I always feel that writing mystery fiction is a tricky business since one needs to tick all the boxes as far as character building, plot creation, and making the right concoction of intrigue are concerned. With the correct elements in the right proportion, the best possible mystery read can be created, and Jaykay Heart’s debut work, “A Butterfly Riddle,” is proof enough. A brilliant suspense laced with humour, romance as well as thrill, this is surely one bomber read as far as thriller books of this season are concerned

Sometimes cosy mystery fiction, too, makes all the difference in the world, changing the entire mood and ambience. Once you start reading such books, you realise what you were really missing in life.

Jaykay Heart’s A Butterfly Riddle has a plot that is intertwined with mystery, humour, and a variety of intriguing elements, making it an excellent cosy read. 

This one captures the story of Siddh, aka Siddharth, who is an architect living in Dubai. An introvert by nature, the real adventure starts when he receives a box inside which lies a “dead” blue butterfly, along with a diary and a mysterious note. He then decides to travel to India in order to find answers to some unanswered questions.

But all he finds is even more murkiness, with the enigma multiplying by the second.

This one also has a love story, which provides the perfect soft love element, giving it the cupid mushiness.

Filled with instances to shake you up as well as entertain you, this one is sure to take you on this twisty coaster where you will laugh alongside the characters, douse in their romantic escapades, be intrigued by the mystery they are facing, and also dabble in the symbology Jaykay has tried to put forth through the narrative. 

Butterflies are thought to have a short lifespan. These beautiful critters, with their pure and innocent souls, are also symbolic of the delicate nature and vulnerability that life represents to us. 

Yes, all good things must come to an end. In this narrative, the blue butterfly is symbolic of outcomes that are much graver than these simple revelations. In the book, the blue butterfly represents a state of chaos because Siddh’s best friends get embroiled in a quagmire when the package is delivered. Now they are left with little choice except to get started finding answers to the questions that are haunting them and the readers too.

To begin with, there was a lot of intrigue and excitement in this one. I mean, the kind of suspense this one harboured and the excitement it exuded were way beyond brilliant. The cover is deceptive in that it appears to be a pleasing and eye-soothing sort of thing; there is actually quite a lot going on inside, with the story moving at such a strange and fast pace. 

While Siddh is a shy guy and an introvert, it was interesting to see the camaraderie he shared with his friends George and Varun. Jaykay has sketched Siddh’s character with a lot of intricate detail, ensuring that one can relate to him in the thick and thin that is presented to us throughout the course of the story. 

A fantastic piece of writing, this one had everything I could ask for in a mystery read. While one might say the start was a bit slow, the pace picks up gradually with the story proceeding along a track that gets murkier as it proceeds. Yes, I could completely relate to Siddh’s position; I felt out of breath at times, trying to proceed alongside them, the characters, as I desperately wanted to support them when they were in a quagmire. At times, I felt this was the differentiator JayKay managed to create with this one, wanting me as a reader to be able to get in a position where I wanted to not only see what happens next but also what eventually happens to the character and his fate in the entire plot.

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So, to give you my verdict on this one, one thing stands for sure. As Jaykay’s debut work, I must say that he has written brilliantly; it is a superb piece of mystery written, and one can only marvel that such an extraordinary piece of work is possible and has been pulled off by Jaykay, right on the first try. A great mystery; I am indeed waiting to read his next.

So, I hope you guys liked my book review of A Butterfly Riddle by Jaykay Heart.

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