the setup…
Ali Azeem is the younger son in his family and still lives with his parents in their Mumbai home. He’s a wedding photographer but more a party boy. They decided it’s time for him to leave the nest and made arrangements for him to meet and marry Maryam Khan. She’s a psychologist and the daughter of wealthy NY tycoon Abbas Khan and while their first meeting went well, it was her older sister Fahran who entranced him. Ali marries Maryam and moves to New York, living the life of the privileged and begins working for Abbas. When he hears rumors of corruption and worse about his father-in-law, he decides to do some sleuthing, only to find himself dragged into lies, secrets and murder.
the heart of the story…
It all begins in Mumbai where I quickly became fully immersed in these two families and their culture. It’s a slow, murky start but I inhaled all I was learning and it later shifts. We get two narratives, one from Ali and the other from Farhan, with well timed transitions between past to present. The mystery is a seriously slow burn that constantly simmers and kept knocking me back from earlier suppositions. And, I vacillated between Ali and Fahran being heroes or villains.
the narration…
It’s a multicast narration and Isuri Wijesundara, Lipica Shah and Vikas Adam were SO good! I especially thought Lipica nailed Fahran and Vikas’ natural accent lent authenticity. Great performances by all.
the bottom line…
It’s wonderful when you can learn something while having a good time, enjoying the cultural education as much as the mind bending mystery. There are subtle twists around every turn and an explosive couple near the end. The plotting was superb and I was off balance through the last page, not sure who to trust, who murdered who and the like. I’m glad I hung in there.
Book Info
- Release Date: April 7, 2026
- Narrators: Isuri Wijesundara, Lipica Shah & Vikas Adam
- Audio Length: 11 hours, 46 minutes
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
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Blue Mood Café 
Fab review, Jo, sounds like a great listening experience!
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Thanks, Nicki💜 The narration certainly elevated the stories.
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Wonderful review Jonetta! I love when the narration is spot on.
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