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Available
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Publication
London : Black Swan, 2009.
Description
There's a caste system-even in murder. Vicky Rai, the son of a high-profile Minister, has been shot dead by one of the guests at his own party. They are a glitzy bunch, but among them the police find six strange, displaced characters with a gun in their possession, each of them steaming with a secret motive. India's wiliest investigative journalist, Arun Advani, makes it his mission to nail the murderer. In doing so, the amazing, tender, and touching, technicolor lives of six eccentric characters unravel before our eyes. But can we trust Advani? Or does he have another agenda in mind...?
User reviews
LibraryThing member jaybe
Found it a little messy to read as it has a chapter on each suspect setting the scene then a chapter on each showing how they came to be a suspect then chapters tying it all together. You need to go back and check the character's first chapter to remember who you're dealing with.
LibraryThing member corglacier7
Following the success of “Slumdog Millionaire”, Vikas Swarup continues to turn his writer’s eye to expose more of a slice of Indian life. Vivek “Vicky” Rai, a thoroughly unpleasant politician’s son and playboy who’s literally gotten away with murder of a young woman along with various
“Six Suspects” is a tale in the great tradition of the locked-room whodunit, and Swarup retraces the steps that brought each suspect to the party with enough cause to commit murder, and the crossing of paths of the suspects and those surrounding them. The cast is varied and the telling of the story thus far is lively and sharp.
If anything, “Suspects” could be faulted for having the characters be more than a little stereotypical: the glamorous Bollywood actress, the dopey American hick, the streetwise “slumdog”, the corrupt bureaucrat…but at the end of the day, to be honest, “Suspects” somehow manages the trick of commentary of bureaucratic corruption in India while being a humorous romp. For that, the sometimes-thin characterization can be forgiven: Swarup’s strength clearly lies in writing situation and narrative and making it compelling and accessible. Somehow, for a murder mystery, I found myself laughing more than once at the unexpected demonstration of the human comedy in the oddest places, and the twists and turns of the plot. Sometimes it's good to be reminded that mystery doesn't always have to be a heavy, dark genre.
The life and death of the thoroughly unpleasant Vicky Rai, and how he touched the lives of the six suspects, is another great effort from Swarup and definitely makes for a nice witty, amusing beach read.
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other crimes and escapades, is found shot dead at a party. And after rounding up those carrying firearms, the local police are left with six suspects for the killer, all with different motivations for wanting Vicky dead. “Six Suspects” is a tale in the great tradition of the locked-room whodunit, and Swarup retraces the steps that brought each suspect to the party with enough cause to commit murder, and the crossing of paths of the suspects and those surrounding them. The cast is varied and the telling of the story thus far is lively and sharp.
If anything, “Suspects” could be faulted for having the characters be more than a little stereotypical: the glamorous Bollywood actress, the dopey American hick, the streetwise “slumdog”, the corrupt bureaucrat…but at the end of the day, to be honest, “Suspects” somehow manages the trick of commentary of bureaucratic corruption in India while being a humorous romp. For that, the sometimes-thin characterization can be forgiven: Swarup’s strength clearly lies in writing situation and narrative and making it compelling and accessible. Somehow, for a murder mystery, I found myself laughing more than once at the unexpected demonstration of the human comedy in the oddest places, and the twists and turns of the plot. Sometimes it's good to be reminded that mystery doesn't always have to be a heavy, dark genre.
The life and death of the thoroughly unpleasant Vicky Rai, and how he touched the lives of the six suspects, is another great effort from Swarup and definitely makes for a nice witty, amusing beach read.
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LibraryThing member achoo_tw
Slumdog Millionaire was a good movie and I thought this book would be interesting. I liked the layout of the content, how the author separated it into suspect, motive, evidence, and confessions. Since there are 6 suspects, there are 6 different motives and evidence and so on. But that's about all I
I don't mind books that skip from one character to another, it keeps the mind jogging. But here, the 6 characters merged into one. I find them all flat and unreal. The dialogue is superficial and some of the metaphores and descriptions sound trite.
What was a bit of a disappointment was that the description of life in India couldn't really bring any pictures into my mind.
Some of the plot twists seemed unnecessary and felt like it was only there to increase page length.
I skipped pages of this bland writing to get to the end and that wasn't much of a surprise either.
