Book Review
🏆 Salis Mania Choice Awards 2022 Best Mystery & Thriller Book of the Year Award Winner
While we’re all still in various degrees of quarantine, many people are dipping their toes into book reading. With paperback deliveries seeing a drop, kindle e-books have emerged victorious.
I got a chance to review the latest book by SALISMANIA.com Best Author of the Year Award 2019 Winner - Kochery C Shibu. With coronavirus impacting the masses the book was made available on Amazon Kindle.
Soon after its launch, Faith and the Beloved by Kochery C Shibu became #1 best-seller on Amazon under Crime, Thriller, and Mysteries genre. The book has maintained its #1 rank till the writing of this review.
Faith and the Beloved by Kochery C Shibu is an incredibly intriguing story. It’s thrilling, smart, and binge-worthy. If converted into a movie or a TV series, this book has the potential to explode the entertainment industry.
The book starts with a murder and the first chapter is as thrilling as it can be. But soon, the introduction of the new characters make the entire plot look messy and un-relevant. Once you complete 33% of the book, everything will start to make sense.
Each chapter from the beginning of the book is a piece of a puzzle that will be revealed slowly and steadily one by one in the end. Overall, it turned out to be an amazing book. Read it in one sitting, and then read it again a week later, the book will only get better.
The characters of this book are what make it stand out of the crowd. Each character is sensitively and thoughtfully described. They are so powerful that you will be hooked from page one until the end.
I’ve always liked reading crime, thriller, and mystery books. But this is something beyond that. It is so much more than a thrilling crime story. Faith and the Beloved is a compelling story that touches on many crucial topics in our society today — it is a must-read!
So, go ahead and buy this book from Amazon now!
About the Book
Naithy Cherozil is a rich and successful businesswoman from Mumbai who marries the young and handsome model Tony D’Souza after the death of her spouse. Little does she know that the ideal sex slave of her husband is the sleeper cell of a terror outfit.
Events in her life take unforeseen turns as the male Mata Hari is activated.
Prem Rollands is a ‘Kalari’ exponent and a brilliant student whose world revolves around his brother Arun. Things go awry when the police kill Arun under mysterious circumstances.
Prem kills the inspector in retribution and is on the run. He is on the lookout to find the dark secrets leading to Arun’s death. Prem must avenge those who have plotted to kill his brother.
Eighteen-year-old Alice Cherozil knows more about computers and mystery games than a girl of her age. Her life falls apart when her mother is hospitalized and in a coma.
She is playing the ultimate mystery game of her life as the web of secrets surrounding two precious diamonds and her stepfather threatens to destroy her family.
She overcomes the moral dilemma to kill her stepfather. Alice must outwit the underworld and stay ahead of all to save her mother’s life or the guilt of her failure will haunt her forever.
As the lives of Naithy, Prem and Alice cross each other they must retain their faith and protect their beloved ones, even at the cost of their own lives. A riveting saga of love, lust, betrayal, intrigue, and revenge.
About the Author
Kochery C Shibu is an Indian novelist and entrepreneur. He is best known as the author of Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar which has won critical acclaim. His new book Faith and the Beloved has also achieved rank 1 in the Best-selling books section on Amazon.
Exclusive Author Interview
Q. What inspired you to write Faith and the Beloved?
The story has been churning in my mind for many years. The story has been inspired by many contemporary events in the history of India.
Q. What’s more important: characters or plot? Why?
Both are important as they draw on each other. There is an iterative process as the story develops.
Q. What does being a successful author look like to you?
Being able to write stories that readers enjoy.
Q. How did you feel when your book was ranked number 1 on Amazon in the Bestsellers list?
Pleasantly surprised.
Q. How has your life experiences influenced your writing?
Exposure to people and places and various walks of life are important in writing. The experience of having been in the defense forces, then working on hydroelectric projects and now in the shipping industry have all helped.
Q. Who is the most supportive person in your life when it comes to your writing?
Mini Shibu, my wife.
Q. How do you think being a writer has helped you as a person?
Each book requires research and getting into the skin of the character. It is a lot of effort and with each character, the horizons of life are broadened.
Q. Future of SALISMANIA.com through your eyes.
A good platform for Indian Authors to have their work evaluated. It would go onto become a large platform for literary events and Literary like The Hindu Literary Awards.
Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar Book Review
Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar is a dreamy journey with a twist of reality. It is an action-packed book that will make you hypnotic with its amazing plot and execution.
The story gets a thrilling arrival with mysteries backing up the start. When you go deep, you will be engulfed with many twists and turns which will drive the story to a completely new level.
It has more than what you ask for. The characterization is at its best with a detail of every character's existence in the story. On the other hand, you will be amazed by the names of the characters in the book and especially the titles of every chapter.
The language used in the book is beautiful but you can expect some strong words which are very common among the laborers.
The author has also used many local saying throughout the book giving it a more localized feel. The author has an amazing observation skill which is completely visible in the way of describing the situation in the book. I also loved the cover, it perfectly suits the title and blurb. Overall, Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar is a MUST READ!
Someone said, "Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times." After reading this book I just have one thing to say to you, "Better to read this book than read about it a thousand times." So, go ahead and buy this book from Amazon now!
About the Book
In a project site in the remote Himalayas where superstitions and religious beliefs are as important as the engineering Nanda, Khusru and Rekha come together through a series of twists and turns in their lives.
The dreams and aspirations of people come alive as the story progresses. Each has a story to tell and a dream to realize. The fury of nature and the hardships of project life have no mercy for the weak and no time for the dead.
Even Nanda who has seen death from close quarters and is hiding from the law is taken aback by the callous attitude towards life. He is the silent man of the project, the one who never talks.
Intrigue and real-life get mixed with the sudden appearance of Rekha, the lady doctor, at the campsite. Rekha’s quest for a man whom she can love and worship takes her on an unforeseen journey from where she has to choreograph her way out.
The handsome Kashmiri youth Khusru is envied by all at the site. Little do they know that the ghosts of Khusru’s past are plotting to turn his world upside down. Nanda is torn between his love for his dear ones and his Kalari code of revenge.
He looks to the Dhauladhar ranges for answers to come to terms with his loss and a little more dignity for those who perish. Like an eternal spectator, the Dhauladhar watches as men risk life and limb in their quest.
Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar is a novel inspired by the numerous years the author spent working on a Hydroelectric project in the Himalayas.