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Book Review: The Daryaganj Strangler by Ruskin Bond

The Daryaganj Strangler by Ruskin Bond is a short murder mystery covered under the book ‘Death Under the Deodars’. It is summer time and people and tourists from all over the country are swarming in and around the hill station Mussoorie. Miss Ripley-Bean lives in a small room of the hotel Royal. Mr. Lobo, the pianist of the hotel, is in discussion with Miss Ripley-Bean regarding news about seriel killer of Daryaganj in Old Delhi.


Investigations reveal that he kills only rich business people and after killing he does not rob them of money or jewelry. In old Delhi, Daryaganj is a hub of publishers of books and magazines. And recently, a woman editor of a top magazine was found murdered – there was no note on her body and her jewels were intact. Then what’s the motive of the killer?

As expected the Royal hotel becomes full of guests. The room beside Miss Ripley-Bean remains unoccupied most of the time. However, soon a guest fills that room. It has been over a month or so that no news of killing came. Miss Ripley-Bean is of the opinion that probably the killer has taken leave for summer. He must be enjoying somewhere in the hills. She also thinks that probably that killer may come to Mussoorie and kill one or two.

The guest living beside her room is Roshan Puri, a self-centered author. He says that he is going to break the jinx of literature world with his crime novels. He passes his manuscript to her for reading. After a few chapters, Miss Ripley-Bean realizes that the novel is nothing but utter crap. Anyway, she appreciates his writing. Roshan Puri’s room remains locked all day – he is out all day – what he does out is something that Miss Ripley-Bean cannot guess. Soon, news breaks out that a publisher is found dead in Mussoorie.

In the hotel, a famous publisher, Cyrus Piranha, from Dehradun has come to enjoy his summer time; he made a lot of money by publishing erotic stuff. Roshan Puri throws the manuscript in the lap of Cyrus and says, “Here is your next best seller”. Cyrus takes time to read it but after reading it, he refuses to publish it. One evening when Cyrus goes for walking beyond the Camel Back road, Roshan follows him. Down the road, on a spot two men are fighting. Because of the evening shadow one man is partly hidden. But there is this one short man who is constantly leaping forward on the taller man. And the taller man is responding with his big stick. Miss Ripley-Bean is standing over the road and watching their tussling. From the height, she can make out that the man leaping forward is Roshan Puri, the frustrated writer.

In next attack, something hard hits on the chest of that author and he falls down in the cliff. A faint thud down the cliff is heard by her. Now she realizes that the seriel killer was none other than that author who was killing publishers for rejecting him. Even Cyrus notes that Miss Ripley-Bean is the witness but he doesn’t bring the topic in light. Neither Miss Ripley-Bean brings up the incident before him. Before leaving the hotel, Cyrus interacts with her, and then she says that she is writing a book on the history of Mussoorie and she is looking for publishers. Cyrus agrees to publish her book and before leaving the hotel, he leaves an advance of five thousand rupees for her.

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