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ankysbookbubble's review
3.0
The novel had an intriguing beginning with two bomb blasts that happened because of malfunctioning drones owned by the Indian army. The first chapter begins with the death of one of the main characters.
The story was interesting and intriguing, it kept me interested, until I reached the flashback chapters. Rajat's flashback was long, and included unnecessary-to-the-plot details. I wish it'd been shorter. It dragged way too much, stealing the book's pace.
The story slowed down considerably from that point. Though there was enough suspense to keep me going, I wish there'd been a bit less description and a bit more action.
My favourite character is most probably CBI Officer Shweta. She held up the case after discovering that her partner was a mole pretty well.
The few things that I didn't like were the story's dragging pace, the grammatical errors and the typos. I'd recommend the author to get the book proofread by a professional, because the story is really good, it just needs some polishing.
All in all, it was an intense, suspenseful read, and with some improvements, it could definitely be a hit!
The story was interesting and intriguing, it kept me interested, until I reached the flashback chapters. Rajat's flashback was long, and included unnecessary-to-the-plot details. I wish it'd been shorter. It dragged way too much, stealing the book's pace.
The story slowed down considerably from that point. Though there was enough suspense to keep me going, I wish there'd been a bit less description and a bit more action.
My favourite character is most probably CBI Officer Shweta. She held up the case after discovering that her partner was a mole pretty well.
The few things that I didn't like were the story's dragging pace, the grammatical errors and the typos. I'd recommend the author to get the book proofread by a professional, because the story is really good, it just needs some polishing.
All in all, it was an intense, suspenseful read, and with some improvements, it could definitely be a hit!
readingwithom's review
Shananya Misha is killed under mysterious circumstances. Technically her death was due to explosion in her Apartment but it was a planned Murder.
The CBI officers tells Rajat, Meenakshi, Sadaaf and Amol to come at shananya's place. they had already known the news via newspapers. These four people and shananya were friends in university which was two decades ago but due to certain happening their friendship broke. Now again they are in front of each other but one is killed and atmosphere is not light and funny anymore.
Once They used to trust each other but now no one knows who would stab them from behind. No one knows who is wearing a mask.
The murderer is among these four friends? or is a complete stranger that no one knows about him/her?
Now coming to my thoughts. book is brilliantly written in lucid writing style. The only problem I have with this book is unnecessary dragging. let me just give you a scene from the book.(it will not consider as spoiler) one is telling his / her past connection with shananya to CBI officer. He/she is telling about the available food there. What is the need of it? I feel like such unnecessary drags can be cut.
Overall I had a great experience reading this book. it was not wow-wow book for me as I have read couple of amazing books before reading this one. I would recommend this book to all those who have just started reading or haven't read any good ones yet.
The CBI officers tells Rajat, Meenakshi, Sadaaf and Amol to come at shananya's place. they had already known the news via newspapers. These four people and shananya were friends in university which was two decades ago but due to certain happening their friendship broke. Now again they are in front of each other but one is killed and atmosphere is not light and funny anymore.
Once They used to trust each other but now no one knows who would stab them from behind. No one knows who is wearing a mask.
The murderer is among these four friends? or is a complete stranger that no one knows about him/her?
Now coming to my thoughts. book is brilliantly written in lucid writing style. The only problem I have with this book is unnecessary dragging. let me just give you a scene from the book.(it will not consider as spoiler) one is telling his / her past connection with shananya to CBI officer. He/she is telling about the available food there. What is the need of it? I feel like such unnecessary drags can be cut.
Overall I had a great experience reading this book. it was not wow-wow book for me as I have read couple of amazing books before reading this one. I would recommend this book to all those who have just started reading or haven't read any good ones yet.
vaaani's review
4.0
After finishing Strangers With Known Faces by Gautam Dutta, one will definitely want to grab a copy of his next novel as soon as it comes out.
The murder of Shanaya Mishra leads on to the unravelling of a vast conspiracy behind it for which the four other protagonists come forward and help to solve the mystery, each with a different skill set.
A common theme for a conspiracy thriller is when a character uncovering the conspiracy encounters difficulty ascertaining the truth amid the deceptions; rumors, lies, propaganda, until the conspiracy and co-incidence becomes entangled.
According to me, the theme of the book is very much justified.
For once, it’s almost unbelievable that it is the debut of the author.
The writing piece is based on the year 2030 and ahead. Five friends with no connection in relevance to career get closer; get apart due to circumstances and the choices and mistakes they make in life and finally get busy with their own lives progressing slowly but steadily until their names come up during a scandal involving a murder of one of them and now they have to come together to solve the mystery. That is when we see how useful it to be friends who belong to different fields.
The story is also about listening to your heart, making terrible choices and proving how it all gets better in the end. It’s about love and betrayal. It’s about broken friendships and mended souls. It is also about the dirty politics and obsession.
Everyone around you wears a mask and it never really wears off. They’re layers after layers piled up and you think you know them but they’re just strangers with known faces.
The title very well justifies the content.
There are minor editing mistakes which are ignorable but would be nice if they’re taken care of in the next edition!
The cover of the book could have been more engaging. Although, it satisfies the title name, it could have been more attractive.
I personally believe that the chapters to the character’s lives should have been little equally distributed. For example, Rajat Sahay’s story is six chapters while Anmol’s story is only one, from being the most to least, respectively.
