poke nose in other’s business, Kay revels in it. She wants to stay far from a boring corporate 9 to 5 job. Although she wobbles at investigation, her excitement to do the work is what makes the book interesting.
I enjoyed Kay’s equation with her spouse, her son Kabir, and Jamuna, the housemaid. Check out the following sentences for instance:
“The spouse gave me one of his looks. The kind of look he reserved for moments of serious doubts about whether I needed to book a consultation with a psychiatrist.”
Or this one:
“The spouse and I were on opposite sides of the sleep divide. He was the lark and I the owl. He was the ‘carpe the diem before the rooster wipes the sleep from his heavy-lidded eyes’ and I the ‘hit snooze on repeat’.
I also enjoyed her interactions with her detective friend, Runa. Although Runa initially bosses Kay around, she later realizes Kay’s potential.
Overall, it was an entertaining light weekend read. The language is beautiful and the narration is gripping. The story takes some time to pick up momentum, but when it does, you would want to unearth the two mysteries along with Kay.
If you are looking for a witty, humorous read with some suspense thrown into it, read the book. You will enjoy the ride!
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