Crime, Suspense and Elegant Writing

Murder in Seven Acts: Lalli Mysteries by Kalpana Swaminathan is a collection of seven crime stories, where all the cases are solved by Swaminathan’s popular detective character, Lalli. The collection derives its name from the sixth story, ‘Murder in Seven Acts’, in which history combines with modern technology in the commitment of a crime and in solving it. The stories are narrated in the first person by Sita—Lalli’s niece and the Dr. Watson of the Lalli mysteries—and most of them feature Lalli’s usual collaborators: Savio, a police officer; Inspector Shukla, the local police officer; and Dr. Qureshi, the forensic expert.

There is an old-fashioned charm in Swaminathan’s writing. Even in the crime fiction and mystery genre—and, especially, for a work published in the second decade of the 21st century!—the pace of the stories is relaxed, almost giving a feeling of being in the days of cobblestoned streets, rumbling trams, and ornate streetlamps. One would expect the murderer to materialize through a deep mist. But no, despite their quaintness, Swaminathan’s stories are very much set in and in tune with the present, and most of them take place in the bustling metropolis of Mumbai. With suspenseful plots and an atmospheric narration, the stories describe not only the crimes but also the city of Mumbai.

The first story in the collection, ‘A Face in the Crowd’, begins in a humane manner with the troubles faced by the elderly.

‘Parents age. Unwanted aunts and forgettable uncles are discovered in dire straits. Cousins unheard of since childhood prowl on the property, terrifying the grandparents. Then there are smaller, more life-threatening crises: forms to be submitted to prove one is alive, pension arrears to be claimed. Light bulbs to be changed. Ceiling fans to be changed.’