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Book Review: Trace by Mohamed Nabeel Moidunni

Mohamed Nabeel Moidunni’s Trace is a lean, razor-sharp crime thriller that delivers the pulse-pounding excitement of a commercial blockbuster in the compact format of a 50-page novella. Moving with the sheer kinetic energy and dramatic flair reminiscent of a fast-paced Tollywood action-thriller, the story wastes no time on fluff, plunging readers directly into a high-stakes arena of ambition, deceit, and sudden violence.


The narrative establishes its central conflict instantly: the bitter rivalry between two broadcasting moguls, Rahman and Mujeeb. Competing fiercely for dominance in the cutthroat world of television news, their feud reaches a boiling point when Arun, Mujeeb’s trusted assistant, arrives at Rahman’s opulent mansion under the pretense of brokering a peace treaty. However, diplomacy collapses before it even begins. Within moments of Arun’s arrival, the atmosphere turns grim—Rahman is found dead inside his own estate, murdered under mysterious circumstances.

What follows is an intense, tightly wound police procedural spearheaded by Inspector Ram Mohan. Tasked with solving a murder that directly threatens the city's powerful media elite, Inspector Ram faces mounting bureaucratic and public pressure at every turn. Immediate suspicion falls on Arun and Rahman’s grief-stricken yet questionable son, Ajmal, both of whom are quickly taken into police custody. Yet, Ram quickly realizes that the mansion holds far more secrets than simple rivalries.

Moidunni keeps the storyline moving at breakneck speed. One by one, every figure in Rahman's orbit—from household staff and close associates to Mujeeb himself—falls under the magnifying lens of the investigation. The author skillfully plays with crime noir conventions, wrapping the setting in a cloak of mounting dread and tension. Red herrings and conflicting motives emerge naturally, creating a web of suspicion where everyone has something to hide and no one can be completely trusted.

Despite its brief page count, Trace manages an impressive structural feat: it gives readers the layered satisfaction and investigative depth typically found in a 500-page procedural. The narrative builds a series of clever sub-climaxes, steadily subverting standard genre tropes. Just when the evidence seems to point toward an obvious suspect, Moidunni pulls the rug out from beneath the reader, steering the climax toward an unexpected and deeply satisfying reveal.

Ultimately, Trace stands out as an engaging, briskly paced murder mystery. Mohamed Nabeel Moidunni demonstrates a keen eye for suspenseful storytelling, proving that a compelling whodunit does not require hundreds of pages to leave a lasting impact. For readers seeking a gripping, one-sitting crime noir thriller, Trace is well worth the read.

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