The Blue Bar
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-03 11:21:40
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Damyanti Biswas
- ISBN：1713668785
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Reviews
Hailey Fish
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I thoroughly enjoyed this dark and gritty thriller and I could picture walking along the characters in the streets of Mumbai！ My breath caught a few times in my throat and the twists and turns shocked me to my core。 I can't wait to read what Damyanti has up her sleeve。 Well done！ Run don't walk to get this thriller and you will devour it and won't stop till it's finished！ I thoroughly enjoyed this dark and gritty thriller and I could picture walking along the characters in the streets of Mumbai！ My breath caught a few times in my throat and the twists and turns shocked me to my core。 I can't wait to read what Damyanti has up her sleeve。 Well done！ Run don't walk to get this thriller and you will devour it and won't stop till it's finished！ 。。。more
sammi_reads
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It's simple。 Wear the blue sequins saree and go to a train station。 You have three minutes to exit once the signal is given。The Blue Bar is an interesting crime novel following police inspector， Arnav。 Dead bodies are turning up with a scattering of blue sequins as the only clue。 Something about these cases brings Arnav back to both his sister's death and his girlfriend， bar dancer Tara's， disappearance many years prior。I did struggle with the details at the beginning。 Some pieces seemed a bit s It's simple。 Wear the blue sequins saree and go to a train station。 You have three minutes to exit once the signal is given。The Blue Bar is an interesting crime novel following police inspector， Arnav。 Dead bodies are turning up with a scattering of blue sequins as the only clue。 Something about these cases brings Arnav back to both his sister's death and his girlfriend， bar dancer Tara's， disappearance many years prior。I did struggle with the details at the beginning。 Some pieces seemed a bit scattered， however as I continued on， it moved quickly and smoothly。 The PoV switches were efficiently used。 The author provided us with a great tool partway through， which was Arnav's suspect list and reasoning behind each。 If you like police-focused crime books， you will enjoy this。 I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
BeautyntheBook
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The Blue Bar⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫I devoured this book in 48 hours！ It was just THAT INTENSE 😅 At first you don’t realize that you’re reading a thriller， but then you quickly discover that you’re reading about a hunt for a SERIAL KILLER and bodies keep dropping🩸There is also an interesting love story woven into this storyline which also reveals motivation and the passion behind the hunt。 I was so drawn into the writing， if there was ever a way to have eloquence meet gory， THIS IS IT！ I was literally wooing o The Blue Bar⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫I devoured this book in 48 hours！ It was just THAT INTENSE 😅 At first you don’t realize that you’re reading a thriller， but then you quickly discover that you’re reading about a hunt for a SERIAL KILLER and bodies keep dropping🩸There is also an interesting love story woven into this storyline which also reveals motivation and the passion behind the hunt。 I was so drawn into the writing， if there was ever a way to have eloquence meet gory， THIS IS IT！ I was literally wooing over blood and guts…。who am I？I also loved reading about all the setting characteristics that are unique to Mumbai， to the point where I’m inspired to learn more。 I haven’t read many thrillers that take place outside the United States， and that’s one thing I want to research， because I’m sure there are plenty more books and authors out there？！ 。。。more
Yume Kitasei
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I was lucky enough to get an ARC for this book - it comes out next year！THE BLUE BAR is a richly told， fast-moving mystery thriller set in current day Mumbai about a detective on the trail of a mysterious serial killer and the woman he loves and thought he lost years ago - who may just be the next victim。To my work: I'm sorry， but I stayed up way too late reading this。 It has everything: gorgeous prose， a strong current of suspense， a sweet romance， and all the little details that make a story f I was lucky enough to get an ARC for this book - it comes out next year！THE BLUE BAR is a richly told， fast-moving mystery thriller set in current day Mumbai about a detective on the trail of a mysterious serial killer and the woman he loves and thought he lost years ago - who may just be the next victim。To my work: I'm sorry， but I stayed up way too late reading this。 It has everything: gorgeous prose， a strong current of suspense， a sweet romance， and all the little details that make a story feel real， from the autopsy discussions， the mouthwatering food descriptions， and the descriptions of the police station。 You can tell it was meticulously researched。 This is not a simple story about crime corruption; it's about the individual choices people make moment to moment to do the 'right' thing or do a thing to help the people they love。I loved it。 。。。more
