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Byomkesh Bakshi – The Best Indian Crime Fiction
My interst in the crime fiction as a genre developed over the years of reading. I distinctly remember who introduced me to the thrill of solving the mystery. Rajit Kapoor playing Satyanveshi Byomkesh Bakshi got me hooked on this kind of stories. I used to watch this series religiously on DD National back when I was very young. Later the love for Crime Fiction developed and I discovered many more master storytellers like Sir Arther, Agatha Christie, Jeffrey Archer, Suhas Shirwalkar, Anita Nair and many more. But, Sharadindu Bandopadhyay, a Bengali writer of Byomkesh Bakshi had sadly left my mind. I wasn’t aware if his works are translated into English or not.
When I started listening to audio books on Storytel and Audible, I suddenly remembered of him. I thought of checking if any of Byomkesh stories are available to listen to. I was happy to see not only his stories are translated but are even available in audio format!
What to expect
Sharadindu had written more than 30 stories but Monimala Dhar has translated only 7 of them in this book. I listened to the audio version of the book which was narrated wonderfully by Sumit Kaul. All the stories from the book are fantastic and give a full satisfaction of reading a crime fiction. However, a particular story has stuck with me. Story titled ‘The Avenger’ is translated from the original story with a title Achin Pakhi.
When Byomkesh and his writer friend Ajit were invited to a wedding in a small town near Kolkata, they met a retired police officer who had settled down in that town. Officer narrate them a story of his last case before retiring which he could not have solve. Police had apprehended few suspects carrying a body of a dead woman on a cot. On investigating, nothing wrong was revealed and they were set free. However things took a sharp turn when the main suspect got murdered by unknown person. Police couldn’t get to the bottom of this. Now after every lead has gone cold, it’s up to Satyanveshi Byomkesh to take up a case or not to find the truth behind it.
All the other stories from this collection are equally intriguing and interesting to listen.
From the blurb
Detective fiction has never lacked devoted fans. The undying popularity of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot vouch for that fact. In the early thirties, a detective by the name of Byomkesh Bakshi made an unobtrusive entry into the world of Bengali fiction. He preferred calling himself a satyanneshi, a seeker of truth, and within days was a household name, courtesy his cerebral skills and the exciting situations he found himself in. In the tradition of Doyle and Christie, Byomkesh is accompanied on his adventures by his friend, Ajit, slightly obtuse and the perfect foil to him.
About the book
- Title: Byomkesh Bakshi Stories
- Publisher: Roopa Publishing / Audible Studios
- Published: 7 November 2018
- ASIN: B07K6YDKQQ
- Length : 6 hours and 26 minutes
- MRP : ₹287.00
My Rating
Stories: 4/5
Narration: 4.5/5
Production: 5/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Where to buy
- Amazon Paperback
- Kindle eBook
- Audible
- Bookstores near you
Should you read it?
If you can’t read Bangla, this this is the best way to enjoy these master pieces written by Sharadindu Bandopadhyay. You will not regret it that’s my word!
This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023. For more about my views on books, click here.
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Comments
9 responses to “Byomkesh Bakshi – The Best Indian Crime Fiction”
Wow. Detailed one. I am a fan of Byomkesh Bakshi too
I hope someone will make the whole series on his work in Hindi once again. One movie isn’t enough. that franchise ended with really sad event. 🙁
Love BB! Also remember watching the entire series on Doordarshan with Rajit Kapur as Byomkesh. It was so well made. I think YouTube has the episodes.
Yes, YouTube has all the episodes! I had watched few of them recently.
I remember watching Rajit Kapoor’s Byomkesh Bakshi on Doordarshan. They used to be super fun. He even gets married in one of them. But I don’t remember this particular story you mention. The Byomkesh Bakshi serials are still available on YouTube.
Do checkout the book. It’s another experience.
This is very new to me…Thank you for the recommendation!
Yesss, please do checkout. If possible, go for the audiobook. Adds to the experience
I remember the TV show and of course the movie. SSR was sooo good as Byomkesh. 😪
Still to read the book series though
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