Read the review of first story DALER MUJRIM.

Read the review of second story KHAUFNAAK JANGAL.

Plot Summary

Aurat Farosh Ka Qatil is a murder mystery laced with some romance between Hameed and Shahnaz. The story, other than providing a mystery to be solved, focuses on various character types prevalent in the society.

It opens with fun, a LOT of fun. Hameed has now moved in with Faridi. The inspector-seargaent duo is quite popular, and envied upon. Hameed has a new girlfriend and he insists Faridi to tag along. Faridi does oblige.

After As one would expect, Faridi teases Hameed by dancing with his girlfriend Shahnaz. Agitated, Hameed starts to dance with a very old anglo-indian woman. This banter doesn’t last for long, as Faridi hears a gunshot and soon the recreation room is shutdown. Let the murder mystery begin.

The murdered is the same guy who was dancing with Shahnaz when Hameed and Faridi arrived at the hotel. He isn’t wasnt a prince as he claims claimed. Faridi arrives at the to room where two sub inspectors are investigating the alleged suicide. Within minutes, Faridi reasons that it cannot be a suicide but is definitely a murder. He impresses others and the readers alike.

Shahnaz is also bullied by the police regarding the investigation. Of course, Faridi has to help her. Not because she’s Hameed’s girlfriend, but because she’s innocent. Faridi doesn’t help people who are guilty.

There is a 50-somethjng knight sir Seeta Ram; his young, beautiful and adultering wife Lady Rekha Seeta Ram; a billionaire diamond’s dealer from Africa Colonel Prakash; and Seeta Ram’s nephew Sudheer who has an affair with Lady Rekha Seeta Ram.

The story progresses as Shahnaz is also kidnapped. Instead of looking into the matter Faridi goes out of station to attend an international dogs exhibition. The bad guys try every trick in the book to implicate Shahnaz in the murder.

Hameed has done everything in his power to save his lady love, but without losing his mind.

Faridi wasn’t much around. But, the climax does have a wicked surprise.

Review

The story focuses more on character types and less on solving the mystery. Most of Ibn-e-Safi’s work tries to address the character traits, big or small, that range from mildly annoying to outright wrong and illegal. I guess it is his way of subtly asking the reader to refrain from it. Dr Mehmood, in this case, is a guy who boasts too much is annoying little person to read about. There are such people in real life as well and they are much more annoying. Beware, and try not to be one of those 🙂

There is also occasional social commentary.  The police questions Shahnaz about her dance partner. Her subsequent kidnap tarnishes her image and she is forced to leave her job.

One of the sub-inspector in the story is Jagdish Kumar, who became a recurring character in other Jasoosi Duniya novels. The older sub-inspector Sinha tries to steal the credit of Faridi’s analysis. Faridi, helps to solve the case and instead give the credit to Jagdish.

This story also highlights a few character traits of Faridi.

1. Wherever he goes, Someone gets killed. This theme repeats so often that people start calling them manhoos.
2. Acute sense of hearing. He hears a a gunshot above the loud music. He knows all the dances and the littlest nuances and differences between various dance forms. It has always fascinated me, but it isn’t something I’d ever want to learn. But in Faridi’s defense, in his own words, a detective must know these things. As you say, Colonel!
3. He is often expected to be an old and grumpy guy and people are ALWAYS shocked to see such a young handsome man as the infamous Inspector A. K. Faridi.

The characters, their conversation and their situations completely engage you and take you to a different world. That world is fictional, but not much different from the reality.

That concludes the review for third story of Jasoosi Duniya Series. What do others feels about this one?

Shabana Mukhtar