Yosh
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It was truly a delight to read The Blue Bar， a unique Mumbai crime thriller by Damyanti Biswas。 With intricate plotline， sympathetic characters and the lush descriptions of Mumbai， it kept the pages turning until the very end。This book has a lot going on: a killer plotline， a unique setting in Mumbai， pervasive corruption， romance and mystery。 I particularly enjoyed that each chapter was written in alternating POVs。 My absolute favorite was that of the killer’s which was handled deftly and revea It was truly a delight to read The Blue Bar， a unique Mumbai crime thriller by Damyanti Biswas。 With intricate plotline， sympathetic characters and the lush descriptions of Mumbai， it kept the pages turning until the very end。This book has a lot going on: a killer plotline， a unique setting in Mumbai， pervasive corruption， romance and mystery。 I particularly enjoyed that each chapter was written in alternating POVs。 My absolute favorite was that of the killer’s which was handled deftly and revealed so much of the chilling inner workings。 Well done。This book is very well researched， and Biswas’ capable and fluent writing provide a sure hand， guiding the reader through this wild ride。 Overall， I loved the book。 I can already picture an action filled movie/tv series a la Shantaram coming out of this book。 So happy I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Tammy Geasley
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Awesome book！！ Highly recommend reading！！
Sherry
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I love a book set in a different place with a different culture and this one is on the streets of Mumbai leading up to Diwali。 I usually fly through crime novels， but this one was a little slower of a read for me， for probably the same reason of digesting names and culture… The setting was authentic and I have a whole new list of Indian food to try。 From the start I had an idea that the old missing persons case might play a part and was eager to find out what was happening。 The plot moved along I love a book set in a different place with a different culture and this one is on the streets of Mumbai leading up to Diwali。 I usually fly through crime novels， but this one was a little slower of a read for me， for probably the same reason of digesting names and culture… The setting was authentic and I have a whole new list of Indian food to try。 From the start I had an idea that the old missing persons case might play a part and was eager to find out what was happening。 The plot moved along and I liked the slight romance that peppered the pages。 Goodreads says this is book one， so I look forward to the next installment。Anyone that likes crime stories that is looking for something a little different in setting and culture， should definitely give this one a try。 。。。more
Lillian
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*thank you to the author for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review！This was a very interesting book that had so many different things going on！ I loved how it was a mystery thriller with some police procedural aspects to it。 I loved how descriptive the writing was and felt like I was transported to the streets of Mumbai。 It was a gripping， page turner and kept me guessing。 I love mysteries where I can act like a sleuth like I’m in one of the crime shows I like to watch， so this *thank you to the author for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review！This was a very interesting book that had so many different things going on！ I loved how it was a mystery thriller with some police procedural aspects to it。 I loved how descriptive the writing was and felt like I was transported to the streets of Mumbai。 It was a gripping， page turner and kept me guessing。 I love mysteries where I can act like a sleuth like I’m in one of the crime shows I like to watch， so this was perfect for me。 The serial killer POV was so unique to me & it was kind of creepy to be in their mind！ With all the characters， I had a hard time keeping track of them and the plot was a little slow at times for me。 It was pretty graphic， which I’m not always used to， but I didn’t mind too much。 。。。more
Krista crone
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First let’s talk about the gorgeous cover; it immediately captured my attention。 Be ready to be transported to the streets of Mumbai with the smell of street food and the exotic dances。 This was such an atmospheric read that really made you feel that you were in the setting and feeling immersed in the culture。 I am a sucker to police procedural plots and this was a wild ride。 This book is full of cover ups， corruption， and gruesome murders。I loved the multiple POV and the complexity of the MCs r First let’s talk about the gorgeous cover; it immediately captured my attention。 Be ready to be transported to the streets of Mumbai with the smell of street food and the exotic dances。 This was such an atmospheric read that really made you feel that you were in the setting and feeling immersed in the culture。 I am a sucker to police procedural plots and this was a wild ride。 This book is full of cover ups， corruption， and gruesome murders。I loved the multiple POV and the complexity of the MCs relationship。 However， at times it was overwhelming with the amount of characters as it was hard to keep track of who everyone was。 Overall， this book was an incredibly enjoyable ride。 If you are a fan of police procedural plots， exotic settings， or lost love this is the book for you！Thank you Damyanti Biswas， Thomas and Mercer， and Let’s Talk Book Promo for having me on this book tour！ A #gifted copy of the book was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Literary Redhead
