Deb Rogers's Reviews > The Blue Bar

“Look, Avi . . . I mean, Arnav, you made it clear we had an arrangement. I wasn’t your
girlfriend. Did your friends know about me? I was a bar girl, a nobody. So I behaved like one.”

As gritty and gristly as it is transportive and propulsive, THE BLUE BAR is a suspenseful mystery that glitters with a romantic thread in the weave. Arnav is a driven investigator who laments the loss of his beloved Tara, who was most assuredly not merely a bar girl in his heart. He is also compelled to apprehend the serial killer who is terrorizing and women in heinous ways with impunity--a protection that is likely a result of the corruption that Arnav bumps against all along the way. Tara is a dedicated mother doing what needs to be done to survive, and she keeps us on pins and needles and turning the page as she and her daughter Pia are potentially in danger from the hands of an unfathomable evil. We are taken through studies in contrasts, from the slums of Mumbai to the elite environs of Bollywood stars and resort real estate developers, and the journey is fast-moving and cinematic with action-packed short chapters and evocative dialogue.

I enjoyed the cultural details that helped bring the characters and the setting to life, and the elegant reveals, smart plotting and differing points of view made THE BLUE BAR compelling and a rewarding read. Looking forward to more in this series!