{"id":3500,"date":"2024-07-22T16:00:52","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T16:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=3500"},"modified":"2024-07-22T16:00:55","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T16:00:55","slug":"book-recommendation-murder-in-mahim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=3500","title":{"rendered":"Book Recommendation: Murder in Mahim"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hi Readers! How are you all doing? Weekends in Mumbai have been amazing lately. It\u2019s always raining non-stop and I have been reading non-stop to complement the pleasant weather. I am already reading five books, and yet I started a new one yesterday and finished it today. Murder in Mahim by Jerry Pinto was a book I received from Champaca bookstore when I had subscribed to a mystery book box. So, I didn\u2019t really choose to read it nor had I heard of it. But, surprisingly, I liked it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A young man is found dead in the toilet of Matunga Road station, his stomach ripped open. Retired journalist Peter D\u2019Souza joins the investigation with his friend Inspector Zende and is drawn into a world of secret desire, blackmail and unspoken love\u2014a world that he fears his son may be a part of. Driven as much by fear and empathy as by curiosity about men who seek men, Peter tries to track down the killer, with some help from the flamboyant Leslie Siqueira, \u2018the Queen of the Queen of the Suburbs\u2019. But time is running out.

Jerry Pinto\u2019s new novel\u2014set in Mumbai, the city he writes about like no other\u2014is a gripping murder mystery. It is also a compelling exploration of loneliness, ambition and greed in the great metropolis.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~~THOUGHTS~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

\u201cThey want that money. And in most cases, the only thing they have is the body.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Usually when I read a book, I like to read the core genre content for 85% of the novel and prefer some kind of social commentary for the remaining 15%. And, I absolutely love it when the two are gelled together in a way that still stays true to their respective qualities. I found that brilliance in Murder in Mahim. There are multiple murders, sex workers and corruption, and revolving it all are the sentiments of the people who are labelled different, all happening in the underbelly of Mumbai, the city that really never sleeps.<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mystery aspect of the book felt like I was watching a Crime Patrol episode.<\/strong><\/mark> I felt that way perhaps because most of the characters were poor and had to resort to earning an income by selling their body. Or maybe because it was set in typical Mumbai locales like train stations and chawls. Or it could be because the motives were so humane and obvious to understand. While it was somewhat predictable, the shedding of information at the perfect time with good writing was what made it an unputdownable read for me.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large part of the book revolves around sex, money and corruption. There is a murder of a young man in a train station toilet who was a sex worker. He ended up dead because of blackmail and corruption involving the police. And that happened because gay men cannot come out of the closet, so they resort to having sex in nondescript locations. The themes of guilt, shame and gender identity are written in context of the Indian mindset.<\/mark> <\/strong>And, we also read it from a gay man\u2019s educated well-to-do parents\u2019 perspective who are getting to understand how to communicate with their son. I think there was a lot of focus on these areas, all written with nuance in a way that wasn\u2019t too preachy and also not too in the way of a good murder mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~~TO READ OR NOT TO READ~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you decide to pick this book, I will only ask you to not have high expectations. It\u2019s not a great book but it\u2019s a good one. It\u2019s not some master thriller with unpredictable ending. It\u2019s also not like the American or British mystery novels we usually read. So, if you are looking for that, this one is not it. If you loved watching CID and Crime Patrol, then you should read this book. If you are looking to get out of a reading slump, then this one might do the trick. If you want to read this book as an LGBTQ in India, then you won\u2019t find a lot in it. All in all, it touches on various things but never digs deep into any one. But, it\u2019s definitely worth it if you like Jerry Pinto\u2019s writing. I have rated Murder in Mahim by Jerry Pinto at 4\/5 stars!<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until next time,<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi Readers! How are you all doing? Weekends in Mumbai have been amazing lately. It\u2019s always raining non-stop and I have been reading non-stop to complement the pleasant weather. I am already reading five books, and yet I started a new one yesterday and finished it today. Murder in Mahim by Jerry Pinto was a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,23,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-review","category-books","category-book-reviews","category-mindscape-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Picsart_24-07-21_23-20-13-378-2.jpg?fit=2500%2C2500&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3539,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=3539","url_meta":{"origin":3500,"position":0},"title":"July 2024 Wrap-Up!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"July 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Hi Readers! After a reading lull in June, I finally got my mojo back this month. Despite the tremendous work load, I was able to read a lot. I think probably because there was tremendous work load, I just had to put myself in a fictional world more often to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/PXL_20240728_123523921-1-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/PXL_20240728_123523921-1-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/PXL_20240728_123523921-1-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/PXL_20240728_123523921-1-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/PXL_20240728_123523921-1-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3110,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=3110","url_meta":{"origin":3500,"position":1},"title":"Book Recommendation: Em and the Big Hoom","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"November 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! Last week I officially went into my anxious I-have-got-to-read 80 books this year frenzy. This set me on a path to read short books. I don\u2019t typically enjoy them and few of them have also shoved me in the reading slump in the past, almost like a punishment\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231118_100640239-01-02.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231118_100640239-01-02.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231118_100640239-01-02.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231118_100640239-01-02.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231118_100640239-01-02.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3178,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=3178","url_meta":{"origin":3500,"position":2},"title":"Top 12 Posts of 2023 \u2013 Year in Review (Part 3)","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"December 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! Year on year, you outdo yourselves! Mindscape in Words had 64000 VIEWS in 2023! This is a 40% increase than last year. I know there are two to four posts which receive a majority of traffic, but they are also the ones I love the most. I love\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/PSX_20231213_100804-01-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/PSX_20231213_100804-01-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/PSX_20231213_100804-01-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/PSX_20231213_100804-01-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/PSX_20231213_100804-01-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1456,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=1456","url_meta":{"origin":3500,"position":3},"title":"Books Read in September 2021!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"October 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":" Hi Readers! I am back after a long break. Here is the mini story of why I have been away this long. I started reading The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. It took me the better part of the month\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "books"","block_context":{"text":"books","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/SeptReadsFI-1-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/SeptReadsFI-1-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/SeptReadsFI-1-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/SeptReadsFI-1-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/SeptReadsFI-1-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4265,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=4265","url_meta":{"origin":3500,"position":4},"title":"Japanese Murder Mystery Book Recommendation: The Labyrinth House Murders","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"June 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! After months I finally read a book at a stretch for 5+ HOURS!! What a feeling to feel like myself! Whatever you are reading now, pause it, and pick up the latest by Yukito Ayatsuji novel!! I had been reading The Labyrinth House Murders for two weeks. But\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PSX_20250615_125456-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PSX_20250615_125456-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PSX_20250615_125456-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PSX_20250615_125456-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PSX_20250615_125456-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2071,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=2071","url_meta":{"origin":3500,"position":5},"title":"The Lady Killer by Masako Togawa Book Review.","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"May 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! It has been a while, hasn\u2019t it? Almost half a month! This month I am again reading more than I am reviewing. I have read 3 books so far. 2 were short ones. But the third one was over 600 pages. It took me a week to read\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_20220502_110014-01-01-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_20220502_110014-01-01-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_20220502_110014-01-01-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_20220502_110014-01-01-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_20220502_110014-01-01-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3500"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3508,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3500\/revisions\/3508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}