From laughter to suspense, and from culture to crime, today’s book has it all, with a protagonist whose nose is sharper than any detective’s mind.

It is an intriguing story where the protagonist's sense of smell plays a crucial role in unfolding the mystery as if smell in itself is a character.

The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles by Hemangini Dutt Majumder is a humorous delight, mystery novel that blends Bengali tradition with a touch of Gothic literature.

The story starts with the introduction of the protagonist, Ollie, where the author reveals how she got her name, Olympia Ghoshal Chatterjee. To begin with the life of Ollie, there is chaos, drama, an eerie atmosphere, ghostly appearances (not in real though), and the essence of the smelling sense that made her unique. Often, she landed in trouble because of her strong sense of smell, but in the end, it helped solve a series of murder mysteries by catching the culprit who was creating terror and fear in their ancestral mansion, Neelbari, in Chandannagar, and it even prevented two murders.

"Things are never as they seem." This quote hit home for me, because it’s not just about things; it’s about people and places too.

Have you ever met someone who seemed one way, only to reveal a completely different side… maybe even deceiving you? I’m sure you’ve crossed paths with such people at some point.

The book in focus: Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi.

About the Author:

Alka Joshi is the internationally bestselling author of the Jaipur Trilogy, which includes The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and The Perfumist of Paris. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. Talking about her debut novel, The Henna Artist, it immediately became a NYT bestseller, was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, & is in development at Netflix as a TV series.

Tune in the full episode.

A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi is a heart-wrenching and compelling thriller novel that transports readers to the lifestyle of Afghanistan, exploring themes such as justice, resilience, womanhood, and turmoil.

Review

The story follows the life of Zeba, a wife and mother of four children, who ended up in Chil Mahtab, a jail for women in Kabul, when she was found with blood on her hands and her husband lay with a hatchet stuck in his skull. Accused of a crime which she might or might not have committed, without throwing any tantrums, she followed the police. She waited for her trial in jail amongst other women who were spending their time in Chil Mahtab for petty crimes like running away with a lover, carrying a baby out of wedlock, and so on. Such was the life of women in patriarchal Afghanistan.

The storytelling takes readers on the journey of Zeba's life, focusing on the judicial system, societal norms in Afghanistan, and the lives of women in a male-dominated society. In this book, the author meticulously and straightforwardly demonstrates the multiple perspectives about Zeba's life (from past and present, her family dynamics), her lawyer's condition in judicial trials because of his origin, and other women she met in jail, allowing readers to feel empathy for the injustice they all faced. It might appear as a whodunit, but there's more to grasp and feel while reading through the book.