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🌟 BOOK REVIEW 🌟THE BLUE BAR （Book 1 of 2）by Damyanti BiswasThomas & MercerPub date: Jan 1， 2023The Blue Bar is a stunning thriller set in gritty Mumbai， a perfect exotic location for this mystery involving investigator Arnav Singh Rajput， keen to find a serial killer who preys on vulnerable women， perhaps Arnav's long lost love Tara， who disappeared years ago。 I dare you to put this one down before completion。 I sure couldn't， paging as fast as I could to an end I never guessed。 Biswas is my new 🌟 BOOK REVIEW 🌟THE BLUE BAR （Book 1 of 2）by Damyanti BiswasThomas & MercerPub date: Jan 1， 2023The Blue Bar is a stunning thriller set in gritty Mumbai， a perfect exotic location for this mystery involving investigator Arnav Singh Rajput， keen to find a serial killer who preys on vulnerable women， perhaps Arnav's long lost love Tara， who disappeared years ago。 I dare you to put this one down before completion。 I sure couldn't， paging as fast as I could to an end I never guessed。 Biswas is my new fav thriller writer， and The Blue Bar is a must-read for fans of multicultural noir and twisty gripping tales。 Thanks to Damyanti Biswas and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC。 Opinions are mine。 #thebluebar #bookoneinseries #damyantibiswas #thomasmercer #mumbaiserialmurderthriller#newfavthrillerwriter#bookstagramcommunity 。。。more
Jessica
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The prologue for The Blue Bar was great， and really got me interested in the story。 I had no idea what Tara was doing， or why or who she worked for and I was eager to learn more。 But then the actual novel began， and I got quickly became disinterested。 The characters were not distinguishable and I just wanted to get back to Tara。 I felt like there was a constant tease， where Tara was mentioned， but her story wasn't explained。 Maybe I needed to keep reading， but I just wasn't interested enough to The prologue for The Blue Bar was great， and really got me interested in the story。 I had no idea what Tara was doing， or why or who she worked for and I was eager to learn more。 But then the actual novel began， and I got quickly became disinterested。 The characters were not distinguishable and I just wanted to get back to Tara。 I felt like there was a constant tease， where Tara was mentioned， but her story wasn't explained。 Maybe I needed to keep reading， but I just wasn't interested enough to do so。 DNF 。。。more
Janine
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This was different from other books that I usually read。 It was a mix of romance， thriller， and police procedural， so that definitely kept things interesting。 And y’all， I was actually so invested in the romance。 Arnav and Tara’s relationship was so much fun to read about。 It had a bit of a star-crossed lovers vibe and I loved that！I would say my favourite part of the story was the POV of the killer （yeah， yeah， there’s something wrong with me）。 It was just so creepy to read from his perspective This was different from other books that I usually read。 It was a mix of romance， thriller， and police procedural， so that definitely kept things interesting。 And y’all， I was actually so invested in the romance。 Arnav and Tara’s relationship was so much fun to read about。 It had a bit of a star-crossed lovers vibe and I loved that！I would say my favourite part of the story was the POV of the killer （yeah， yeah， there’s something wrong with me）。 It was just so creepy to read from his perspective and not know who he could be。I did find that the story was a bit slow at times， and I struggled to keep track of all the characters。 But there were also many moments where there was so much happening and I was glued to the pages。 I also loved the amount of detail， and the writing was very well done！I received this book for free as part of an Instagram book tour。 。。。more
Meagan Beal
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Thank you to Thomas & Mercer ， @netgalley and @damyantig for my review copy。 Gripping， clever， and， unputdownable The Blue Bar had me in its grasps from the very first page。 Set in Mumbai， you get a little bit of everything， glamorous Bollywood， the underground dons and， police inspectors。 Tara and Arnav characters you can find yourself quickly rooting for and caring so much for。 I really enjoyed the pacing of the story and all the possibilities of who is doing what。 There was so much tension as Thank you to Thomas & Mercer ， @netgalley and @damyantig for my review copy。 Gripping， clever， and， unputdownable The Blue Bar had me in its grasps from the very first page。 Set in Mumbai， you get a little bit of everything， glamorous Bollywood， the underground dons and， police inspectors。 Tara and Arnav characters you can find yourself quickly rooting for and caring so much for。 I really enjoyed the pacing of the story and all the possibilities of who is doing what。 There was so much tension as you race with Arnav to find answers for these women and for Tara。 With multiple POVs you get a feel into what they are thinking even the I known bad guy and his helper！ 4。5🌟 。。。more
