Book Review | This murder mystery is a slow-burning whodunit with taut suspense

Author Suparna Chatterjee’s whodunit, A Gathering of Crows, is the first book in The Serenity Murder series. Set in suburban Bengaluru, the story unfolds through a non-linear narrative and multiple perspectives.

Murder is serious business. Even more so when it occurs within the confines of a closed house inside a gated society, a space presumed to be safe. But what happens when the story is narrated through the lens of an unserious 12-year-old girl? Author Suparna Chatterjee explores this premise in her whodunit, A Gathering of Crows, the first in The Serenity Murder series.

Cover of the book A Gathering of Crows by Suparna Chatterjee.

Set in suburban Bengaluru, the story unfolds through a non-linear narrative, shifting between multiple perspectives, including adolescent Abhilasha aka Abhi, inspector Arjun Hegde, and residents and committee members of the Serenity Islands Apartment Complex. What begins as a suicide investigation soon spirals into something far more sinister, unearthing shocking secrets, alarming crimes, and multiple deaths.

The author steers clear of turning her characters into caricatures, instead building a lived-in community of residents, each marked by their own quirks and idiosyncrasies. Neighbours who share elevators and routines slowly become suspects, lending an undercurrent of unease to the humdrum of daily life.

If you prefer tightly plotted mysteries, this may not be your pick. The novel is a slow burner, where tension emerges not from a brisk plot but from the gradual unravelling of secrets. There aren’t dramatic twists, but the simmering strain of layers, peeling one after the other, akin to a pungent onion. Much of the narrative is limited to Serenity, and most of the action is relegated to the final 30-odd pages.

The language remains simple, rooted in the voices of ordinary residents, though the detailed descriptions of domestic spaces can feel excessive at times. The recurring focus on birds adds texture, but may not work for every reader. For some, it may even border on tedious, with details accounting for the occupants of a side table or the flow of a living room.

But the payoff lies in the details. What appears repetitive or trivial does hold meaning in some instances, much like a crow hiding its treasures from others of its kind in plain sight. For an avian enthusiast, the read holds several such rewards. And while the narrative occasionally drags, it rewards patience.

Since this is the first book of its series, not all questions are answered, and the ending leaves room for more. It’s a quick, mostly engaging and quietly-layered read that sets up a sequel. While the novel may not stay with you long after the final chapter, the lessons about birds might just linger.

Title: A Gathering of Crows: Book 1 of The Serenity Murder series

Author: Suparna Chatterjee

Publisher: Rupa Publications

Price: ₹495

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