Well, it’s winter here in my part of the world right now & basically for me when the weather gets all hazy & dark, I prefer curling up with my mum’s masala chai, some biscuits & any book with the word ’murder’ written literally all over it.I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan & her books just set the right mood with the occasional rain, thunder & lightning taking place here at this time of the month.The book I’ll be introducing to you all isn’t an Agatha one & doesn’t measure up to her level.............at all.Rather, this is Meg Cabot’s(yes, the author of the famed ’Princess Diaries’ series) fictional take on an ’accident’ which occurs at an NYC college dorm.......errr.........residence hall.
Heather Wells is a washed out teen pop-sensation.No, not due to drugs or booze.To simply put it, she’s a one-hit-wonder.Her ex-boyfriend, Jordan Cartwright is engaged to be married to a bubblegum pop princess, Tania Trace who prefers to entice viewers by wearing the teeeeeniest lingerie possible.Did I mention Heather’s ex is still a famous singer who keeps getting harrassed by the paparazzi?Heather meanwhile is coping up with her life seemingly well.However she can’t get over the fact that her figure’s now an average all-American i.e. size 12.In other words, according to her colleagues at work she’s ’obese’.She works at Fischer Hall which is a university dorm, but the employees term it as a ’residence hall’ to cater pleasantly to the students’s home sickness tendencies.She also lives in a shared apartment with Cooper Cartwright who happens to be Jordan’s brother & as life would have it, Heather’s now hopelessly in love with him.While shopping for jeans at ’Banana Republic’ she receives a voice sms from her boss, Rachel that one of their students died while elevator surfing.Somehow, Heather smells something’s fishy from the word ’go’.She enlists Cooper’s help to figure out the real reason behind the recurrent mishappenings, since he owns a detective agency.Cooper’s not too thrilled about the matter, but obliges to help Heather due to her constant pleadings.
The language is very Meg Cabot.When I first the read the line, "I love him from every fiber of my being";I knew it was classic Cabot.What with having read that same sentence in each ’Princess Diaries’ book.Although, I’ve got to admit that I was surprised at the maturity level revealed through the characters.Not to worry, this isn’t for the pre-teen/teen group Cabot usually caters to.The plot makes you want to turn the pages, but when the solution finally boils down it doesn’t seem that great.Infact when the ’murderer’ is revealed, the unfolding of events thereafter seem amateurish, as though a novice writer had penned it down.Cabot’s catchy sequencing of Heather’s daily life & one-liners make the reading fun.Not the best mystery novel out there, but quite unique.I bought mine as ’2 books in one’ with the current novel & it’s successor ’Size 14 is not Fat Either’ at a book sale for 1.800 R.O. or 180 Rs.I hate to admit it, but books are as expensive as makeup nowadays.
Final grade- A-, pretty realistic which appeals to modern NYC dwellers & doesn’t have the dramaticism I’m used to while reading murder plots.Nevertheless, enjoyable & dare I say it ’unputdownable’.