There are a few lines from the book I admire—
“You could get away with it because that was a virtual world. Things are easy when you sit in one corner of the world, and not show your real self to others.”
“Life throws different people together. Many times for a reason; and at other times for a season. During the time they are together, they stay, play, laugh, cry, sing and dance and enjoy, but all that ends one day. Each one goes his own way. They remain neither friends, nor enemies but simply become strangers with known faces.”
Cover Ratings: 3.5/5
Title Ratings: 4.8/5
Editing: 3.5/5
Storyline: 4/5
Overall Ratings: 3.9/5
Regards,
Shivani Shah
The murder of Shanaya Mishra leads on to the unravelling of a vast conspiracy behind it for which the four other protagonists come forward and help to solve the mystery, each with a different skill set.
A common theme for a conspiracy thriller is when a character uncovering the conspiracy encounters difficulty ascertaining the truth amid the deceptions; rumors, lies, propaganda, until the conspiracy and co-incidence becomes entangled.
According to me, the theme of the book is very much justified.
For once, it’s almost unbelievable that it is the debut of the author.
The writing piece is based on the year 2030 and ahead. Five friends with no connection in relevance to career get closer; get apart due to circumstances and the choices and mistakes they make in life and finally get busy with their own lives progressing slowly but steadily until their names come up during a scandal involving a murder of one of them and now they have to come together to solve the mystery. That is when we see how useful it to be friends who belong to different fields.
The story is also about listening to your heart, making terrible choices and proving how it all gets better in the end. It’s about love and betrayal. It’s about broken friendships and mended souls. It is also about the dirty politics and obsession.
Everyone around you wears a mask and it never really wears off. They’re layers after layers piled up and you think you know them but they’re just strangers with known faces.
The title very well justifies the content.
There are minor editing mistakes which are ignorable but would be nice if they’re taken care of in the next edition!
The cover of the book could have been more engaging. Although, it satisfies the title name, it could have been more attractive.
I personally believe that the chapters to the character’s lives should have been little equally distributed. For example, Rajat Sahay’s story is six chapters while Anmol’s story is only one, from being the most to least, respectively.
There are a few lines from the book I admire—
“You could get away with it because that was a virtual world. Things are easy when you sit in one corner of the world, and not show your real self to others.”
“Life throws different people together. Many times for a reason; and at other times for a season. During the time they are together, they stay, play, laugh, cry, sing and dance and enjoy, but all that ends one day. Each one goes his own way. They remain neither friends, nor enemies but simply become strangers with known faces.”
Cover Ratings: 3.5/5
Title Ratings: 4.8/5
Editing: 3.5/5
Storyline: 4/5
Overall Ratings: 3.9/5
Regards,
Shivani Shah
bookyeller's review
3.0
My Rating 3.7/5
This book starts with two major accidents caused by two millatry drones that exploded in a crowded place and the murder of Shanaya Mishra. Later in the story we find out that she was invovled in the Lehockzy deal. In her will she has left behind some tokens/gifts for her old friends, whom she was not in contact with anymore. Following these traces CBI finds out that her old friends were trying to contact her before her murder.. CBI took them in and interrogated them based on Shanaya's will. Each friend related their bit of the story after their split with her and why they wanted to reach Shanaya. And then they come together, forgetting their past differences, to solve the conspiracy.
While reading this book I felt like it was a contemporary young adult drama, but afterwards the story gets intense and with every chapter unfolds a new mystery. Vocabularly in this book was awesome too. I loved how the author reveals every character's story flawlessly. This story releases little bombs of action in the last chapters and gets extremly gripping. First the chapters hold conspiracies and then the murder case, which was enough to grip readers in this potent story. But I'm still wondering why all the main characters' married life was almost null or every character seemed to mutually want to have sex with the other. This story tells that how little decisions of our life leads to butterfly effect and we face big consequences afterwards. And life doesn't give everyone a second chance. Overall this story gets from a little murder mystery to a national wide conspiracy. Although it wasn't that good I still read it in one sitting, and still recommend this awesome book.
I received this in exchange of honest reviews.
This book starts with two major accidents caused by two millatry drones that exploded in a crowded place and the murder of Shanaya Mishra. Later in the story we find out that she was invovled in the Lehockzy deal. In her will she has left behind some tokens/gifts for her old friends, whom she was not in contact with anymore. Following these traces CBI finds out that her old friends were trying to contact her before her murder.. CBI took them in and interrogated them based on Shanaya's will. Each friend related their bit of the story after their split with her and why they wanted to reach Shanaya. And then they come together, forgetting their past differences, to solve the conspiracy.
While reading this book I felt like it was a contemporary young adult drama, but afterwards the story gets intense and with every chapter unfolds a new mystery. Vocabularly in this book was awesome too. I loved how the author reveals every character's story flawlessly. This story releases little bombs of action in the last chapters and gets extremly gripping. First the chapters hold conspiracies and then the murder case, which was enough to grip readers in this potent story. But I'm still wondering why all the main characters' married life was almost null or every character seemed to mutually want to have sex with the other. This story tells that how little decisions of our life leads to butterfly effect and we face big consequences afterwards. And life doesn't give everyone a second chance. Overall this story gets from a little murder mystery to a national wide conspiracy. Although it wasn't that good I still read it in one sitting, and still recommend this awesome book.
I received this in exchange of honest reviews.
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