Long ago, I read Vinod Mehta’s book The Lucknow Boy: A Memoir. The author filled me with many juicy and spicy anecdotes about Lutyens’ Delhi. He described their nose in the air and all the scandals. I had a similar fun time reading Club You To Death by Anuja Chauhan.
Club You To Death revolves around the ancient but prestigious club named DTC Or Delhi Turf Club and its affluent but nosy members. Their hot and happening life swiveled around when a murder befalls on the premise of the club. One after another, skeletons started falling out of the closet when ACP Bhavani began his investigation. Who was the murderer? It’s a mystery that refuses to be solved without ado.
Anuja Chauhan was bang on target while establishing the club environment. I can feel and visualize all the happening of the club and its active members bickering and gossiping around. The author carefully integrated minute details to infuse life into the clubhouse.
The investigation part and the winding-up style seem to be heavily inspired by the famous TV show CID. The face of ACP Pradyuman flashed each time when ACP Bhavani came into the picture. It was an interrogation-based investigation. There was a lot of gossiping stuff in the interrogation, which became boring after a while. The characters didn’t divulge any mysterious piece of information to create suspense that will let your mind go racing in search of the culprit.
But yes, I couldn’t take away the credit from Anuja Chauhan for giving a fitting end to all the build-up. I failed miserably in guessing the real murderer. My suspect kept oscillating from one character to another, but the author remained a step ahead and tricked me each time.
The mystery layout and execution were good. But I didn’t find it a spine-chilling or nail-biting kind of novel. The brewing love story and incessant gossips diluted the suspense in the story. However, for someone like me who loves reading about Delhi Lutyens, Club You To Death would enthrall from the first word itself.
