Official Review: Decocted by Saikat Dey

[Lovely_Loreley]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Decocted" by Saikat Dey.]

---

2 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Decocted is a short story by Saikat Dey that introduces detective Rupam Ganguly, a wry man with a quick eye and a knack for spotting small details. Early one morning, Rupam receives a call from a close friend, Professor Jamal Rehman, with an urgent case: someone had attempted to steal his latest invention, a defense weapon meant for the government of the country. Upon being unsuccessful in that endeavor, the thief instead stole the formula for the weapon, information that would be worth billions. Rupam travels to the professor’s mansion to solve the case and retrieve the missing formula – but he ends up with an even messier case on his hands, as the professor is found murdered the next morning with only his coffee cup to provide any clues.

This story has such great potential. However, it can be a little hard to swallow. It is written in rough, rather broken English that can be a bit off-putting. I read through the story a few times before writing this review, and while it did get easier each time, the first read-through was a struggle. The rough language did not deter me from enjoying the story, but this may not be the case for every reader out there.

So let’s move on to something more positive: the plot is, to say the least, intriguing. Just imagine some billion-dollar weapon being stolen from the government of your country, and the amount of damage that could cause (not to mention overall panic). The fact that the weapon plans could only have been stolen by someone in the professor’s household adds the perfect element of scandal to the scene. And through it all, Rupam remains this easy, confident presence – he seems assured of his own success from the very beginning.

Decocted seemed to me to be only a little taste of what Dey is capable of writing. I wish it had been longer – short stories are so difficult to write and in order to get through the plot you tend to lose a lot of detail. The characters, probably clearly pictured in the author’s brain, are given little attention on the page. I’d love to hear about Rupam’s background, how he and the professor first met – even a sentence or two as to what any of the characters looked like would have been lovely. I like using my imagination when I read, but I’m also curious as to how Dey pictures the detective when writing these scenes.

Overall I would give Decocted 2 out of 4 stars. The story is good but with a little editing to help it flow more smoothly, it could be better. Dey has a lot of potential and I am certain that with time, Rupam could become a really stellar character. If you enjoy detective novels, give this a try; maybe read it more than once so you can enjoy the story without being put off by the rough prose.

******
Decocted
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Barnes and Noble | on Smashwords

Like Lovely_Loreley's review? Post a comment saying so!