400 Days | Chetan Bhagat | Book Review | Indian Mystery Thriller Book
400 Days by Chetan Bhagat is the latest Indian Mystery Thriller from India’s highest-selling author. Featuring Keshav and Saurabh, the Detective duo from “The Girl in Room 105” and “One Arranged Murder“, this time they have to find a missing young girl. Read the book summary, genre, publication date, buying links, and book review of 400 Days by Chetan Bhagat in this post below.
About 400 Days by Chetan Bhagat:
No. of Pages: 352
Publication Date: 8th October 2021 (Westland)
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Indian Fiction, Crime Fiction, Romantic Suspense
Can be read as a standalone? Yes
Buy From: AMAZON
400 Days by Chetan Bhagat Book Review:
About the Plot:
12-year-old Siya has been missing nine months. It’s a cold case, but Keshav wants to help her mother, Alia, who refuses to give up. Welcome to 400 Days―a mystery and romance story like no other.“
400 Days by Chetan Bhagat
Keshav Rajpurohit and his best friend, Saurabh started a Detective Agency called “Z Detectives” and have solved several high-profile cases in the past. But with the lockdown, the cases are few but this changes when a woman from his society approaches Keshav one day. She wants to hire him to solve the kidnapping of her twelve year old daughter.
A high-profile missing persons case that ran on all media outlets nine months ago, it is now a closed case. Police and even her family believes Siya to be dead but her mother, Alia is determined to keep searching for her daughter. With no clues, no suspects and no leads, will Keshav and Saurabh be able to find Siya?
Is she still alive?
Also is the attraction Keshav feels towards Alia a start to something tangible?
400 Days by Chetan Bhagat Review:
A new book release from Chetan Bhagat is a big event. His books are widely read in India and are almost guaranteed bestsellers. And despite not having liked his romances much except for “2 States“, I have enjoyed his mystery suspense books “The Girl in Room 105” and “One Arranged Murder“. So, when I heard about his upcoming mystery thriller 400 Days, I knew I had to read and review it.
Characterisation:
Keshav and Saurabh are known characters readers are invested in. It was fun to see them move ahead in life. Though Saurabh has far and fewer appearances in this book, still his presence is no less entertaining.
Keshav still has personal and romantic woes. He feels his parents are disappointed in him and his romantic life is non-existent. When Alia comes in his life, he fights the attraction but as is his track record falls victim to it.
Alia’s character has been given too much coverage in this book and her character is a mix bag. As a mother, her devotion and determination to find her kid will have tears in your eyes. But as a woman, she falls short. She is shallow in her ideals, losing interest in her marriage, always feeling a victim of circumstance.
The other characters too don’t leave a lasting impression. The Arora family is a mix of blind superstition, business-over-family, narrow minded, discriminating, and not a pleasant family to know in all especially Alia’s mother-in-law!
The only character I liked apart from the already known Keshav and Saurabh duo was Siya’s younger sister, Suhana. Her childish antics and genuine confusion and sadness for her missing sister is so touching.
Plot and storytelling:
The premise of the story is intriguing and the storytelling engaging. However, the pace is slow until the last few chapters when it suddenly takes a sprint to reach a hurried closure. The clues and red herrings are all placed expertly but several angles are left hanging as the story jumps to something new.
The solution came suddenly and everything that had seemed so out of reach was tied up neatly. While the end is a hurried yet happy one, the author has touched serious issues like social media addiction in children, pedophiles targeting unsuspecting kids, lack of parental guidance, and effect of domestic discord on a child’s psych which is noteworthy.
Conclusion:
All in all, 400 Days by Chetan Bhagat is a one-time read and will engage you for the first time. The language is simple and the settings relatable especially to Indian readers. So, if you are looking for a decent mystery then this is the book for you. If you are a seasoned mystery/thriller reader then this may disappoint you because there is nothing different here. The previous two mysteries by Chetan Bhagat are definitely better than this one.
3.5 out of 5 stars to 400 Days and Njkinny recommends it to all readers looking for a quick timepass mystery.
Buy From:
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