The Blue House in Bishop by Sunanda J. Chatterjee


The Blue House in BishopThe Blue House in Bishop by Sunanda J. Chatterjee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book is a double bonanza. It has romance and suspense (say in 70: 30 ratio). There is the genre called cozy mystery. This book can be called cozy romantic mystery.

There are four main characters. Alisha is an Indian lady cop who has a broken heart. Sunil is a doctor who is also having his secrets. Duke is ex-military who, is retired hurt. And Jenny is a mysterious lady who claims to be wife of Sunil’s friend Todd. Alisha was in love with his senior who ditched her for a politician’s daughter. She resigns from the force. To top it she lost his brother to a drug overdose and she hates drug dealers from bottom of her heart. Duke is distraught due to a failed mission and adultery of his wife. Sunil’s mother has cancer and forces him to marry before she dies. So she arranges marriage of Sunil and Alisha. Both don’t want to marry, but it gives them a good escape. She comes with him to Bishop, a prosaic town. Duke is living with Sunil and then Jenny also joins. Who is she? What she has to hide?

The book moves at a slow but steady pace. Sunil and Alisha shares a platonic camaraderie. Instant sparks fly between Alisha and Duke. Though romance is subdued and never blossoms fully. When Jenny enters the scene element of suspense and mystery is added.

Each character has his own pains and insecurities. Alisha feels she is responsible for everyone else pain. She holds herself back and never able to commit fully to love as she is not able to trust men. Duke is damaged physically and emotionally. Duke feels the pain of betrayal by his wife and pain of not being able to save an innocent life. Sunil is not comfortable with Alisha as he loves someone else. He is desperate to make friends and approval of others. That is why he keeps sheltering people in his home. He is lonely and sad. Jenny is sacred to death.

There are few blemishes too. The pace is steady but slow. Nothing much happens till very late in the book. Also the motivation of each character is not fully clear. I explained the insecurities above but that doesn’t justify the slow pacing. Two parallel tracks of romance and thrill don’t gel properly. Almost all action takes place in the blue house. The romance portion is better scripted and the thrill part is weaker. FBI involvement, drug dealers and politician nexus seems forced and underdeveloped.

Keeping in view the pros and cons I give the book 3.5/ 5 stars.

P.S. Writing a book is a tedious job and labour of love. Views in the review are personal and with full respect to the hard work put in by the author. Please like/ comment/ mark helpful the review if you feel so.

Where to buy:


https://www.amazon.in/Sunanda-J.Chatt...

Blurb:

Alisha has left the Indian Police Force with a broken heart, her wish to bring criminals to justice, unfulfilled. When she agrees to be a friend's 'pretend' fiancée and travels to Bishop, California, she has no idea the decision will transform her life.

Haunted by his failed mission and failed marriage, Duke Wilcox has left the Special Forces, and an accident leaves him recovering in his friend's house in Bishop.

Alisha falls hopelessly in love with Duke, whose troubled past prevents him from opening his heart, especially in the presence of their mutual friend.

But when a mysterious woman appears with a baby, Alisha's cop instinct kicks in. Is this woman who she claims to be? Why is the FBI after her? And how is she involved with a Colombian Drug lord?


A story of loyalty, camaraderie, and love, The Blue House in Bishop is a romantic suspense that brings four strangers together in a quest for self-discovery and justice.
About Author

Freelance author, blogger, and ex-Indian Air Force physician Sunanda Joshi Chatterjee completed her graduate studies in Los Angeles, where she is a practicing pathologist. While medicine is her profession, writing is her passion. When she’s not at the microscope making diagnoses, she loves to write fiction. Her life experiences have taught her that no matter how different people are, their desires, fears, and challenges remain the same.




Her themes include romantic sagas, family dramas, immigrant experience, women’s issues, medicine, and spirituality. She loves extraordinary love stories and heartwarming tales of duty and passion. Her short stories have appeared in short-story.net and induswomanwriting.com.




She grew up in Bhilai, India, and lives in Arcadia, California with her husband and two wonderful children. In her free time, she paints, reads, sings, goes on long walks, and binge-watches TV crime dramas.




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