Paterson Loarn
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On the dark streets of Mumbai， the paths of a missing dancer， a serial killer， and an inspector with a haunted past converge in an evocative thriller about lost love and murderous obsession。 When I reviewed You Beneath Your Skin by Damyanti Biswas， I mentioned the truthfulness of her writing。 She describes a society which is broken， especially with regard to the safety of women， but her characters shine with passion and human kindness。 Her second novel， The Blue Bar， continues in the same mode， On the dark streets of Mumbai， the paths of a missing dancer， a serial killer， and an inspector with a haunted past converge in an evocative thriller about lost love and murderous obsession。 When I reviewed You Beneath Your Skin by Damyanti Biswas， I mentioned the truthfulness of her writing。 She describes a society which is broken， especially with regard to the safety of women， but her characters shine with passion and human kindness。 Her second novel， The Blue Bar， continues in the same mode， but has an even more complex plot。 A serial killer hiding behind power and status is exposed through the mutual devotion of two lovers。 The Blue Bar is both shocking and emotionally satisfying， without being moralistic。 After years of dancing in Mumbai’s bars， Tara Mondal was desperate for a new start。 So when a client offered her a life-changing payout to indulge a harmless， if odd， fantasy， she accepted。 The setup was simple: wear a blue-sequined saree， enter a crowded railway station， and escape from view in less than three minutes。 It was the last time anyone saw Tara。 The reader must use their brain to keep up with the fast-paced action in The Blue Bar。 Inspector Arnav is a serving police officer。 For him there is no such thing as a quiet day at the office。 Ravaged bodies of women begin to be unearthed and it becomes clear that evil is abroad。 Throughout all this horror the charm of Mumbai itself never fades。 Tara the dancer has suffered terribly and policeman Arnaz sees the worst of humanity every day， but neither of them would dream of leaving。 Thirteen years later， Tara’s lover， Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput， is still grappling with her disappearance as he faces a horrifying new crisis: on the city’s outskirts， women’s dismembered bodies are being unearthed from shallow graves。 Very little links the murders， except a scattering of blue sequins and a decade’s worth of missing persons reports that correspond with major festivals。 Tara was a rebellious teenager。 As a result her family sold her to the owner of the Blue Bar， where she spent her youth dancing provocatively for the pleasure of strangers。 She disappears after the bar owner is paid by a wealthy stranger to supply women to act out their fantasies。 It is not clear whether Tara was involved in prostitution while employed at the bar。 To judge from the words of the bar owner， who says he doesn’t interfere with what ‘the girls’ do in their spare time， she may have been tempted to make money out of her situation。 In Tara’s world women’s bodies are monetised and their lives treated as worthless， except when they are servicing men。 Violence against them is either ignored or tolerated。 Only good men like Inspector Arnav care enough to protect women。Past and present blur as Arnav realizes he’s on the trail of a serial killer and that someone wants his investigation buried at any cost。 Could the key to finding Tara and solving these murders be hidden in one of his cold cases？ Or will the next body they recover be hers？ Arnav has his own problems。 He has a rich and affecting back story， like all the other characters in The Blue Bay。 The way they interact while his investigation proceeds is intriguing。 Arnav and Tara were childhood sweethearts and he has not stopped thinking about her since the day she left their home town。 He is under pressure from an influential developer to reopen a construction site where headless corpses have been found。 Some of his police colleagues are more trustworthy than others and few of them feel the same responsibility as he does to combat violence against women。 Ignoring political manoeuvring and threats to his future promotion， Arnav perseveres with his investigation。 Half way through the novel I thought I had guessed the killer， but I was way off。 As the crisis approaches the twists and turns of the story will amaze the reader。 I defy anyone to predict the final resolution， which is beyond original。 。。。more
CYIReadBooks （Claire）
