The Ritzy Maartle is a suspense novel by Jinal Chirag Shah. Well, let this be conveyed at the outset that the novel is majorly written for a young audience who take interest in fantasy, re-historys and many other ideas that fascinate them. And to be honest, the author has wonderfully narrated the story that has the potential to keep the readers engaged till the last. Even being a critical adult (yes, my readings tend to be a little cynical most of the time), I could not find the novel lagging apparently enough that could lead the young readers away from the storyline. So, well done to the author!

The protagonist of the novel Prash and Nish are fond of solving mysteries and they have solved two mysteries previously as well. The two have been offered by the author as novels before this one, The Ritzy Maartle. ‘A Chest’s Tale’ and Tattoed Music’ and they are on the way to solving a new mystery in the novel.

The novel starts in a small town, Jhiljila, where the famous antique collector Mr Yogesh Parikh is opening a museum. A famous archaeologist Dev Soni comes with a special gift for the museum. The antique chessboard of Akbar that was given to him by the Egyptian government where he was posted. It was quite surprising for the kids and all the other persons. However, the gift is not as simple as it seems from the outside and that’s where the crux of this mystery novel lies. This was not just an antique chessboard but a secret code to a fabulous treasure and the hunt is about to begin by the mystery crackers.

They search for every clue and travel all the ancient places in India. Moreover, there are some foreigners who are also searching for treasure and you might find the elements of conflict, the race against the odds and a desire to do something for the profits or for the greater good of humankind.

With a lot of twists and turns, the novel goes on at an effective pace. It never lets the readers feel detached from the story. It also provides a quick recap of Indian history from Agra to Delhi. There are a lot of historical forts that are being searched by the protagonists in the process of finding the clue coming from the Chessboard.

A perfect combination of the theme, plot and language makes the book more attractive. The author has maintained the suspense and curiosity level of the readers till the very end. It is a wonderful story that perfectly combines all the elements of the novel and presents it before the readers. Well, there are many things that will attract young readers of fiction and there are also a few shortcomings that will infuriate the cynics like myself. The editing job had to be better if the novel has to cross the juvenile circle and become a mass entertainment source. I hope the author and the publishers work on this aspect. One more thing that stuck in my mind while reading the novel is that the author has always mentioned Redmi Note 10 many times. Because most of the authors always mention iPhones whenever they get a chance to mention a mobile phone. Well, that’s a silly case to argue… we are leading towards a paradigm shift in juvenile fiction and authors are becoming more and more realistic as well as updated about things around. It’s a refreshing and always welcome change!

The novel provides a perfect message for the readers that you have to tame your fear in order to save the national treasure, metaphorically. In short, you have to do it at any cost when the matter is connected with your nation’s pride. With the wit and readiness of the kids, they manage to save the Akbar’s chessboard from the hands of foreigners – but how do they do it? Why is it important? What does it hold? What secrets are about to be unfolded? You will know all as you read the novel.

Get a copy from Amazon India by clicking the link below:

Buy the novel – Amazon India – click here

Review by Anand S J for BookWorm Reviews