I don't recommend it.. I think the author tried too hard too fit too many characters into his book. For a better peek into life in India, I recommend The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, which also happens to be a murder mystery.
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liked about the book.I don't mind books that skip from one character to another, it keeps the mind jogging. But here, the 6 characters merged into one. I find them all flat and unreal. The dialogue is superficial and some of the metaphores and descriptions sound trite.
What was a bit of a disappointment was that the description of life in India couldn't really bring any pictures into my mind.
Some of the plot twists seemed unnecessary and felt like it was only there to increase page length.
I skipped pages of this bland writing to get to the end and that wasn't much of a surprise either.
I don't recommend it.. I think the author tried too hard too fit too many characters into his book. For a better peek into life in India, I recommend The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, which also happens to be a murder mystery.
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LibraryThing member Clara53
Remarkable. I love it when a book is not predictable. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the next page proves you wrong - and this way till the very last page, literally. There is mystery here, there is top-notch satire, there is poignant exposure of Indian corrupt politicians and
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businessmen. I think this novel has seen the author grow as a writer since his first work "Q & A" (which was made into an Oscar winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire" but which, in my view, was so unjustifiably butchered by the screen writer). The format is rather unusual and intriguing. It's interesting that the author's career as a diplomat must have helped him to get into the mindset of his several major characters in this book - all of them of such different backgrounds. There is even your basic small town Texan with a mouthful of hilariously weird sayings in every sentence - though for this one, I would say, even a diplomat would have had to do a lot of "research" :)... There is a tribal from an island off the Indian shore - through his eyes, the contrast between huge noisy cities and simple nature of his island life is clearer than ever; there is a mega actress/beauty queen, as well as several politicians and businessmen, policemen and such - although these are more or less ubiquitous in their egregious daily dealings,- but altogether they comprise quite a picture. What is really rather striking is the fact that the author has directed such strong criticism into his "own backyard" - after all, being a diplomat, he is part of the government. I applaud him for that. And a word of caution for all those screen writers eager to pounce on this book - please, don't distort it like it was done in the case of "Q & A" ("Slumdog Millionaire) - yes, it won Oscar but only at the price of shocking the western society. Show Less
LibraryThing member mcdougaldd
Loved it--I liked how after the murder, then the author tells the backstory of each of the six suspects and how they came to be at the party and to be suspects in the murder. I was riveted reading this book. And, of course, the richness of India ran throughout the narrative. The one thing I thought
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was really funny is how Swarup depicted the American--it seemed so stereotypical and might be what he thinks about Americans. I highly recommend this book, though my husband was not as enthralled about it as I. Show Less
LibraryThing member CatheOlson
I must say I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It caught my eye because it's by the author of [I]Slumdog Millionaire[/I] (or Q&A as it was originally called). Like that book (well, I only saw the movie), this takes place in India. The playboy son of the Home Minister is murdered and
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there are six suspects taken in. Bit by bit we get their stories and find out why they might have wanted to kill him. It's a big book but moved very fast. I may have to read his first book now. Show Less
LibraryThing member jtho
Swarup's written a murder-mystery, but it doesn't follow the usual formula. Rather than following a detective chronologically as the case is being solved and clues are presented, we are given a novel in a few parts, each with six chapters - one for each suspect. In the first part, we're given a few
The six suspects are all so different - such as a dimwitted American only temporarily in India, a famous Bollywood actress, and a high-up politician with a personal connection to the man murdered. When I first started reading about each of them, it seems impossible that they would be able to develop a motive to commit this murder - but, like a crazy game of 6-degrees-of-separation, gradually the motives emerge. I really enjoyed reading about each of the characters. Not all of them are likable, but even when they weren't, I was rooting for them to be the murderer because their motive was so good.
I really enjoyed this book - the way it deviated from a typical murder-mystery, the characters, the fast pace, and the many twists in the plot. A great read!