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After the discovery of several human remains， each bearing the same markers of disposal， Inspector Arnav Rajput was convinced that there was a serial killer on the loose。 And Arnav was determined to capture the perpetrator。Set in the tropical region of Mumbai， The Blue Bar is a suspenseful tale of a police inspector following a trail that could lead to the arrest of a suspected serial killer and the uncovering of corruption in the department hierarchy。For me， The Blue Bar was a slow read。 I got After the discovery of several human remains， each bearing the same markers of disposal， Inspector Arnav Rajput was convinced that there was a serial killer on the loose。 And Arnav was determined to capture the perpetrator。Set in the tropical region of Mumbai， The Blue Bar is a suspenseful tale of a police inspector following a trail that could lead to the arrest of a suspected serial killer and the uncovering of corruption in the department hierarchy。For me， The Blue Bar was a slow read。 I got tangled up with the Hindi words and phrases as well as the names of the numerous characters。 It took me a while to get with the flow as all of the names seemed so similar to me。 Outside of Arnav Rajput， it was not until close to the end that I finally managed to distinguish one character from the other。The story unfolds through multiple points of view and I liked that even the unsub’s point of view was given。 It sure made it easier to determine the motive for all of the murders。There were several plot twists that made the story engaging and suspenseful。 A lot of the plot twists were not expected and some of them， surprising。There were a number of characters and although I got confused with the names， they all were developed and fleshed out enough to get a feel for each of their moral compasses。Overall， I found The Blue Bar to be an enjoyable novel worth of four stars。I received a digital ARC from Thomas & Mercer via the author， through NetGalley。 The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions。 。。。more
Amy
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I don’t think I have read a thriller set in Mumbai before and it was quite the experience。 This one swept me away to a gritty yet simultaneously glittery locale and took me on a dark journey that captivated me。 Being immersed in the culture of India was such a fascinating experience， the author described the sights， smells and overall feel of Mumbai in such an incredible way。 I really felt like I was right there with Arnav as he tried to catch a possible serial killer despite resistance from eve I don’t think I have read a thriller set in Mumbai before and it was quite the experience。 This one swept me away to a gritty yet simultaneously glittery locale and took me on a dark journey that captivated me。 Being immersed in the culture of India was such a fascinating experience， the author described the sights， smells and overall feel of Mumbai in such an incredible way。 I really felt like I was right there with Arnav as he tried to catch a possible serial killer despite resistance from everyone around him。 So you have Arnav investigating a grisly case but there is also a romantic thread as well bringing some joy to a bleak story。 This was also deftly plotted with some surprising reveals and an ending I didn’t see coming。 I was super impressed by this one and am excited it’s the start of a series， try this if you’re a thriller fan and want something that feels fresh and unique。 。。。more
Mandy White （mandylovestoread）
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The Blue Bar will transport you to Mumbai with it’s vivid descriptions and atmospheric writing。 I could almost taste the food as I was reading this close to midnight。 Certainly， made me hungry 🙂 This was the first book that I have read set in India from memory， and it was a nice change of scenery。 I do love a dark and gritty crime thriller and this book had it all…。 corruption， a serial killer， secrets， unlikeable characters and even a bit of romance。 I look forward to reading more in this serie The Blue Bar will transport you to Mumbai with it’s vivid descriptions and atmospheric writing。 I could almost taste the food as I was reading this close to midnight。 Certainly， made me hungry 🙂 This was the first book that I have read set in India from memory， and it was a nice change of scenery。 I do love a dark and gritty crime thriller and this book had it all…。 corruption， a serial killer， secrets， unlikeable characters and even a bit of romance。 I look forward to reading more in this series from Damyanti Biswas。 13 years ago， Tara was a dancer at The Blue Bar。 After being given the opportunity to make some big money on an outside job， she vanished。 Her lover at the time， Inspector Arnav Singh Raiput， has never gotten over her。 But he has his hands full with the discovery of multiple women's bodies across the city。 These bodies have been dismembered， but all have blue sequins in the soil around them。 What is the connection？ Could Tara be one of these bodies？ You will have to read it to find out。Thanks to the author， Thomas and a Mercer and NetGalley for my advanced course of this book to read。 Publishes on January 1st。 。。。more
Indre
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This was a quick read。 It is an intriguing， new voice， new location for a thriller。 Fast moving plot， characters that are unique and engaging。 But there are a lot of characters， and I felt overwhelmed。 Especially since the plot includes a lot of political manipulation， and the government officials/mobsters/detectives are plenty and adding their own fingers into the mix into this investigation。 Overall a thriller with a unique serial killer that will entertain the masses。 Looking forward to more This was a quick read。 It is an intriguing， new voice， new location for a thriller。 Fast moving plot， characters that are unique and engaging。 But there are a lot of characters， and I felt overwhelmed。 Especially since the plot includes a lot of political manipulation， and the government officials/mobsters/detectives are plenty and adding their own fingers into the mix into this investigation。 Overall a thriller with a unique serial killer that will entertain the masses。 Looking forward to more from this author。 。。。more
