Genre: Non Fiction, True Crime
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Publication Date: February, 2024
Pages: 264
Rating: 4/5
Buy at: Amazon | Add to Goodreads
Review:
Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy. Closer home, Raman Raghav, Auto Shankar, Surinder Koli. Notorious serial killers who send shivers down your spine. Then there are those from the annals of history. Forgotten cases that sound unbelievable and some outright bizarre.
7 Deadly Sinners: India’s Most Feared Murderers by Debarati Mukhopadhyay is a collection of seven such true crime cases. Across two centuries from the Mughal era to post-Indepence India, it chronicles the most devious minds in Indian history.
A prolific writer with over 20 bestselling books in Bengali, Debarati Mukhopadhyay is gradually republishing her books translated into English to reach a wider audience. 7 Deadly Sinners is her latest offering. The original, a superset of the stories, when released in 2018 created quite a stir in the contemporary Bengali literature scene.
Seven deadly sinners. Greed. Lust. Wrath. Envy. The notorious Khada Goonda who was hailed as a Robin Hood of sorts. Elokeshi’s honor killing by her husband, a gruesome deed justified by the powerful. Troilokkotarini, India’s first female serial killer. An unscrupulous doctor driven by greed who almost got away with murder. Just to name a few without giving too much away. Some victims of circumstances. Some plain evil.
Although non-fiction, the simple conversational style of writing has you turning the pages. It almost reads like a thriller. Giving you goosebumps when you realize there are indeed true stories. Most of the cases are based in Kolkata. The book is well-researched. It is also peppered with paintings, newspaper clippings, and portraits.
Similar to the author’s previous book, Chronicles of the Lost Daughters, the book is a lesson in history. The dark underbelly of the social impact of colonial times. It is a conversation on the lack of agency for women, patriarchy, and men (particularly rich men) quite literally getting away with murder. Gruesome cases defended by lawyers who went on to hold prominent posts.
As much as I enjoyed the book, I do feel it needs another round of editing. Some errors were jarring and it impacted the reading experience.
All in all, if you enjoy reading true crime, I recommend you pick up the book. I am looking forward to reading more translated books by the author.
7 Deadly Sinners: India’s Most Feared Murderers by Debarati Mukhopadhyay @Author_debarati #TrueCrime #BookReview Click To Tweet
About the Author
Debarati Mukhopadhyay is one of the most popular authors of contemporary Bengali literature. A young Government officer by profession, she has written more than 20 bestselling novels including Narach, Dakat Raja, Glanirbhabati Bharat, Shikhandi, Ishwar Jakhan Bandi and Aghore Ghimiye Shiva. Her corporate world novel Dasgupta Travels was shortlisted for the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2021. Many of her novels, such as Narak Sanket, Ranrkahini, and Shikhandi have been adapted for the silver screen. Debarati is a prolific writer and contributes regularly to Bengal’s prominent literary magazines and journals. As an officer, bestselling author, travel-enthusiast, an amateur violinist and mother to an infant, Debarati is considered a youth icon in Bengal who volunteers her time to guide government-job aspirants. A widely recognized public speaker, Debarati can be often found delivering motivational talks at educational seminars, conferences, and at the halls of Ramakrishna Mission.
Follow her online at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Goodreads.
I received a copy of the book from the author in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Mads’ Cookhouse.
March 23, 2024 @ 10:37 am
This book sounds absolutely gripping! True crime stories always have a way of drawing readers in, and “7 Deadly Sinners: India’s Most Feared Murderers” seems to deliver on that front.
Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy and delve into these chilling tales.
March 23, 2024 @ 10:58 am
I would have loved to read this because I love reading about crime and horrors but I’m done reading books with too many grammatical errors. I believe that if they want to promote, authors need to edit their work as a respect to the people who will be buying their books and spending time reading them.
March 24, 2024 @ 12:37 pm
The only serial killer, I have known of is Jack, the ripper. I would like to know more about the female serial killer and you say, there are 20 killers covered in the book. That sounds like a read for sure.
March 24, 2024 @ 9:52 pm
Even though I haven’t read it yet, I’ve heard it’s a must-read for true crime fans. I’m really curious to check it out and see what the stories are all about! But I’ve heard there are some mistakes that need fixing.
March 26, 2024 @ 12:40 am
I love to read crime and horror books. Your review is captivating. Though there are some errors means author are also having this error issue. Surely going to check this book. I hope it will be not easy to read with errors too.
