Blog Tour, Book Review and Author Interview–> The Madras Mangler by Usha Narayanan
Print Length: 280 Pages
Publication Date: October 2013
Language: English
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Serial Killer, Contemporary Fiction, Suspense
Blurb:
When I heard about The Madras Mangler, I was very intrigued. The title is catchy and new. The cover is appealing and instantly made me feel thrilled and anticipatory of a consuming criminal mystery. The blurb is intriguing and catches the interest of the reader at first glance.
A metropolitan city with beautiful beaches, a hot and humid climate that can test your endurance levels and with people who value their families and their culture, Usha brings to us a thrilling tale of a serial killer with no conscience running free in this conservative city. Beautifully and vividly sketched, she brings out the beauty and the social diversity of the city and its people. The writing style of the author is simple and yet captivating. She has created and admirably handled a line up of characters, each with their own characteristic nature and traits. A perfect bunch of suspects is provided and a suitable back story given for each of them. The author is well read and she has done her research which shows when one is reading the book.
I loved the Chepauk Stadium scene where the helicopter used in the Hollywood movie is used to catch the killer. I am not giving away the scene. Go read the book to know more! 🙂
The dirty politics, the two face people, the red tapism in the police, the ruthless media and then the victimized public with a vicious and devious killer on the roll. Everything is all too real and frightening. Kudos to the author for bringing all this alive in the book so beautifully. 🙂
While I loved the mystery and its execution, I did feel that how the killer chose his victims was not clearly explained. There were so many colleges and thousands of girls, so how did he expressly choose these five friends? How did he come across them?
The climax is crisp and I enjoyed it immensely. My interest dipped a little in the middle part of the story but then was again upped in the later part.
I received the book from the author and the tour organizers and I am very thankful to them. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.
something about yourself.
near Madras and have lived in Madras most of my life ― except that it is now
called Chennai. Of course, my first book, a suspense thriller, had to be named
‘The Madras Mangler’.
in Presentation Convent, Church Park, which perhaps accounts for my ease in
writing in English, and my career as a writer. Then followed two Masters
degrees, in English Literature and Education.
girls and a hot hero face up to a psychopathic killer, taking you on a
rollercoaster ride that is chock-a-block with chills, thrills and wit.
inspired you to write this book?
joy of creating something from my own imagination, anchored in the reality of
the world that women confront every day.
for smooth, sassy, and simple – with huge dollops of fun. Ultimately, I want
you to keep turning the pages till you reach the end, and ask for more!
my novel is evil, obsessed and unstoppable. He is also the lynchpin holding the
plot together. The title had to reflect this, and grab you by the throat!
Alliteration works well and I played with quite a few options ― Campus Killer,
Sicko Strangler and Chennai Casanova. And the winner was of course ‘The Madras
Mangler’.
pick up a novel, you want to be entertained, not to be lectured. Hence my goal
is to make the book unputdownable. Of course, there is a subtle message in it
for girls of today: Don’t compromise.
Fight for your right to lead a fulfilling life.
by creating the starry-eyed girls who are stepping out from their homes for the
first time, into the big, bad world. Then the serial killer cannons into their
lives and I had to plot and scheme to keep two steps ahead of him and the
reader!
infinite possibilities of creating a world where I am the creator, the
protector and the destroyer. Nothing can equal the thrill!
had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest
book?
I spent months agonizing over every detail and polishing every word. Maybe I’d
think differently after I’ve written ten books. I’ll have to wait and see.
in bringing it to life?
is really tough to write. It’s like assembling a jigsaw puzzle with a hundred
thousand pieces. Plots, subplots, clues, red herrings, forensics, research,
suspense, twists and cliffhangers ― everything must mesh together to form a
perfect picture.
see writing as a career?
four years teaching English at junior college level, I have always been a
writer ― for ad agencies, radio, corporate communications, websites ― and now
as a novelist.
difficult to write about the darker side of life. I have to push myself, as I
know that the villain must be super-smart and ruthless in order to make his battle
with the hero exciting. Finally, when my writing makes me shiver, I know I’ve
succeeded!
writing the novel without knowing anything about getting it published. Once it
was done, I began googling publishers and their contact information. Query
letters, synopses, follow-up ― I took it one step at a time. I got a few
rejection letters and then, ‘Snap!’ Leadstart Publishing sent me a contract. After
a few iterations with the editor and the cover artist, my novel appeared in
bookstores and through online stores.
are the 5 things that you learnt in your journey of getting your novel
published?
your query letter and synopsis grab attention. Polish your manuscript till it is
the best it can be. Do your research. Follow-up after the requisite interval.
Have faith in yourself and your writing.
to opportunities, and don’t ever give up. Good luck.
are your current projects?
that is a cocktail of
fun and fizzy elements like power, politics, love, hormones and hangovers, set in
the colourful media world. And second, an action thriller set in mythical
times, with a full blast of adventure,
romance, magic and divinity.
can people find you on the Internet?
I love responding to comments and feedback. Follow me at www.facebook.com/writerusha
and www.twitter.com/writerusha.
Check out my book trailer and videos at www.youtube.com/writerusha.
Stalk her @
Buy The Madras Mangler From:
Amazon.com: Paperback | Kindle Ebook
Amazon.in: Paperback | Kindle Ebook
Flipkart.com: Paperback | Ebook
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Lovely review Nikita, Usha has given some love advices for new writers.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Thank you Rubina. And thank you Nikita, for featuring me in your rocking blog! Usha