Bibliofile

Murder, They Write

There is a bit of a scramble to sign on the best writer to tell the Sheena murder case story quickly. As a publisher put it, the hottest selling genre curren­tly is the non-fiction page-turner (The Siege: The Attack on the Taj, The Accidental Prime Minister, now Arushi). The hunt is on to find someone who can start the book running. One of them is a senior Mumbai crime repor­ter who has been covering the case in detail. Another is a journalist and wri­ter who knew the Mukerjeas very well, who now will talk to the others involved in the case, if the book deal goes through. It looks like by this time next year, one or more books on the sensational case will be out.

Watch, Wait, Write

Bestselling author Frederick Forsythe has claimed in his autobio­graphy, The Outsider, that he worked as an agent for the MI6 for over two decades. But he is opposed to writers being part of the government, that’s why he calls himself an outsider. He writes: “A journalist should never join the Establishment, no matter how tempting the blandishments. It is our job to hold power to account, not join it. In a world that increasingly obsesses over the gods of power, money and fame, a journalist and a writer must remain detached, like a bird on a rail, watching, noting, probing, commenting but never joining. In short, an outsider.”

Crime Classical

While on bestselling authors, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None has been voted her best loved novel in a worldwide poll to mark her 125th birthday on September 15. Murder on the Orient Express was second, follo­wed by The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.