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pages to get to know each suspect. Then, in longer chapters this time, we follow each character one at a time and get to know their connected with the man to be murdered, and what their motivation would be to kill him. In the next section, we see physically how each character could be the killer (such as by purchasing a gun). Finally, the murder takes place, and all six suspects are arrested, and the blame is placed first on one suspect, and then another, until we find out the truth - and then, in a surprising twist, another truth, too.The six suspects are all so different - such as a dimwitted American only temporarily in India, a famous Bollywood actress, and a high-up politician with a personal connection to the man murdered. When I first started reading about each of them, it seems impossible that they would be able to develop a motive to commit this murder - but, like a crazy game of 6-degrees-of-separation, gradually the motives emerge. I really enjoyed reading about each of the characters. Not all of them are likable, but even when they weren't, I was rooting for them to be the murderer because their motive was so good.
I really enjoyed this book - the way it deviated from a typical murder-mystery, the characters, the fast pace, and the many twists in the plot. A great read!
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LibraryThing member timtom
A nice mystery, exotic and fun, written in the author's trademark fresh and inventive style. The main plot is a bit straightforward (the end twist is hardly a surprise) but the intertwining stories of the main characters are what gives this story all its salt.
LibraryThing member shawnd
A clever and, of all things, optimistic novel which takes the typical murder mystery formula and invents some new twists. The voice changes throughout, from an ostensible narrator/journalist who is transmitted through his printed articles and headline extras, to a series of murder suspects from all
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walks of life. Swarup includes the popular expected characters such as corrupt politicians and a Bollywood starlet, but adds in an aborigine and an American in search of his mail-order bride. The author is playful throughout, and one almost forgets the tragic nature of the crimes involved. The book is well enough keeping each different character on pitch that toggling between each suspect's pre-crime saga is enjoyable and transitions well. And Swarup does an (almost) masterful job of placing an American naive Texan in the book and insists on using an endless supply of American slang--even American's would be hard pressed to get all these aphorisms and expressions in--although the author makes a single fatal mistake when this cowboy calls a baseball field a 'baseball pitch', which would never happen. Nevertheless, an almost slapsticky, perfectly executed mystery with a bit of a surprising ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member veracruzlynn
A fun book--read past the opening to arrive at the fun. The novel takes you thoroughly into the lives and minds of six people, and often those around them, and intertwines in a lovely, sinister way that pleases. The detective voice here is a journalist, but his voice does not interfere with the
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story. Not a redo of English or American detective stories--nor a repeat of Indian detective stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member CarolineTrevor
A very fast paced, intriguing book that reads like a film. An interesting mix of characters who invite the reader to immerse themselves in their journeys. Each chapter is almost a stand alone story, yet they weave together and create an enthralling conclusion. Once the reader enters into the worlds
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of these six suspects, it is difficult to leave until the last word has been read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Wilhelm_Weber
India is just so multifaceted, that it takes at least six very different windows to get a glimpse of its diversity. Love the way Vikas Swarup goes about introducing his readers into the complexity of his people, country, cultures, religions, levels of society/clouds, individuals, cliches, props
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etc. Easy to read and to follow even if it is somewhat disturbing in its malevolence too. Show Less
LibraryThing member adpaton
In the bad old days, many South Africans writers left our shores and made a name for themselves elsewhere: now, we are not only keeping local talent but actually seducing foreign writers to our shores.
The reason Vikas Swarup states in his acknowledgements “Finally, I must record my gratitude to
Six Suspects is wonderful, witty and sophisticated, and one of the best literary mysteries of the year Swarup toys with Western prejudices and misconceptions about India, tackling and condemning major institutions like business, politics, religion and Bollywood, but championing the gentle and often noble nature of the Indian people.
Playboy ‘Vicky’ Rai, son of a powerful local politician, has got away with murder yet again, thanks to his megalomaniacal father’s manipulation of a corrupt justice system, and is celebrating the acquittal at his huge urban private estate, known as ‘The Farm’.
Everyone who is anyone is obliged to attend this social event of the season, but few of the business billionaires, political pundits or stars of state and screen feel anything but fear, contempt or revulsion for their host.
When Vicky is shot dead at the height of the party, the strong police presence acts immediately, sealing off ‘The Farm’ and searching everyone presents, including family and staff.
Six people are found to have guns in their possession and these are the titular six suspects, arrested and investigated. The book recounts their histories and the events leading up to the shooting, with alternating chapters devoted to the back stories of the unlikely sextet under suspicion.
Unlikely because the group consists of a politician, Vicky’s own father Home Minister Jagannath Rai; a retired bureaucrat and business mogul Mohan Kumar; sex symbol and Bollywood superstar Shabnam Saxena; the naive Eketi, a member of a primitive tribe; minor league sneak thief ‘Munna Mobile’, and the dim and gullible American, Larry Page.
