Lajo Jose and Esther - Series Review

In today’s Books and Authors, I would like to introduce an author who is just 3 books old. He has already become a sensation in the world of Malayalam Crime Fiction. His name is Lajo Jose. I have read his first two novels - Coffee House and Hydrangea and I am listening to the third one ‘Ruthinte Lokam’ (The World of Ruth) using the Storytel app (Thanks to KLF20 delegate kit for the three-month free subscription) There are three reasons why I was attracted to these books. First one involves the childhood memory of reading the novels of Kottayam Pushpanath, Batton Bose and Ettamannur Sivakumar. These three are considered to be the doyens of Malayalam Crime fiction. They ruled the literary scene in the ’80s and ’90s. It is through them that I developed a flair for reading and also the passion of seeing places in the world. Kottayam Pushpanath wrote about the Egyptian Pyramids and Amazon forest and even Hitler’s bunker. So, when I heard that there is a new kid on the block writing like Kottayam Pushpanath, I immediately ordered the two books and I was even lucky enough to meet him in the Author’s lounge of KLF20. The second reason I love Lajo Jose is that he introduced a female detective Esther who worked as a journalist. She debuts in the first novel as a journalist who drawn into this case and later becomes a full-time investigator. She doesn’t have a companion only a friend Aparna who is also a journalist. Lajo Jose is different because he had the guts to introduce a female sleuth when the world of Crime Fiction is dominated by men. The third reason why I appreciate Lajo Jose is because he followed his passion to be a writer. He was working as an investment banker and he quit his job to become a full-time writer. He has found what he wants in his life and is diligently pursuing it. As I write this short note, Lajo Jose is working on his fourth novel in the Esther series.