March 26, 2024 @ 11:26 am
I don’t even need a book review ( ok yes only a single star rating would be a deterrent) to pick up a book about murders or rather solving murders additionally the Indian story gives more context to ‘7 Deadly Sinners ‘ by Debarati Mukhopadhyay !
March 26, 2024 @ 11:47 pm
Mughal era to post-Independence India? Sounds like a steep read. I’m always intrigued by true crime series on OTT but have never explored the books in the genre somehow. It could be to do with the fact that I don’t read much non-fiction. You’ve piqued my interest with your review of this book. Even though you’ve rated it 4/5, I’m curious to give it a try. Let’s see if my motivation and time allows me 😀
March 27, 2024 @ 10:54 am
it’s unfortunate to hear about the editing issues that impacted the reading experience. Despite this, the recommendation to pick up the book still stands strong, especially for those intrigued by true crime stories. Personally, I’m eager to explore more translated works by the author and delve deeper into the hidden corners of Indian history.
March 27, 2024 @ 11:34 am
I love to read crime and horror books. Your review is very interesting. Would love to get my hands on. Your review has increased my curiosity of the why’s and what of the book
March 27, 2024 @ 11:55 am
True crime isn’t really my thing, but your review definitely makes this book sound intriguing! The way you describe the writing style and the historical context behind each case is fascinating. Thank you for mentioning about the errors, it’s helpful for readers to know what to expect before diving in.
March 27, 2024 @ 11:59 am
I feel so sad that there are unforgivable grammatical errors although the book is good… that is too much of a turn off for me. Having said that, I loved Chronicles of the lost daughters Ritu… and because of my wonderful experience, if not for anything I do want to give this one a try just out of respect for the original author.
March 27, 2024 @ 12:56 pm
7 deadly sinners , the name of the book, is enough to create a gripping value of the book. The name and the cover picture of the book with your review make me crave reading it right now. I can’t wait to read it .
March 27, 2024 @ 2:46 pm
The book title, “7 Deadly Sinners,” really draws you in and sounds intriguing. But it’s disappointing to find so many grammatical mistakes throughout the book, even though the story itself is good. But still I will still pick if I will get it.
March 27, 2024 @ 2:54 pm
Though I do not enjoy murder mysteries, this one which is nonfiction grabbed my interest because of the review you wrote here. Great review.
March 27, 2024 @ 3:41 pm
OMG… Is this trrue that multiple serial killer cases cover in this book and that too real ones…. How I can miss reading this book and this is definately a must read for me. I am just wondering about the level of research the author need to do to get these real stories in book. Hats off to her and Ritu I am so happy that you get this book in limelight with your review so that readers like me who are absolute fan of this genre will get chance to read. Thank you so much
March 27, 2024 @ 9:41 pm
Wow! This book promises to be chilling as well as gripping! I enjoy reading crime thrillers and this one really seems up the alley.
March 27, 2024 @ 10:10 pm
Unfortunately, I haven’t read any books by this author. But this sounds like an interesting read, though I’m not too brave to read about gruesome murders.
March 28, 2024 @ 1:05 am
The title sounds thrilling so does the gist that you have shared here. I love thriller I think I will skip this since you mentioned the more number of grammatical errors
March 28, 2024 @ 3:49 pm
I rarely read true crime, however i find profiling of serial killers to be interesting, as most have some trauma that turns them evil – not justified, but i find it very scary how 1 incident can change the trajectory of a person for the worse.
March 28, 2024 @ 5:34 pm
Few days ago I read about true Indian serial killings too, written by a former cop who was part of the investigations. I found them extremely disturbing. To know that truth is indeed scarier and stranger than fiction isn’t a pleasant experience. The story part can be interesting though.
March 29, 2024 @ 1:38 pm
This book sounds really intriguing. Deadly sinners from the Mughal era to post-Indepence India, wow… This us definitely a must read as I love reading murder mysteries.will get my copy soon.
March 31, 2024 @ 7:31 am
I used to love thrillers and murder mysteries but once I married my life turned into a sob story so now, I avoid reading them. Another reason is I live alone and I am happy with my romances 🙂
April 2, 2024 @ 6:23 pm
Wow! Now this would be one helluva book. I am always fascinated with murderers and serial killers, more with their thought processes, as to why they are committing the crimes. I’m sure this book I’ll surely grab.
April 19, 2024 @ 11:59 pm
The book sounds intriguing and gripping crime thriller. I haven’t read any book’s by the author but like to read few of her works after reading your review.