Larry is flying to India to marry the beautiful girl he met through International Pen Pals: being a friendly fellow, he starts chatting to his neighbour on the ‘plane and is soon showing him pictures of his fiancé.
“I tell you…. I can’t believe my luck.”
He twisted his lips “I’m sorry to say dude, but you’ve been had… These are photos of the famous actress Shabnam Saxena.”
Being several sandwiches short of a picnic, Larry convinces himself Shabnam has in fact fallen in love with him, a short plump forklift operator from Texas. All he has to do now is find her. His life is further complicated by the fact that he shares a name with the inventor of Google and is frequently mistaken for him – before long he is kidnapped and held for a ransom of three billion dollars.
The utterly venal and corrupt former bureaucrat is finding retirement a bore: his mistress persuades him to accompany her to a large public séance where a medium will attempt to make contact with the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi.
As an atheist and a skeptic Kumar is not really interested but reluctantly agrees to attend the televised event, where his contact have assured him of front row seats – where he has an excellent review as an outraged Hindu nationalist shoots the medium for dishonouring Gandhi’s memory with this commercial spectacle.
Kumar faints in the ensuing melee and when he comes to, he has been possessed by the pure spirit of the Mahatma. His state of possession comes and goes: when Gandhi is in control, Kumar devotes himself to helping the poor, correcting injustices and leading a life of spiritual rectitude and physical asceticism – much to the subsequent disgust of his original nature.
‘Mohan takes a morsel and immediately spits it out. “This is not meatball curry,” he says, curling his lips in distaste. “What kind of nonsense food is this?”
“Lauki kofta, cooked specially without onions and garlic.”
“Is this some kind of sick joke?”
His horror at finding he has been living as a vegetarian is exceeded only by his shock at discovering he has become a teetotaler.
“What did you say about my drinking? I hope you have not touched my whisky collection?”
“You had all the bottles destroyed a fortnight ago.”
The story is packed with humour, never broad or silly but always deeply funny and a touch absurd, encased within a gleaming carapace of tragic irony: Swarup used wit and hyperbole to expose the inequities of Indian society and although he exaggerates situations for dramatic effect, one suspects there is an underlying truth to all his observations.
Like South Africa, India suffered under Colonial rule; like South Africa, India was divided by tribes, race and religion and, like South Africa – indeed, like the rest of the world – rich and politically influential people in the public eye are far more ‘equal’ than the impoverished masses.
This is a murder mystery, but the twists and turns and various solutions are so convoluted the identity of the killer – or rather executioner, given the many crimes Vicky committed – becomes irrelevant, especially in comparison to the stories of the six suspects, the tragedies, romances, cruelties, ridiculousness, vanity and courage that makes them, like us, human.
The reason Vikas Swarup states in his acknowledgements “Finally, I must record my gratitude to
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the wonderful people of South Africa, the fertile ground where this novel took shape” is that, although his work is set in India, he spends much of his time here. Six Suspects is wonderful, witty and sophisticated, and one of the best literary mysteries of the year Swarup toys with Western prejudices and misconceptions about India, tackling and condemning major institutions like business, politics, religion and Bollywood, but championing the gentle and often noble nature of the Indian people.
Playboy ‘Vicky’ Rai, son of a powerful local politician, has got away with murder yet again, thanks to his megalomaniacal father’s manipulation of a corrupt justice system, and is celebrating the acquittal at his huge urban private estate, known as ‘The Farm’.
Everyone who is anyone is obliged to attend this social event of the season, but few of the business billionaires, political pundits or stars of state and screen feel anything but fear, contempt or revulsion for their host.
When Vicky is shot dead at the height of the party, the strong police presence acts immediately, sealing off ‘The Farm’ and searching everyone presents, including family and staff.
Six people are found to have guns in their possession and these are the titular six suspects, arrested and investigated. The book recounts their histories and the events leading up to the shooting, with alternating chapters devoted to the back stories of the unlikely sextet under suspicion.
