When you read a book that you can’t put down and you are asked to host the cover review on your blog, what do you do? You just say, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
So here goes, the cover review of Damyanti Biswas’ debut crime novel, ‘You Beneath Your Skin’ which is to be published this September by Simon & Schuster, India.
Blurb:
Lies. Ambition. Family.
It’s a dark, smog-choked New Delhi winter. Indian American single mother Anjali Morgan juggles her job as a psychiatrist with caring for her autistic teenage son. She is in a long-standing affair with ambitious Police Commissioner Jatin Bhatt – an irresistible attraction that could destroy both their lives.
Jatin’s home life is falling apart: his handsome and charming son is not all he appears to be, and his wife has too much on her plate to pay attention to either husband or son. But Jatin refuses to listen to anyone, not even the sister to whom he is deeply attached.
Across the city there is a crime spree: slum women found stuffed in trash bags, faces and bodies disfigured by acid. And as events spiral out of control Anjali is horrifyingly at the centre of it all.
In a sordid world of poverty, misogyny, and political corruption, Jatin must make some hard choices. But what he unearths is only the tip of the iceberg. Together with Anjali he must confront old wounds and uncover long-held secrets before it is too late.
My Review:
I received an advance review copy and I am so glad that I did. The story held me captive from the beginning to the end. Once I started reading, it was hard to put it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen. It took all my self control not to turn to the last page to find out.
The characters are so real with their strengths and their flaws, I felt as though I knew them.
Delhi with its politics and affluence mingled with poverty came alive and I felt I was an invisible observer, watching all that was happening.
The challenge of being a single mom with a child with special needs was brought our so vividly, I could relate to it easily.
This is one author I am really looking forward to reading more!
For You Beneath Your Skin, all proceeds to the author would be divided between Chhanv Foundation and Project WHY.
To support the organisations, pre-order HERE.
About the Author
Damyanti Biswas lives in Singapore, and works with Delhi’s underprivileged children as part of Project Why, a charity that promotes education and social enhancement in underprivileged communities. Her short stories have been published in magazines in the US, UK, and Asia, and she helps edit the Forge Literary Magazine. You can find her on her blog and twitter.