The first publication for adult readers by Gratiaen Prize and State Literary Award nominated author Nadishka Aloysius hit the bookshelves this month with the release of ‘The Body in the Paddy Field’.
 Nadishka Aloysius |
The story is set in Ratnapura and follows the lives of two spirited female sleuths who prove that women can overcome social prejudice while solving a crime.
Kiyama Fernando, fleeing a failed marriage, visits her good friend Vinodhini Dias in a small town. When the body of a local teacher is found abandoned in a paddy field and her friend becomes the prime suspect in his murder, Kiyama concludes that the only way to help her friend, is to solve the murder before the police. As their investigation leads them from a paddy field, to a rubber plantation, a gambling den, and a school, the two friends realise nothing is as it seems.
In true cosy mystery fashion the book is fast-paced and humorous, has no sex, foul language, or violence, and features a cast of quirky characters which include a crafty money lender, a vociferous cook, and a handsome landowner.
The book has received 5-Star reviews on Amazon.
“Each character was well crafted and came to life on the pages.”
“This whodunit story had me reading late into the night! As each suspect was slowly eliminated, I was surprised to find an unexpected villain. An easy enjoyable read.”
Nadishka Aloysius is a teacher, actor, and author of 12 books. ‘Raavana’s ‘was longlisted for the Gratiaen Prize in 2019 and the State Literary Award in 2020, ‘Ronan’s Dinosaur’ was nominated for the State Literary Award in 2019, and ‘Roo, The Little Red Tuk ‘was a fnalist at the International Wishing Shelf Book Award in 2019. ‘That Easter Sunday’ is the only Catholic fiction children’s book written about the Easter attack of 2019.