Author Interview: Biswapriya Acharya talks about the crime thriller anthology penned by him

All my friends and family who have read this book have liked it a lot. They have rated it as excellent. The mix of adventure and thrill appealed to them the most.

What kind of books inspire you as a writer? Who are your favorite authors?

I am an avid reader of all genres of books be it historical, social drama, thriller or classical literature. A few of my more  favourite authors are Saradindu Bandyopadhyay,  Satyajit Ray,  Naryan Sanyal,  Bimal Kar and in English, Arthur Conan Doyle, Dan Brown, Robin Cook, Jeffrey Archer etc.

Why did you want to become a writer? Who inspired you to become a writer? What triggered you to come into writing?  

I did not consciously make a decision to take up writing as a profession. Rather my desire to write had its genesis from my experiences traveling around the world and meeting different kinds of people. I took this up as a hobby and simply wrote what came from within. Eventually it matured into a passion that resulted in a series of short stories and novels which you will see in publication in the near future. The sense of adventure and the insatiable curiosity that I had in me since childhood gave birth to the character Aditya Bose and the stories in this book.

What are you doing to let readers know about your book?

I informed my friends and relatives in India and abroad about the book through WhatsApp, email, phone and personal interactions. My children have done their part as well by sharing the book details through social media platforms like Facebook. 

Tell me something about your book. Some highlights.

In creating the backdrop of the stories, I chose to set it at a time when there was no mobile phone, no internet. The outcome of an investigation solely depended on the intelligence, acumen, observation powers and the ability of the investigator to study human behaviour.

In the first story. "Wood Street Murder", a businessman had died in his locked bedroom but everybody was elsewhere and they had strong alibi. A small piece of steel pipe triggered a spark in Aditya Bose's mind and he ultimately solved the case. His astute observation ripped apart the disguise of an impostor and murderer in faraway Peru and helped salvage an ancient treasure trove.

In the third story, a renowned paint technologist suddenly vanishes into thin air and after a short period of time, same variety of paints appear in the market from a different company with a shady background. Surprisingly, the person heading the manufacturing department is altogether a different man. But even such meticulously planned crime could not be kept under the carpet for a long time, courtesy Mr. Aditya Bose.

The last story is about how a criminal mind can use some scientific knowledge to commit an almost perfect crime though ultimately get exposed.

Tell us something about yourself and your background.

I hail from a small town in North Bengal. By profession I am a mechanical engineer and had a very successful career both in India and abroad. Since childhood I had a penchant for writing, and I penned my first story when I was only 14. Apart from adventure and thriller stories, I have written over 40 stories ranging from satirical comedy, love stories, real life drama, and ghost stories.

I also have a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. This subject has always been my passion and certain principles of mathematics are intricately woven in the clues in this book. In my free time, I love solving difficult brain teasers, playing Sudoku and crossword puzzles.

Do you plan to take it up as a full time profession if response is good?

Writing is a hobby and passion and I will continue to do it and publish more books compiling the different genres and stories that I have written.