Release: July 31st 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Yali Books
Source: NetGalley
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N
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Cousins Arj, Tam, and Mira are spending their summer vacation in Elathoor, a little village in Kerala . There in their family home, Lili Villa, thieves break into and stole some jewelry. The Terrific Three set out to solve the mystery but soon discover that there is no shortage of suspects. Is it Pinching Kodavis or Dumdumchecchi, the milking lady? Is it the mean fisherwoman who starves the cat or the retired nurse who owns a luxury car? Or is it Mani with his upside-down Russian secret? Who could the thief possibly be?
In a throwback to unscheduled summer vacations, this cozy mystery will charm young readers with plenty of sibling sparring, some intrepid sleuthing, and an endless parade of mouth-watering snacks.
Author Bio:
I am an author and a columnist based in London. Also, I have completed my MA in Creative Writing Prose Fiction from the University of East Anglia (2018). In 2015, Pan Macmillan published my first book, a memoir, Leaving Home With Half A Fridge.
In 2018. I received a highly commendable mention at the FAB awards for my middle grade mystery novel. A Thud In The Middle Of The Night. A hat-tip to Enid Blyton, which DC Books, Kerala, India (2019) published. Moreover, it is also published by an independent New York publisher, Yali Books in 2021.
I have been shortlisted for the Penguin Write Now programme (2020) and longlisted for the Ivan Juritz Prize (2018). I have also been published in two anthologies – A Suitcase of Small Stories (Normal Deviation: A Weird Fiction Anthology, UK) and The Travelling Amumma (Grandma Tales, India).
A Mystery at Lili Villa Review:
“A Mystery at Lili Villa” is a charming middle-grade novel that features three Indian detectives set in against the backdrop of Kerala, and I loved reading it.
Being a South Indian, I cannot even begin to describe how wonderful it is to finally read a middle-grade novel representing the beauty and culture of South India. The author did a fantastic job in bringing the cultures and delicacies from Kerala to life. I also appreciate how the author included a glossary of native terms for readers to understand their meaning.
Moreover, the author paces the story nicely and made me reminisce about the classic Enid Blyton books I read as a child. Like the Famous Five or Secret Seven, our own Terrific Three, Arj, Tam, and Mira, form a wonderful group of detectives. All of them stand apart and stay distinct, and I liked how they all worked together to figure out the mystery. Similarly, they used their skills to solve a burglary in the story, and I enjoyed studying all the suspects. It’s nice that they also befriended some of them in the process. Like Well-Cleaner Mani, some of the characters have a fascinating past and gave the story a fresh touch.
Hopefully, “A Mystery at Lili Villa” starts a beautiful series featuring the three characters. I look forward to reading more books by the author in the future.
