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Book Review: Crime of Passion by Ruskin Bond

Crime of Passion by Ruskin Bond is a short murder mystery which directly or indirectly features the adventures of Miss Ripley-Bean. This story has been covered under the book Death Under the Deodars of Ruskin Bond.


The main plot of the story is about carnal desires. The question asked here is that whether we as humans can control the urge of sexual desire that arise within us from time to time. From the hotel Royal, Miss Ripley-Bean and Mr. Lobo see a bunch of nuns preparing for a school event. As Miss Ripley-Bean is a seventy-year-old spinster, he asks as why she did not choose to become a nun. Upon this, she replies that she was never a cut out piece for this kind of work. She is of the opinion that often nuns and monks have to suppress their real nature. They suppress their desires. Also, she cannot wake up early in the morning. In a nutshell, she is sensuous by nature.

Well, to justify her assumptions she narrates the story of father Vincent who would live in a Seminary in Fosterganj. That time Miss Ripley-Bean was a young lady of thirty, she was staying with her aunt. It was often regarded that Vincent, a sixty year old priest, was nice to everyone. He would come to their home for evening tea and often discuss things of wider interest.

New boys used to do his chores and roam about in his company. Well, there was one boy, named Sammy, a sixteen-year old dark skinned. He was quite close to him and father was fond of him. Later it came out that Sammy was his bed partner and in return father used to give him good money. On that money Sammy’s poor family would relish comfortable and his friends enjoy. Sammy was in demand among his friends, since he would splurge a good amount of money on them. And being a teenager, he enjoyed spending money on his poor friends.

Soon, due to lamentation and pressure by fellow priests and monks, Vincent was sent away to another hill. There he was given a cottage and his neighbors’ cottages were located at some distance. So, in the night who was coming in or going out remained secret. One night Sammy enters his house and begins asking for the money. Since his friends were waiting outside and he could not go back empty handed – that would be a moment of humiliation for him. But father had no money. Arguments between both grew bitter and harsh and Sammy had a knife with him for safety. He stabbed the father brutally. When he was going out neighbors saw him and even his friends. He changed his clothes and next day he came to attend his funeral.

People didn’t grieve much for his death because of his sins. At the funeral, Sammy started crying loudly and admitted that he killed the father. People were taken aback. He was arrested but due to being a juvenile he was placed under a special care unit.

When the story ends, the waiter comes and collects the wine glasses from their table. He greets and asks Miss Ripley-Bean of her well-being, she says, ‘I am fine Sammy’.

Sammy recovered from those sins and that murder to become a good gentleman in life. There is always a hope and way to come out of your sins and bad deeds. Time is always good to be good in life.

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