Monday, March 2, 2015
Daddy's Gone A Hunting – Mary Higgins Clark (Spoiler Alert!!)
A confession is in order. I didn’t have a clue as to who the perpetrator (or ‘perp’ as the crime shows love to refer to them) could be until the last few pages. And even then I wasn’t sure if he was guilty in one, two or all three of the crimes.
Wait a minute, 3 crimes? In one novel? Yes. First there is the main story of the entire Connelly complex of reproduction furniture going up in flames in the early hours of the morning. It is clearly a sabotage and the speculation is rife about what the elder Connelly daughter, Kate, was doing there with a laid-off employee called Gus. Did the two of them set off the explosion? They were known to have expressed a desire to do so – in anger and frustration – in the past. Gus ends up dead while Kate is seriously injured and has to be put under induced coma to make sure that she survives.
Then there is Jamie Gordon whose body was fished out of a river 2 years back but whose killer is still at large. And finally, Tracy, an aspiring actress, who hasn’t been seen or heard from – since past 28 years.
If you haven’t read the novel yet, don’t read the rest of this post.
The moment it was mentioned that Douglas and Connor were twins, the identity of the killer was a no-brainer. It just remained to be seen if he had killed Jamie and Tracy as well.
I might have said this before – the test of a good crime fiction is how long the author manages to keep the killer concealed from the reader. And this one passes the test with flying colors. :)
I seem to be on devouring spree as far as Mary Higgins Clark’s novels go. I am reading ‘Stillwatch’ now :)
Wait a minute, 3 crimes? In one novel? Yes. First there is the main story of the entire Connelly complex of reproduction furniture going up in flames in the early hours of the morning. It is clearly a sabotage and the speculation is rife about what the elder Connelly daughter, Kate, was doing there with a laid-off employee called Gus. Did the two of them set off the explosion? They were known to have expressed a desire to do so – in anger and frustration – in the past. Gus ends up dead while Kate is seriously injured and has to be put under induced coma to make sure that she survives.
Then there is Jamie Gordon whose body was fished out of a river 2 years back but whose killer is still at large. And finally, Tracy, an aspiring actress, who hasn’t been seen or heard from – since past 28 years.
If you haven’t read the novel yet, don’t read the rest of this post.
The moment it was mentioned that Douglas and Connor were twins, the identity of the killer was a no-brainer. It just remained to be seen if he had killed Jamie and Tracy as well.
I might have said this before – the test of a good crime fiction is how long the author manages to keep the killer concealed from the reader. And this one passes the test with flying colors. :)
I seem to be on devouring spree as far as Mary Higgins Clark’s novels go. I am reading ‘Stillwatch’ now :)
The Great Food Show, Nehru Center
At first, there was some confusion about the venue of this event - Nehru Center (which is next to Atria Mall) or Nehru Science Center (Near Phoenix Mall)? Then I realized that Nehru Science Center simply has no space for this type of event. Nehru Center it is.
The event was on the ground, second and third floors. We paid the entry fee of Rs. 100 per person on the ground floor and got the tickets. They also stamped something on our hands – I am not sure why because we had the tickets to show that we had paid. I was reminded of the ‘Mera Baap Chor Hai’ tattoo from Deewar. :) I also wondered why I had to pay the registration charges given that all the food stalls inside were charging for the food. Whatever.
I didn’t find anything interesting on the ground floor so we quickly moved on to the 2nd one. The first stall I saw was that of Has Juice Bar.I have had this craving for their crisp savory panipuris since past few days now. So seeing their stall felt like Manna from heaven (a very rare feeling these days!). The panipuris lived up to their reputation and my expectation but don’t they charge Rs. 25 for the same at their branches across the city? Here the charge was Rs. 50 per plate.
Out of the 2 stalls next to Haas one was of Bina’s Homemade ice-cream. I made a mental note to return here on my way out. I could see a lot of food stalls in the outdoor area. I ordered home-pressed sugarcane juice (Rs. 25) at ‘Global Fusion by Anju’. Unfortunately, there was just too much of ginger in the sugarcane juice thus giving it a spicy taste. The Delhi Chandni Chowk Tikki at ‘Social Foodie by Aditi’ (Rs. 50) was okay. Nothing to write home about.
