The Author Ismita Tandon Dhankher, who gave us a murder mystery set on a ship ‘Love on the Rocks’ is back with her second novel ‘Jacob Hills’. This one grossly takes on the genteel army-men and their graceful ladies. It claims to be a thriller but it touches upon many other aspects of human behavior and abuse than just blood and killing.
One of the officer in the book says– ‘Jacob Hills is like a swamp full of tadpoles’. I would say lots more to check out for…
COVER PAGE— A palette of red, green, chrome and black wherein the colors mix along well. I found it too bright but I guess Red was important to depict the gory part of the story.
TITLE— Jacob Hills is an army station that houses the War College. The place is of utmost importance along with the people thriving there. It has much to hide and uncover, aptly chosen Jacob Hills.
BLURB— Club, Captain, Young Officer, Major, Murder mystery, Severe abuse, War station and the Chandy couple…. It is not just a story but a well-conceived plot that promises wholesome entertainment…I am sure you wanna read it now.
ONE SENTENCE— What meets the eye may not always be the truth, characters and their behaviors are surprising and deceiving both.
ROUND UP— Jacob Hills is a war station and now a army college. Eva and George Chandy are the new couple who come to this silent, serene place, unaware of the many surprises awaiting them. The place is buzzing with parties and get-together but thats not all… so hold on and keep looking for more.There are wives like Pam who are freely enjoying the swap parties, kinds like Saryu who are forced to become a sex object and Henna who has to fight out her way to marriage. The army-men are no different. They have their own ways of fun and merry-making. Captain Rana, Tehlan and Major Alex are some real intriguing characters to look out for. While they are settling in, there is a murder mystery which engulfs Eva, the Anglo Indian wife of Maj. George Chandy and then there is no turning back for her.
The story is a well designed one and stands out as an interesting potboiler and a potpourri of mischievous events. Sometimes it does loose its hold to stand as one big plot. I loved the character of George and among the females Eva and Saryu really stand out. I am also forced to think how can the army-men manage so much mischief? Hope its all fiction!!
LIKES— The strong woman characters, they brave all the odds and ensure justice. The aspect on child abuse has been dealt-with very delicately. It is very interesting to hear every character talk for themselves. The sub-plots keep the readers engaged. The story is fresh and promises fun and frolic. Some of the obvious truths and vagaries of life have been worded well to stir up the deepest of emotions of readers.
DISLIKES— There are lot of events and happenings to catch up with, many sad and tormented lives at one place, thus none stands out distinctly. Men at Jacob Hills or the army-men have been portrayed negatively quite contrary to the image that I have had about them. Not a page-turner because at times the story gives away the follow up events. In the story, the suicide was totally uncalled for, however thats just my opinion.
LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST : All in all, I enjoyed the book. Its a breezy or a lazy Sunday read and definitely keeps you on-the-go. However, you may be disappointed if you are looking for a hard-core murder mystery because thats just a piece of the pie. The other pieces are interesting too. Read for the young girl, BUNNY and watch your children’s actions and stand for them.
About The Author: The best about Ismita’s style of writing is that she gives a voice to all her characters. Everyone in her story has a space to talk as a protagonist and her characters are always supported with lovely illustrations. The creator Pavitra Tandon needs a special mention for her artistic adventures. The caricatures at the top of the chapter, speak their name and give away the truth about themselves adding a zing to the whole play of characters and the story..
MORE:
Jacob Hills Facebook Fan Page –https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacob-Hills/493378547401623
Blog – www.lesserknownpoet.com
Jacob Hills Flipkart Preorder link – http://bit.ly/10sp7MK
Twitter – @Ismita Tandon
Happy Reading 🙂 🙂 🙂
Happy Blogging !!!
I liked this book very much too. It was well-written, and though the mystery was no big deal, I really liked how all the various characters’ story lines were handled
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