An Autograph for Anjali
The novel opens with 47-year-old multi-millionaire Jayant Mathur getting shot at point blank range with his own pistol. Radha, the daily help, finds the body, soaked in blood, much to her consternation, and Inspector Phadke comes into the scene. He finds the widow, Anjali Mathur, who “appeared beautiful, though she was as still as a statue” in a state of shock, along with Parth Bhardawaj who claims to be a family friend. The plot thickens as Phadke asks all the right questions. Was Jayant the suicidal sort? Why did he and his wife, Anjali, sleep in separate bedrooms? Was this the act of a burglar? If so, why did the alarm not go off? Who would benefit after Jayant’s death? Soon a plethora of characters appear – Jayant’s old parents, Makarand and Chaya, anguished at their son’s untimely death, his older sisters, Smita and Nandita, and their husbands. Smita’s husband, Rana, is introduced as a blusterer and trouble-maker. He “talked big and helped none”, misleading the pol...