Two new books–one, an anthology from Robbie Cheadle, and another, the debut novel from Damyanti Biswas. They’re nothing alike and both great:
- You Beneath Your Skin — an atmospheric novel about life and crime in New Delhi
- Through the Nethergate — a supernatural story about a young girl with second sight
You Beneath Your Skin
by Damyanti Biswas
5/5
In Damyanti Biswas’ debut novel, You Beneath Your Skin (2019), single mother Anjali Morgan is trying to raise a difficult special needs child, Nikhil, while holding down a job and continuing a ten-year relationship with a man she loves–despite that he’s married. Things get even more complicated when her boyfriend Jatin Bhatt–Special Commissioner of Crime, Delhi Police–must investigate the serial murders of slum women who are often disfigured by acid. What Anjali never expected was that it would eventually involve her.
While this may sound like a contemporary murder mystery, it’s anything but. Oh my, what a read. I didn’t plan to devour this book but once I started, the atmosphere, culture, and characters swamped me. I couldn’t leave. Read these:
“He wore an emerald for career growth, a sapphire and a cat’s eye to prevent misfortune.”
Though a crime novel, Biswas deftly integrates the psychological background of everyone involved into the action. From the first pages, I feel Anjali’s deep worry about her son, when he jumps from her stopped car and she can’t park fast enough to follow him. She knows he is now in danger and she’s not there to fix it. Every mother feels that way but the mother of an autistic child lives it. This works out but what about the next time?
While we follow Angali through her challenging home life, in her dedicated work among India’s poorest, I find myself in New Delhi with the thick smell of the smoggy dusty air, the passion of the people for a life filled with independence and energy. This book is highly recommended for those who love becoming part of what they read with no safe space to calmly watch the action from afar.
BTW, all of the proceeds from the sale of You Beneath Your Skin go to charities.
- Project WHY’s journey began in 2000 with 40 children who wanted to learn spoken English and a handful of volunteers. Over the years, as the number of children increased, their demands multiplied, new teachers were discovered within tiny jhuggis and lanes, and ad-hoc classrooms found. They started their first after-school support programme at Giri Nagar for children coming from underprivileged homes, and today through seven after-school support centres, they reach out to over 1100 children, 200 women and have created 50 job opportunities for people from the community. Their aim is to bridge the education gap for underprivileged children and improve their learning outcomes in a safe environment, as well as life-skills and all-round development for women.
- Stop Acid Attacks (SAA) is a campaign against acid violence. This organisation has been actively campaigning for the cause of acid attack survivors by continuously creating dialogue with the political and legal system, to bring about a social change. The survivor of an acid attack requires immediate medical, financial and psychological support on human grounds. But, the judicial procedures in this country do not assure any such intervention or help to the survivor until a court announces it. It is this loophole in the procedure of justice that they work on, by generating immediate medical and final support for the victims and providing them and their families the needed psychological and legal support. Using the visual medium, and engaging with their supporters worldwide through social media and the internet, they aim to sensitise and educate people about the gruesome nature of this crime, and the oppressive injustice of a gender-biased society.
So buy early and often! You will feel good about your investment.
Through the Nethergate
by Robbie Cheadle
Margaret, a girl born with second sight, has the unique ability to bring ghosts trapped between Heaven and Hell back to life. When her parents die suddenly, she goes to live with her beloved grandfather, but the cellar of her grandfather’s ancient inn is haunted by an evil spirit of its own. In the town of Bungay, a black dog wanders the streets, enslaving the ghosts of those who have died unnatural deaths. When Margaret arrives, these phantoms congregate at the inn, hoping she can free them from the clutches of Hugh Bigod, the 12th century ghost who has drawn them away from Heaven’s White Light in his canine guise. With the help of her grandfather and the spirits she has befriended, Margaret sets out to defeat Hugh Bigod, only to discover he wants to use her for his own ends – to take over Hell itself.
Purchase links
as a soft copy book from TSL Publications
It will be available on Amazon in a few weeks’ time.
Follow Roberta Eaton Cheadle
WordPress: https://robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Robbie+Cheadle&i=stripbooks-intl-ship&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers, and the Man vs. Nature saga. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice, a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, In the Footsteps of Giants, Winter 2021. You can find her tech ed books at her publisher’s website, Structured Learning
I love the name “You beneath your skin” but I’m not sure about the affair bit. Kinda puts me off – but it is intriguing and I do like crime books from other countries.
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And it was treated as a pretty normal event. Though they remained loyal to each other.
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Wow, these books sound amazing. Thanks for sharing them!
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They don’t disappoint!
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Great introduction to both books Jacqui..
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They are both excellent finds for me, way outside my normal reading and for that, I am thankful.
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I’ve pre-ordered Robbie’s book and Damyanti’s book sounds like a #mustread! Sharing…
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You have some wonderful hours of reading ahead of you, Bette.
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I concur with the comments of your other readers!
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This is a great group, innit? Thanks for visiting, Liz.
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Yes, it is! I enjoyed my visit.
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Reblogged this on Robbie's inspiration and commented:
Thank you, Jacqui Murray, for featuring Through the Nethergate on her interesting blog, Worddreams. Jacqui is an author of a number of exciting books and three historical novels about ancient man. She shares book reviews and lots of tips on writing and language usage on her blog. Do go over and have a look around.
