The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles: Book mixes Bengali mystery with gothic flair
PTI
Last Updated:
New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) Blending elements of Bengal's detective tradition with gothic fiction, a new book promises a gripping whodunnit laced with humor and unexpected twists and turns.
'The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles", published by Niyogi Books, is written by Singapore-based writer Hemangini Dutt Majumder.
'Murder mysteries are my happy place. I unabashedly love every trope related to the whodunnit style. That said, the germ of this novel really came from the lead protagonist Olympia Ghoshal Chattergé, or Ollie, the likable doofus, who has lived in my head for several years.
'… I thought it would be fascinating to flip the script and make her condition a sort of super-power rather than an affliction," Majumder, who previously authored children's book 'The Mystery of the Many, Many Missing Things", said in a statement.
The story follows Ollie, a young woman with an uncanny sense of smell, an unusual symptom of a health condition, and a rare female wine sommelier and beverage consultant.
Her life changes quite dramatically when she and her entire family decide to relocate to their ancestral estate, Neelbari, in Chandannagar, where strange and mysterious incidents begin to unfold.
'Is the malevolent spirit of her great-grandmother really haunting Neelbari? And why has their arrival caused so much alarm? What secrets are the walls and gardens of the hundred-year-old estate hiding? Why does no one seem to be telling the truth? What follows is a gripping whodunnit with ample doses of humour and delicious twists and turns?" are among the questions that unravel in the story.
The book is endorsed by the likes of celebrated writer and Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) co-director Namita Gokhale and former diplomat TCA Raghavan.
While Raghavan lauds Majumder for bringing to life a 'lovable but eccentric Bengali family with wit and empathy", Gokhale described the novel as a 'multilayered literary tribute to the classical Bangla whodunnit".
'It is an olfactory journey through stories and spectres and scary situations," she added.
The book, priced at Rs 495, is available for purchase across online and offline stores. PTI MG MG MG
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July 20, 2025, 14:30 IST
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