Unlikely because the group consists of a politician, Vicky’s own father Home Minister Jagannath Rai; a retired bureaucrat and business mogul Mohan Kumar; sex symbol and Bollywood superstar Shabnam Saxena; the naive Eketi, a member of a primitive tribe; minor league sneak thief ‘Munna Mobile’, and the dim and gullible American, Larry Page.
Larry is flying to India to marry the beautiful girl he met through International Pen Pals: being a friendly fellow, he starts chatting to his neighbour on the ‘plane and is soon showing him pictures of his fiancé.
“I tell you…. I can’t believe my luck.”
He twisted his lips “I’m sorry to say dude, but you’ve been had… These are photos of the famous actress Shabnam Saxena.”
Being several sandwiches short of a picnic, Larry convinces himself Shabnam has in fact fallen in love with him, a short plump forklift operator from Texas. All he has to do now is find her. His life is further complicated by the fact that he shares a name with the inventor of Google and is frequently mistaken for him – before long he is kidnapped and held for a ransom of three billion dollars.
The utterly venal and corrupt former bureaucrat is finding retirement a bore: his mistress persuades him to accompany her to a large public séance where a medium will attempt to make contact with the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi.
As an atheist and a skeptic Kumar is not really interested but reluctantly agrees to attend the televised event, where his contact have assured him of front row seats – where he has an excellent review as an outraged Hindu nationalist shoots the medium for dishonouring Gandhi’s memory with this commercial spectacle.
Kumar faints in the ensuing melee and when he comes to, he has been possessed by the pure spirit of the Mahatma. His state of possession comes and goes: when Gandhi is in control, Kumar devotes himself to helping the poor, correcting injustices and leading a life of spiritual rectitude and physical asceticism – much to the subsequent disgust of his original nature.
‘Mohan takes a morsel and immediately spits it out. “This is not meatball curry,” he says, curling his lips in distaste. “What kind of nonsense food is this?”
“Lauki kofta, cooked specially without onions and garlic.”
“Is this some kind of sick joke?”
His horror at finding he has been living as a vegetarian is exceeded only by his shock at discovering he has become a teetotaler.
“What did you say about my drinking? I hope you have not touched my whisky collection?”
“You had all the bottles destroyed a fortnight ago.”
The story is packed with humour, never broad or silly but always deeply funny and a touch absurd, encased within a gleaming carapace of tragic irony: Swarup used wit and hyperbole to expose the inequities of Indian society and although he exaggerates situations for dramatic effect, one suspects there is an underlying truth to all his observations.
Like South Africa, India suffered under Colonial rule; like South Africa, India was divided by tribes, race and religion and, like South Africa – indeed, like the rest of the world – rich and politically influential people in the public eye are far more ‘equal’ than the impoverished masses.
This is a murder mystery, but the twists and turns and various solutions are so convoluted the identity of the killer – or rather executioner, given the many crimes Vicky committed – becomes irrelevant, especially in comparison to the stories of the six suspects, the tragedies, romances, cruelties, ridiculousness, vanity and courage that makes them, like us, human.
Show Less
LibraryThing member abhidd1687
out of d ordinary xperience...one of the best reads in recent times..
d way the author carries d story forward wid d lives of 6 diffrnt people is commendable...diffrnt people diffrnt lives all of which vortx to a single crime scne....
charactrs dat evoke angr,sadness,hrlpnssness as dey fight d demons
n toppin on d cake is d underlying message to a society which is becomin jst a fabrication ...
a must read fr indian
d way the author carries d story forward wid d lives of 6 diffrnt people is commendable...diffrnt people diffrnt lives all of which vortx to a single crime scne....
charactrs dat evoke angr,sadness,hrlpnssness as dey fight d demons
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of deir own..n toppin on d cake is d underlying message to a society which is becomin jst a fabrication ...
a must read fr indian
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LibraryThing member dalzan
Summary: Vicky Rai, the son of a high-profile Minister, has been shot dead by one of the guests at his own party. They are a glitzy bunch, but among them the police find six strange, displaced characters with a gun in their possession. each of them steaming with a secret motive.India's wiliest
Show More
investigative journalist, Arun Advani, makes it his mission to nail the murderer. In doing so, the amazing, tender and touching, techni-colour lives of six eccentric personalities unravel before our eyes Show Less
LibraryThing member Unishta
Well written.
Language
Physical description
574 p.; 20 cm
ISBN
9780552772518