Heading out to the 3rd floor, Cafe Nemo’s stall caught my attention. We ordered Soft shell veggie tacos (Rs. 200). A young man at the stall insisted that we try what looked like momos in the sample dish. Looking at their green color I was hesitant at first but he explained that they were the corn and water chestnut Gyozas – a Japanese dish. I sent a prayer heavenwards, told my family I loved them and gobbled up one gyoza. It was delicious but the sauce accompanying it was definitely for the faint-hearted. We ended up ordering the Gyozas (Rs. 150) as well. The tacos were okay. The menu at their Worli establishment sounds nice. Must pay a visit in near future.
The last stop on our way out was Bina’s Homemade ice-cream. She had quite a few interesting flavors listed out on a board that was propped next to a machine for making handmade ice-cream such as spicy guava and rose sabja in addition to the usual suspects like kesar pista. One of the visitors inquired about a flavor called Chai Biskoot. The lady at the stall said that it consists of Masala Chai and Gluco biscuit. When she asked the guy if he would like to check out a sample he backed off, understandably so in my opinion. We got mini-scoops (Rs. 35 each) for Rose Sabja and Kesar Pista (to be on the safer side!). Kesar Pista was too sweet and Rose Sabja wasn’t sweet enough. Frankly, they tasted the same as any other flavor that you buy off the shelf. Aren’t the homemade ice-creams creamier?
There was a lot on offer – Ammi’s Biryani, Kebabs and burgers of all kinds, Jackfruit Biryanis, arrays of chocolates, popcorn and appetizers. But somehow I didn’t feel like trying anything more.
P.S. On the second floor, I saw a stall of biodegradable plates and bowls. Needless to say there were no visitors there. I felt really sorry for the guy manning that stall. And a bit guilty as I chucked empty plates in the bin (fortunately they were of paper and not Styrofoam!). Next time I see such a stall I am going to make a purchase.
The event was on the ground, second and third floors. We paid the entry fee of Rs. 100 per person on the ground floor and got the tickets. They also stamped something on our hands – I am not sure why because we had the tickets to show that we had paid. I was reminded of the ‘Mera Baap Chor Hai’ tattoo from Deewar. :) I also wondered why I had to pay the registration charges given that all the food stalls inside were charging for the food. Whatever.
I didn’t find anything interesting on the ground floor so we quickly moved on to the 2nd one. The first stall I saw was that of Has Juice Bar.I have had this craving for their crisp savory panipuris since past few days now. So seeing their stall felt like Manna from heaven (a very rare feeling these days!). The panipuris lived up to their reputation and my expectation but don’t they charge Rs. 25 for the same at their branches across the city? Here the charge was Rs. 50 per plate.
Out of the 2 stalls next to Haas one was of Bina’s Homemade ice-cream. I made a mental note to return here on my way out. I could see a lot of food stalls in the outdoor area. I ordered home-pressed sugarcane juice (Rs. 25) at ‘Global Fusion by Anju’. Unfortunately, there was just too much of ginger in the sugarcane juice thus giving it a spicy taste. The Delhi Chandni Chowk Tikki at ‘Social Foodie by Aditi’ (Rs. 50) was okay. Nothing to write home about.
Heading out to the 3rd floor, Cafe Nemo’s stall caught my attention. We ordered Soft shell veggie tacos (Rs. 200). A young man at the stall insisted that we try what looked like momos in the sample dish. Looking at their green color I was hesitant at first but he explained that they were the corn and water chestnut Gyozas – a Japanese dish. I sent a prayer heavenwards, told my family I loved them and gobbled up one gyoza. It was delicious but the sauce accompanying it was definitely for the faint-hearted. We ended up ordering the Gyozas (Rs. 150) as well. The tacos were okay. The menu at their Worli establishment sounds nice. Must pay a visit in near future.
 |
| corn and water chestnut Gyozas |
 |
| Soft shell veggie tacos |
There was a lot on offer – Ammi’s Biryani, Kebabs and burgers of all kinds, Jackfruit Biryanis, arrays of chocolates, popcorn and appetizers. But somehow I didn’t feel like trying anything more.
P.S. On the second floor, I saw a stall of biodegradable plates and bowls. Needless to say there were no visitors there. I felt really sorry for the guy manning that stall. And a bit guilty as I chucked empty plates in the bin (fortunately they were of paper and not Styrofoam!). Next time I see such a stall I am going to make a purchase.
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