Danielle Urban
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The Blue Bar is a fantastic romantic suspense novel。 I loved reading this new book。 Damyanti Biswas is a new to me author。 I have not read any of her previous books。 I will be reading more of her books in the future。 This book had it all！ Mystery， romance， danger， and action were all wrapped up in this engaging novel。 I received this copy from the publisher。 This is my voluntary review。
Dive Into A Good Book
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If you want to be transported to Mumbai， The Blue Bar is for you。 Damyanti Biswas has brought it to life with all of the descriptive details and descriptions。 I thought I was walking through the hot， smog filled air。 On my way to taste all of the tantalizing street food， that will make my tastebuds sing。 All the while the Mumbai's underworld comes crashing down and mixes with the police force。 Making for a murky， dark， mystery that will leave your brain spinning。 Thirteen years ago， Inspector Av If you want to be transported to Mumbai， The Blue Bar is for you。 Damyanti Biswas has brought it to life with all of the descriptive details and descriptions。 I thought I was walking through the hot， smog filled air。 On my way to taste all of the tantalizing street food， that will make my tastebuds sing。 All the while the Mumbai's underworld comes crashing down and mixes with the police force。 Making for a murky， dark， mystery that will leave your brain spinning。 Thirteen years ago， Inspector Avi's love simply disappeared。 Leaving no trace and leaving him to go through life always dreaming of Tara。 Not being able to let go and to move on with his life。 He is stuck in a time warp that sends him careening off track every time a body is discovered， always thinking this could be his lost love。 When remains are uncovered on a building site。 Avi believes he is onto a serial killer; the body is disposed of in a similar manner to other cold cases he has worked。 As Avi dives deeper， roadblocks are put in his way。 Willing him to stop investigating and to move onto another case。 Will he be able to uncover what is occurring around Mumbai before another woman goes missing。。。I am in love with the way Biswas set up the book， the ending knocked me for a loop。 I had to reread the page twice before my brain clicked for the aha moment。 The only aspect I struggled with is the number of characters that you had to wade through。 I wish I had started a list to keep them all straight。 Biswas did begin showing a list toward the end that did help straighten this out。 Thank you to Damyanti Biswas and Thomas & Mercer for gifting me this high octane read。 。。。more
Meredith Hambrock
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THE BLUE BAR is a compelling thriller that I read in just a few days。 Arnav， the police detective at the heart of this tale is hunting a serial killer in Mumbai， trying to shake his feelings for Tara， a mysterious bar girl he had a fling with years previous but has since disappeared。 As tension mounts， Arnav fights corruption， class problems， and his haunted past。 This book is tense， well-structured， and full of gorgeous， transportive writing that swept me away。 A really stellar read！ I especial THE BLUE BAR is a compelling thriller that I read in just a few days。 Arnav， the police detective at the heart of this tale is hunting a serial killer in Mumbai， trying to shake his feelings for Tara， a mysterious bar girl he had a fling with years previous but has since disappeared。 As tension mounts， Arnav fights corruption， class problems， and his haunted past。 This book is tense， well-structured， and full of gorgeous， transportive writing that swept me away。 A really stellar read！ I especially connected with the love story - so well done。 Many thanks to the author and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC！ Can’t wait to see what’s next from this writer。 。。。more
marnie | once upon a time book reviews
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”Not all cold cases are dead ends…”Having read and enjoyed Biswas first novel， You Beneath Your Skin， I was very much looking forward to reading The Blue Bar， a gritty crime thriller showcasing the dark and seedier side of Mumbai。I was immediately drawn in to this very atmospheric and suspenseful tale with a storyline that covers many themes and narrated via multiple points of view。 The pace is fast， it all plays out well and it’s cast of characters are well fleshed out and believable。An ext ”Not all cold cases are dead ends…”Having read and enjoyed Biswas first novel， You Beneath Your Skin， I was very much looking forward to reading The Blue Bar， a gritty crime thriller showcasing the dark and seedier side of Mumbai。I was immediately drawn in to this very atmospheric and suspenseful tale with a storyline that covers many themes and narrated via multiple points of view。 The pace is fast， it all plays out well and it’s cast of characters are well fleshed out and believable。An extremely well researched piece of work， that has been perfectly written and executed， The Blue Bar is a really great start to this series and I look forward to reading more。Thank you to Damyanti Biswas， Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of The Blue Bar， which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily。Where you can find me 😊💻 Blog: bit。ly/3gR3io8👩🏫 Facebook: bit。ly/3gVeC2B🐤Twitter: bit。ly/3BQk2Dl📷 Instagram: bit。ly/3wSv0Gj📌 Pinterest: bit。ly/3vS2HGX📚 Goodreads: bit。ly/3wQxUM3 。。。more
