Book Review of An Eerie Muffle of Crime by Nirabhra Neel
Sometimes there are tiny tales that come into your life, filling you up with an apprehension of sorts and making you queasy, and yet when you are done and dusted with those, you are like, “Whaaattt? Is that what I thought it was? Thriller at its insatiable best, meet this yearning and unique collection of 11 thrilling short stories, An Eerie Muffle of Crime by Nirabhra Neel.
Ever felt a sense of deja-vu’ hit you, especially when you have been concentrating on something with a lot of intensity and you get that unshakeable feeling of “been there, done that”? Well, sometimes certain stories have a lot of unspoken elements attached to them; the elements they contain are all those that surround and describe innate human emotions about crime and killing. Whether they are justifiable in that scenario or whether they leave one in a total lurch, making them reel in understanding what just happened, well, that is exactly the beauty of the writer’s words and narrative.
I am referring here to An Eerie Muffle of Crime by Nirabhra Neel, which is a collection of 11 thrilling stories that promise to not only chill your very spine but also promise to take you on a journey that is both full of twists and turns as well as compel you to think beyond your normal, logical chain of reasoning. Short yet crisp and hard-hitting, every one of these “bullets,” as I like to call them, is well poised towards hitting a bullseye, numbing your better senses, and compelling you to think more outside the box.
Indeed, the human mind is bizarre and twisted, as apart from being highly unpredictable, it also happens to be totally unexpected and surprisingly strange as it can adapt to any situation and also create difficulties in any situation, making it an asset as well as a liability and a cutting edge in both ways.
Take any tale from this book, and you will find yourself questioning your better judgment, which you have for fellow humans. For instance, there was this tale called “The Title,” which completely blew my brains away since it was proceeding surreptitiously in an uncanny sort of manner, and yet the ending was so bizarre and unexpected that my mind was like, “What, wait a minute, hang on…?” It felt as if a truck appeared out of nowhere and hit me, bam!
Similarly, in the story where death follows the couple wherever they go, I was indeed kind of flummoxed trying to piece it all together and understand how and what the situation turned out to be. It was unnerving too; at some points, these tales rattled my sound rationale, making me queasy enough to believe that strangeness is not just a term but a usual phenomenon in the world.
As far as the style of writing goes, well, one word for it: phenomenal! Yes, it is not so easy to write a short story, and that too an impactful one that resonates with the reader long enough to be able to leave an impression on their mind in a compelling manner. Nirabhra has carved each tale in such a manner to be able to take the readers on the ride he wants them to be taking, the lurches he has planted for them along the roller coaster, and most importantly, the dips and dunks of the different kinds of feelings he wishes to dish out through each of these 11 gems created by him.
With simple, easy-to-read, and immersive language, Nirabhra concentrates more on the finer aspects of story-telling. His evocative and spellbinding narrative skill managed to keep me aboard each tale for much longer than I could have fathomed. There was almost a sort of ringing that I swear I could feel while reading some of the stories, which made me gape with astonishment. Yes, in the tale where the investigation ensued after the suicide of the girl, I could almost taste the palpable tension in the air amidst the proceedings of the investigation.
Related: Book Review: Of Closets and Skeletons and Other Crime Stories by Kaivalya Ramnath
Nirabhra’s passion for a strong buildup of thrill, supplying incriminating details in the story, and most importantly, managing to keep the reader latched on, right from the word “go,” is what has kept me amazed at this work by him. I am also taken in by the simplicity of his being able to bring in the finer essences of humankind and splay them on paper, akin to an abstract of sorts on canvas.
This is a great compilation that has to be bookmarked by you guys, especially if you like capsule crime thriller fiction and want more out of less. Grab this one for sure—no other words!
So, I hope you guys liked my thoughts on this one. Stay tuned with us right here at Booxoul for the best in the fields of entertainment, lifestyle, food, fun, finance, fashion, education, tech, and gadgets, as well as all things bookish.
Adios Amigos!