Book review: 'Banquet On The Dead'

Book: Banquet On The Dead
Author: Sharath Komarraju
Publisher: Westland
Pages: 265
Price: Rs250

If it was somehow possible for Mullah Nasruddin and Hercule Poirot to have a love child, then it would be Hamid Pasha. An ex-criminal, a connoisseur of fine non-vegetarian food and a consultant to Hyderabad police, Hamid Pasha is the hero of Sharath Komarraju’s Banquet On The Dead and he’s a charmer. He is everything that we expect a consulting detective to be — alert, mysterious, witty and mischievous — and his qualities are highlighted all the more by the efforts of Inspector Valmiki Nagarajan who isn’t an idiot, but neither is he a match for Pasha.

Nagarajan is very aware of how Pasha’s expertise doesn’t make him look particularly dashing, which is probably why he resists involving Pasha in the investigation of Kauveramma’s death. At first glance, it seems like an open and shut case. Kauveramma, the matriarch of a prominent family, falls into a well and drowns. The only curious detail is that there was no water in her lungs. Also, Kauveramma was terrified of water, which raises the question of what she was doing at the well at the time of death and the possibility of foul play. Pasha and Nagarajan’s investigation begins with a series of interviews with Kauveramma’s sons and daughters. Considering how unpleasant most of them are, it’s easy to understand why a conversation between family members resembles a cockfight. No one likes anyone. Everyone has a motive and everyone has an alibi. As if this wasn’t enough, Kauveramma was seen at a time when theoretically she should have been dead, if the chronology of known events are to be believed. In short, there are enough red herrings to feed half of Scandinavia.

The best part of Banquet On The Dead is Pasha and Nagarajan’s investigation. From their interviews to the meals over which the duo brainstorm, it’s great fun to watch Pasha in action. Komarraju describes Hyderabad with affection and you will wish Pasha would take you on a walk around the city, pointing out the nondescript eateries that serve up great food. Banquet On The Dead has a rather large list of suspects and thanks to Komarraju’s ability to craft very distinct voices for most of this characters, the reader doesn’t get too confused. Not all the characters are well-etched and it’s obvious that a few are made to seem odd or ominous just to confuse the reader. However, Pasha is enough of a charmer to make you ignore the weakness in the characterisation of the others.

The other strength of Banquet On The Dead is the fluency of the dialogues. Although the conversations in the book wouldn’t happen in English realistically, the language doesn’t feel cumbersome. The easy writing style is particularly heartening because Komarraju doesn’t try to ‘Indianise’ English. Pasha’s speech is speckled with words like “miyan” but the other characters speak pristine English. Komarraju cleverly maintains a colloquial ease without sacrificing grammar or the dictionary meaning of words. 

After going around in numerous circles, Pasha gathers Kauveramma’s family to reveal the identity of her murderer. It’s a very Poirot-esque moment but unfortunately, Komarraju’s explanation for how the old woman was killed is extremely far-fetched. The point at which a 21st-century detective’s moment of glory involves a wig being waved under a suspect’s nose and body paint is when all credibility disappears from a murder mystery.