Sue
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When Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput is called to the scene of a gruesome find at a building site， something about the appearance of the corpse reminds him of a case from many years before。 As more bodies turn up at the same site， in a similar condition， he knows he is onto something。 But his superiors have little interest in pursuing cold cases， especially when an investigation would hold up the plans of the rich and powerful in busy Mumbai。Arnav， haunted by his childhood and the disappearance of When Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput is called to the scene of a gruesome find at a building site， something about the appearance of the corpse reminds him of a case from many years before。 As more bodies turn up at the same site， in a similar condition， he knows he is onto something。 But his superiors have little interest in pursuing cold cases， especially when an investigation would hold up the plans of the rich and powerful in busy Mumbai。Arnav， haunted by his childhood and the disappearance of his girlfriend Tara thirteen years ago， cannot let matters rest， even if there is very little to go on other than a hunch and the blue sequins found with the bodies。 He is sure there is a serial killer out there murdering young women， and as he tracks down the clues left in dusty old files around the police districts of the city， he realises not only that he is right about this killer that preys on the vulnerable around times of celebration， but that someone is doing their best to stop him pursuing the murderer。Is Tara's disappearance related to this case？ Could she also be buried in a shallow grave somewhere in Mumbai？ Arnav will not stop until he finds out and brings the guilty party to justice。The Blue Bar is an exciting thriller that drops you right into the heart of the chaos of Mumbai for the tense cat and mouse game of tenacious Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput's hunt for a prolific serial killer。The story moves back and forth between flashes from the past of Arnav and multiple other important characters （who shall remain nameless for fear of spoilers）， building up all the background you need alongside the threads of Arnav's investigation in the present。 A lot of characters come at you thick and fast， and set against the chaos of a city like Mumbai this means it takes a little while to get into the rhythm of the story， and get a grip on who is who。 However， although the diverse threads may seem far apart at the beginning， Biswas keeps them all under tight control and the storylines weave nicely together until they come together in a bloody climax。Arnav is a complex character， and we know from the outset that he has been shaped by the death of his sister when he was a teenager， and the disappearance of his night-club dancer girlfriend Tara thirteen years ago， which makes him stick doggedly to the search for the killer even when it is quite clear that important people want him to stop。 Intriguingly， Biswas also makes sure we know the fateful history of the killer that has moulded him in to twisted person he has become， even if you cannot forgive him for the brutal acts he is compelled to carry out， and I very much enjoyed the way the two characters play off against each other as Arnav painstakingly puts all the pieces of the mystery together。On the whole， the story is fast paced， suspenseful， and holds your attention well， although I felt that the romantic strand of the book needs more substance to balance out the pull of the more macabre plotlines。 Tara's character lacked depth， and Arnav's mooning around over her frustratingly slows the action down for much of the first part of the book。 I found myself longing for the story to pick up the threads of the more interesting side of the investigation in those moments， but will admit that Biswas does use the Arnav-Tara relationship to move the plot forward quite cleverly。What Biswas does do spectacularly well is to immerse you in the melting pot of Mumbai's streets and use the stark contrasts between rich and poor， powerful and powerless to absolute perfection。 The descriptions of every location these characters visit is beautifully vivid and often uncomfortably evocative。 I really enjoyed the way she employs the themes of corruption， abuse and depravity， mixing together the super wealthy， Bollywood celebrities， and the dark underbelly inhabited by the criminal fraternity in a way that explores how money and fame can buy you everything you ever desire - unless you have someone like Arnav on your trail。 There is some lovely misdirection too， that keeps you from guessing where the story eventually goes。This is the first part in a new series by Biswas featuring Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput， which has the potential to be rather addictive。 I look forward to Arnav's next crime busting adventure。 。。。more
