NO ILLUSIONS IN XANADU BY RUBY GUPTA: A Review

 

"Superstar Rajvir Kapoor is dead!"

 

The beginning of the novel introduces us to gazillion possibilities with the death of the protagonist of a nation's biggest murder mystery. 

 

Professor Shantanu Bose is an intelligent teacher, and an avid researcher, who is forced by fate to join the investigations of the death of the actor. Those who are familiar with Ruby Gupta's writing might know Professor Shantanu Bose. He appeared in her first novel A Degree in Death, published in 2012. 

 

The journey of Professor Shantanu Bose into the world of glitter and glamour is the crux of the philosophical underpinning of the story. The story of the novel is set in Mumbai. No Illusions in Xanadu is written in a language easily accessible to the modern reading public in India. Most of this demographic are probably under thirty. The world of films often draws young minds, especially its glamour and pomp. No Illusions in Xanadu due to its depiction of such a world is highly relevant to this demographic.

 

Ruby Gupta's narrative language and storytelling reminds us of the classic mystery writers such as Agatha Christy and this novel explores the art of the murder mystery from an Indian point of view; indeed a must-read.

 

Ruby Gupta's previous novel is A Degree in Death, a bestseller and a highly recommended mystery. Ruby Gupta is Professor and Head of the Department of Humanities, at a renowned institute. She is the author of the popular novel Maya as well as a critique on Khushwant Singh’s fiction. She has eight books under her name. No Illusions in Xanadu is published by Bloomsbury. The cover of the book is designed by Graficus.

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