Agent Astral

In a country where astrologers are the first refuge of politicians contesting elections or cricket commentators debating a game, it was perhaps only a matter of time before it would appeal to a detective. But looking for leads in horoscopes is not the most politically correct hobby to indulge in. Samarth and her starstruck investigations get their share of sneers. In that sense The Cosmic Clues is reminiscent of Alexander McCall Smith8217;s The No. 1 Ladies8217; Detective Agency. Smith creates Precious Ramotswe, Botswana8217;s first woman detective who initially has to brave condescension in a town where any brain work is seen as the sole preserve of the male.

Like the Botswana stories, The Cosmic Clues is part of the detective genre8217;s journey into new geographic frontiers. Like the former, Manjiri Prabhu8217;s fictional account too does away stereotypes. Precious Ramotswe operates in a Botswana that lives by its own slow and slowly changing rhythms. There are no shamans to give leads, Ramotswe is guided by her common sense. Cosmic Clues too plays out in the everyday prosaicness of Pune. These are contemporary stories, as much about crime as they are about the insecurities and jealousies that make up our present lives.

Even the horoscopes that Samarth pores over to construct personalities and see their future are bereft of any exotica. After all, predictions encased in crinkled papers are not rare in Indian homes. And even though the book has a cat that comes and disappears mysteriously, it doesn8217;t bank on feline fears to give you the creeps.

There8217;s enough to keep you hooked though. A woman who plans her stepson8217;s murder but ends up killing his friend instead. A choreographer who keeps her sister under wraps and uses her moves and steps to further her career and who is willing to kill anyone who knows her secret. In the midst of these grim tales there is growing love between Samarth and the dashing television journalist Mohnish Rai. Through the book there is mention of an elusive hotshot criminal called The Owl. When he finally appears, its unexpectedness catches even Samarth unprepared.

An unexpected end is any mystery8217;s desired end but sometimes Prabhu stretches credulity a bit too far. Invited by Horoscopes is one such story. As a complicated tale of an evil brother getting away with murder by getting his twin in prison instead and then plotting his murder once he is released is rivetting stuff but there are many pieces that just don8217;t fit. You have to summon a little suspension of disbelief when Samarth explains why she was invited to witness a crime by the murderer himself.

The variety The Cosmic Clues offers sometimes becomes its drawback. Dashing from one short thriller to another shorter one can be dizzying but hurried ends can be a little unsatisfying, though enjoyable. Prabhu, who perhaps has foreseen a future in writing, is now at work on her second mystery, Astral Alibi.