Murder in Moonlit Square by Paul Waters was a perfect read.

I have made no bones about the fact that I love a regular whodunnit. One where the story flows effortlessly, forcing me to turn pages quickly — faster still as I reach the grand reveal at the end. And more often than not, things don’t quite go my way with this genre. The narrative often tends to drag, with the author trying to fit in words forcefully to push the reader to an awkward lull, hoping to make the final outcomes of the story more impactful. But sadly, by then you’ve more or less given up.

Not here. Not with Murder in Moonlit Square. No, in this story the reader is shoved into a complex mystery straight on, with the availability of several threads to pull on, threads that crisscross into several outcomes, each one distinct and unique in their own culmination. The narrative does not lack pace at any point, it doesn’t delve into circular rhetoric, it keeps moving from one track to the other. It also throws in the occasional red herring — only for that also to become part of the plot structure. Which, I do believe, is absolutely brilliant. I was really not expecting that. Well, expecting — but also not expecting. That’s how deep the hook was in me.

So, coming back to the actual book, at first I was trying to convince myself that we’re going to get some sort of a Father Brown style of detective mystery here, what with the main protagonist being a Sister Agatha of the Sisters of the Amazing Grace, an Irish nun on deputation to India. But I later read in the acknowledgements that Waters had an aunt, Sister Agatha, on whom our literary Sister Agatha is clearly modeled. And neither did the story take on a Father Brown style of early detective writing — maybe some amount of inspiration might have been taken from the TV series based on the character by G. K. Chesterton, but that can be true of almost each and every detective fiction. And then I realised the best part of the entire character construction — Sister Agatha, unlike the Father Brown that I referenced, doesn’t even remotely think of herself as a detective. Far from it, Sister Agatha is indeed driven by a very basic Christian concept of service before self, of compassion, of trying to do good. Now if in the process she stumbles upon one new fact before another, you can hardly blame her for trying to do something else.

The same goes for the other lead — Avtar Mehta — the proprietor of the iconic Delhi Haveli Hotel, an establishment that has suddenly been mired in controversy. Be it the death of a patron or the sudden disappearance of a Muslim pilgrim from Pakistan. A man caught in several crossfires, Mehta and Sister Agatha form an extremely unlikely but most enjoyable partnership as they decide to pursue their own investigations into the crises at the hotel — a partnership built over an impromptu cigarette break by both parties. Mehta comes across as a harangued, harassed, heckled hotel owner, powerless at the unfortunate spate of events that have tarnished his esteemed hotel’s reputation, now on the verge of closure from the authorities.

The two of them make a very unique and interesting pair of characters — one driven by her natural necessity to be of service and help; the other trying to save his staff from the authorities and from losing their jobs over something they really had no hand in. Both have complete altruistic commitment driving them towards unravelling the truth — and that is truly a refreshing feeling in a detective mystery. It’s rare.

The writing is stupendous, absolutely riveting — though I did get a feeling of how the contextualization of Delhi was giving the same vibes as a foreigner making a movie on India. Like more The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel than a Salaam Bombay, if that makes sense. There was this strong push to be Indian (or Delhi), rather than it just coming off as India/Delhi by itself. Also — and maybe this is just more topical than real — I kept visualizing Avtar Mehta as Zohran Mamdani. I guess he was giving me a bit of an Indian-but-non-Indian vibe — and that is pretty much my overall feel of the book in this regard. But this is, of course, completely stylistic.

The most important thing to take away from the book is the very surprising turn of events at the end. It all tied together rather interestingly. It was — satisfyingly — satisfying. Making this a fantastic whodunit. Clean, neat, perfect.

This is a good book to read. It’s worth every bit of your time, particularly if you love a bit of mystery.

I noticed the “A Haveli Hotel Mystery” inscribed at the top of the book cover. I do wonder how that will play out. Like, will there be more chaos at the Delhi Haveli Hotel? Avtar will surely return, I am guessing. But Sister Agatha? And if she does return, why not call it the Sister Agatha series? I am intrigued.

Fun read. Satisfying read. Murder in Moonlit Square by Paul Waters.