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Thanks for sharing this, Robbie!
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You Beneath Your Skin sounds very good, Jacqui. Books that include special needs children always interest me as I have my own. I always hope I might learn some new coping skills.
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I read a lot of books and among them, this one stands out as unique, memorable. Something about how Damyanti weaves culture and atmosphere so flawlessly into her characters–amazing.
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Jacqui, this is kindness on another scale altogether. Thanks very much, and I’m so relieved and overjoyed that a writer of your caliber liked the book. And so moved that you would recommend it to others.
Been traveling in India with patchy internet so I couldn’t log into WordPress to post this—sorry about that.
Thank you so so much.
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You have something special here, Damyanti. And I think a lot of people recognize it.
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I am so sorry for being late with this post, Jacqui. My outlook collapsed on Friday and I lost my calendar and all my notifications. I woke up with a start this morning and remembered that you were posting on Friday. Thank you so much, I really do appreciate it.
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I have had so much trouble with Outlook lately. It throws everything into spam, so much so that I now simply move all of my spam into my inbox and wade through it. So believe me, I understand email problems. Glad you’re here now!
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These both sound like great books. I’m especially proud of Damyanti’s achievement as I’ve been reading her blog for years – she’s brilliant. And that she’s donating proceeds to charities is an even more outstanding endeavor.
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That last–the donations–that fits everything I know about this lady.
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Fab reviews. I’m currently halfway through Damyanti’s book and waiting for the Kindle version of Robbie’s Nethergate 🙂
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She has quite a few of us waiting–Robbie that is. I think it’s any time now.
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So many books, so little time, keeps us looking forward.
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Thank you, Debby. Damyanti’s book sounds really good. I look forward to your review.
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Thanks Robbie 🙂
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Both sound great! Thanks for letting us know about them.
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They do, don’t they? I can attest to Damyanti’s. Robbie’s–I’m waiting on Amazon.
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Excellent reviews,Jacqui. I’ve been looking forward to Robbie’s book for a while, and Damyanti’s book sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing your reviews!
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Damyanti’s is like nothing I’ve read before. She put me right into India. I was awed. And I agree about Robbie’s book. As soon as it hits Amazon, I’ll be purchasing!
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Your endorsement was so exciting. I have a little reading to push through and then I’m buying more books. 😀
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Thank you, Diana. Books that include special needs children always interest me too.
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These both sound great. You Beneath Your Skin sounds really intriguing. And it’s all going to charity. That is just wonderful.
Hope Xhosa’s creator has a grand weekend:)
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Both good books, and quite different from each other.
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I’ve been waiting to get Robbies book on Amazon. You Beneath Your Skin sounds like an insightful read. I love the profits go to charity, so I’ll pick up my copy today.
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Me too–about Robbie’s book. Soon, I hope?
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Thank you, Denise.
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I haven’t the second book, but I did read the first, and it was fantastic. Thanks for feature the books today, Jacqui.
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Same here. I am waiting for Through the Nethergate to get to Amazon!
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Always nice of you to let us know what good stuff it out there.
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I can’t believe what I was missing when I didn’t read Indie authors.
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I’m glad you’ve found so many good ones!
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Great reviews. I am getting ready to read You Beneath My Skin, and the other looks like one I would want to read will watch for it in ebook. Great reviews.
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Damyanti’s will transport you. I think you’ll enjoy it.
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These both sound wonderful. All the best to both authors. Thanks for sharing them, Jacqui.
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And welcome back! You have been missed but I say that selfishly. I hope you did wonderful things on your break.
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It was more mental health than anything, but it was necessary. I’m raring to go again and glad to be back. And I missed you, too!
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It’s great hearing about great authors.
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… and their great books. Hmm… that could be a poem. Maybe e.e.cummins.
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I’m looking forward to reading Robbie’s book. And Damyanti’s sounds highly engrossing. Congratulations to both authors.
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I’ve read Damyanti’s–wow. I can’t believe it’s a first book. Robbie’s is on my TBR list. As soon as it’s available on Amazon.
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Mine, too! And good to know about Damyanti’s release. It sounds exceptional!
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Thank you, Mae.
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Lovely.
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Two great books for your down time!
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They both sound quite imaginative, Jacqui. That’s what I’m always looking for in a novel.
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Robbie writes about history–an interest you and I share. Damyanti’s is atmospheric. I felt like I’d lived in India by the time I finished the book.
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Hi Jacqui – having got totally engrossed in Damyanti’s book – I can highly recommend it … I was totally connecting with her characters, the tone of India, its underworld … so much so – before I finished it – I’d ordered two for god-children who are both studying slightly different sides of psychiatry – I’m sure they’ll enjoy the crime novel aspect of it – while we can all learn about the horrors and cruelty that goes in … in all societies – though I hate to say it. Her prose is outstanding … cheers Hilary
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It’s hard for me to imagine she’s never published before. Do we have a Margaret Mitchell on our hands?
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She is certainly going to be a high flyer – thank goodness her husband pushed her to publish … it’s such a good book … cheers H
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Thanks for the review, Jacqui. Sounds like two winners!
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Yep, I’d say that’s right! Though I am still waiting tor read Robbie’s
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