The Call
Author: Vipul Barpute
Publisher: Notion Press
Rating: 3/5
Crime and mystery novellas have always intrigued me. Their taut narrative is quite welcoming for my mind. However, when a story digresses from the main motive and focusses more on the description of the setting and non-essential characters, the readers often lose the plot. Fortunately, this is not the case with The Call by Vipul Barpute.
Set in Mumbai, the financial capital of India, The Call traces the life of Sid, a famous author, who is invited by an RJ, Richa. During the broadcast of the show, tables are turned when an unknown caller engages in a rendezvous with Sid and denies getting off the call. Gradually, things start heating up when the caller, better known as the game master, warns everyone to comply with his rules and conditions or else he would retort to brutal means.
The plot passes the muster because it keeps you hooked to your seats. In less than 100 pages, the author manages to build a scaffold that can hold all the mysteries. I did feel the lack of proper characterization, for some characters were not explored properly. However, I am going to refrain from commenting further because this is just the first part of the book or so it claims. Another drawback is the editing. There are several grammatical errors that should have been taken care of before printing.
Overall, if you are looking for a book that can be finished in one quick sitting, The Call is a good option.
Best wishes to the author.
Buying link: Amazon