Book Review: Wicked Money by Minal Sarosh

Title: Wicked Money

Author: Minal Sarosh

Publisher: Locksley Hall Publishing

Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery Thriller

First Publication: 2020

Language: English

Major Characters: Hridesh, Manoj, Jayesh, Prateek, Devilal

Setting: Ahmedabad

Book Summary: Wicked Money by Minal Sarosh

Greed really had such strong hands that it didn’t let go easily, even in the face of death. There is theft of money in a departmental store, in the city of Ahmedabad, and Hridesh, the store’s guileless manager has to find the culprit in a few days, just before he retires.

But how will Hridesh be able to transform himself into a detective, so soon… And as the thrilling chase progresses, one after the other, the secret lives of his colleagues are revealed.

But with only a few baffling clues, how will Hridesh be able to unmask the thief?
Will he be able to clear his name, and also save the reputation of the departmental store?

Come, step into the deceptive world of greed, hate, love… and Wicked Money

Book Review: Wicked Money by Minal Sarosh

Part of what makes me reading this novel is its setting in Ahmedabad; the city I live in, and as such the story seems eerily real. But I get ahead of myself. Wicked Money is slightly generic story by Minal Sarosh, the author whose strength seems in to make scenes more real with details and description of places and surroundings.

Hridesh, a middle aged man, is a manager in a departmental store in Ahmedabad. There is a theft of money in store, and Hridesh is clueless about it. He has to find the thief and save his reputation before his retirement. He puts all efforts to find the clues and solve the mystery of heist. Wicked Money is a thrilling story of how Hridesh uncover the truth and finds the culprit. There are many characters in the novel whom you suspect for theft, from Hridesh’s Boss, Manoj and his partner Rohit to both cashiers and peons.

Wicked Money contains everything needed for a great thriller: just the right amount of characters, all with their own believable personalities; tons of gritty action throughout; familiar locations, an eye for detail, sharp dialogue and conflict on every page. This is top-notch entertainment, written with a breathless pacing and tons of intrigue and action. There are double-crosses all round, death and danger at every corner.

From the very first page, we are intrigued by the actions of the characters in the story and we want an explanation. At the same time, we are brought into the beauty and seeming busyness and chaos of the city of Ahmedabad. The reader learns of the characters through their personalities, rather than their backstories.

One of the many wonderful things about author Minal Sarosh’s writing is that she makes you stop and think, even when it’s a simple phrase easily passed over. They don’t interrupt the flow of the story, but enhance it and cause one to savour it. Her descriptions are so evocative, one can not only envision the scene, place or object, but you yearn to physically be there.

Author Minal Sarosh introduces each character with such depth that you feel that you know them, no matter how small a role that character has in the book. Many times a book can have so many characters that you start to having difficulty remembering who they are and how they fit into the story. It’s because they are brought in as one dimensional. Here the author gives every person no matter how small a role, depth. You remember them because you feel like you know them.

Wicked Money by Minal Sarosh certainly has all the elements of a mystery thriller, including a plot which is unusual in its structure, but it is also much more than that.