Review: ...and sometimes redemption
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 22, 2014
Disclaimer: I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review.If the word "siren" conjures up a beautiful woman in red lipstick smoking a cigarette while wearing a clingy black dress, you're on the right track for this book. That's not to say all of the women in the collection actually look this way, but all three stories have settings and plots that would work perfectly in film noir from the Fifties.The first story finds our hero literally lured into political danger and intrigue by a beautiful woman. Can an earnest young man prove himself worthy of someone so far out of his league? Even after Vicky figures out what his siren's motivations are, he still finds out that nothing is as it seems. Can he rescue his siren-cum-damsel in distress in time?The second story was hands down my favorite. Do sirens lure men to their deaths? Only if they chose to go swimming in dangerous waters. Detective Shardul Reham is chasing a serial killer whom he begins to realize fancies itself an agent of Fate. This is possibly the most stressful case of his career as his boss is breathing down his neck and the media starts circling the case. He's very grateful that forensic scientist Rajinder Sharma and his team are so insightful...but what aren't they telling him?The final installment plays on the supernatural elements surrounding the lure of the siren and runs with it. You'd think a Secret Service agent like Jay would be able to handle a budding war between two crime bosses. Probably...until you throw in a really belligerent deity who has a taste for human blood. Now what does that have to do with the fact that Jay, who has never had any luck with women before, is suddenly getting eyed by not one but two beautiful women? What a bonus on a dangerous case...until they both land him into progressively more dangerous situations as he's racing against time to meet a deadline. But once again, nothing is as it seems, and maybe he should stop and ask himself what he's really doing in Bellary.I enjoyed this collection much more than I thought I would, and I'd love to see more in the same setting, particularly of detective Shardul Reham. All of the characters were well-developed and the settings were described with just enough detail. If Who Dunnit was easily answered, figuring out why they did in the first place was the real fun of the story.Highly recommended for fans of international mystery.