Title: Moryaa Re
Author: Mark Manuel
Publisher: Jaico
Pages -507
Price: Rs450
When you read a book pertaining to the crime fiction genre, who can give the subject better treatment than a writer who started his career as a crime reporter? This is exactly what the author Mark Manuel has delivered with his book Moryaa Re! The Ganpati Murders.
This book is a story about a serial killer in the year 2011 who is a fanatic Ganpati worshipper and an avid cricket fan. Nothing extraordinary about that! However, the author has weaved magic into this simple serial killer mystery by timing the murders aptly being committed during the 10–day Ganeshotsav and describing the happenings in different parts of Mumbai city, the city that never sleeps and one of dreams for many who come here in search of work, fall in love with Mumbai and never desire to return. This connection with the city especially for a Mumbaikar, makes it a gripping read.
From the busy streets on Mohammad Ali Road to the silence in the lanes at Altamount Road, chaos and festivities of the Ganpati festival at Charni Road chowpatty to early morning lonely hours at Bandra East, this book makes you visualise Mumbai through its written portrayal.
Another aspect of this book which is enticing is how the investigation headed by one brilliant cop Angelo Ferraz (Senior Inspector of Police) along with his team to try uncover the true motive behind the serial killings and the identity of the serial killer who has a unique way of informing the police after every murder he has committed in order to be caught. The author has given a real account of the investigation procedure carried out in case of a murder which keeps the reader engaged.
In several instances in the past, I have observed under crime fiction that as the book reaches its climax, the end becomes predictable and lame. Here, the author has made sure to keep the reader engrossed and wondering what could happen next. There is not a dull or drab moment in this book and though being a fiction, it doesn’t seem unrealistic or unreasonable. All the characters are very well defined whether it being a cop or the serial killer or any of its victims to even the struggles the crime department and police face in order to stop the murders and find the killer.
Mark Manuel is a very talented writer whose experience in journalism reflects in his writing, the language being simple, descriptive and precise. The foreword in the book by the living legend Mr Amitabh Bachchan is the icing on the cake and makes you want to read endlessly and making it quite a page turner. Therefore, Moryaa Re! is a gripping, thrilling account of a serial killer’s mind and it makes a great read for anyone who enjoys crime fiction and is truly in love with this city of Mumbai.