travelsalongmybookshelf
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The start of a new series is always an exciting prospect， getting to know new characters， a new scenario， a new world to immerse yourself in， it is a little piece of bookish magic for the reader。This new series transports us to India and its darker side， with murder， corruption and a slightly grumpy， preoccupied， yet good policeman called Arnav Singh Rajput。 He is very preoccupied with his ex girlfriend Tara， who disappeared without trace 13 years previously。 She fills his mind constantly， he ca The start of a new series is always an exciting prospect， getting to know new characters， a new scenario， a new world to immerse yourself in， it is a little piece of bookish magic for the reader。This new series transports us to India and its darker side， with murder， corruption and a slightly grumpy， preoccupied， yet good policeman called Arnav Singh Rajput。 He is very preoccupied with his ex girlfriend Tara， who disappeared without trace 13 years previously。 She fills his mind constantly， he can’t let her go， distracting him from his job at hand and the discovery of multiple victims of a potential serial killer。 All missing heads， hands and feet， all with a scattering of blue sequins and stretching back across the years to the time of Tara’s disappearance。Arnav has to fight burocracy on all sides， someone doesn’t want him investigating these crimes， the women don’t seem to matter to anyone least of all the upper echelons of the police， Arnav is the only one who seems to care at all。This was an interesting read， it took me a little while to get into， mainly because it’s a new series and a new setting。 You have to meet and get to know the ‘detective’ as well as their world and India is full of colour as well as having a dark side。 I really liked how it managed to carry a real vibrancy yet it was pacy， unsettling and twisting。 It drew me in and I ended up loving Arnav。 Having thought I knew what was happening， I was blindsided which is always good for a thriller！I’m looking forward to more investigations for Arnav Singh Rajput and soon I hope！ 。。。more
Marie
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Wow。 I love reading books set in unfamiliar （to me） locations， and the way The Blue Bar transfers the reader to Mumbai is so incredibly immersive。 You can smell the smells， hear the sounds， see the sights。 A beautifully written story about a hunt for a serial killer。 The story pulled me in， the characters had depth， the writing kept the pages turning。
Yashvi Shah
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A huge thank you to the author for reaching out and providing me with an eARC！ The first chapter was enough to captivate me and sweep me away into the muggy swamps and slums and through the crowds and the dark streets of the busiest city in India， Mumbai。Amongst powerful elite film stars and businessmen， corrupt police officers， dangerous mafia dons， and shady government ministers， detective Arnav Singh Rajput finds himself in the middle of murder mysteries that ties the underworld， police offic A huge thank you to the author for reaching out and providing me with an eARC！ The first chapter was enough to captivate me and sweep me away into the muggy swamps and slums and through the crowds and the dark streets of the busiest city in India， Mumbai。Amongst powerful elite film stars and businessmen， corrupt police officers， dangerous mafia dons， and shady government ministers， detective Arnav Singh Rajput finds himself in the middle of murder mysteries that ties the underworld， police officials， the film industry， and a strip club together。 With a serial killer on the loose and cold cases coming to light， Arnav can’t help but let his mind wander to fourteen years ago when he last saw the love of his life， Tara， a young， troubled girl who worked at the strip club。 She was last seen at a train station wearing a blue sequinned saree， a piece of material prominent as evidence in the recent murders Arnav is investigating。I grew up watching Bollywood films of all genres。 The Blue Bar felt like a cinematic， action and thriller-packed Indian murder mystery movie， which enhanced my reading experience to a whole new level！ The vivid descriptions of criminal investigations and the underworld， the explicit settings， brilliant plotting， and character depth were written so well！ Beyond the writing lies the fleshed-out characters of Arnav and Tara。 I loved young Arnav and young Tara even though with the glimpses into the past。 The characters of Arnav and Tara， fourteen years later， felt like everything had changed， but their relationship and connection remained the same。 I loved how they fit together so perfectly while having individual character development！The ending felt overly fast-paced and rushed， especially after all the drama faded away， and things with the murder mystery were explained too quickly。 The Blue Bar was definitely not the end of it， and despite being super excited for the sequel， I wish the ending was fleshed out and detailed more。 It felt like a time jump， and certain things were skipped or ignored。Nonetheless， I thoroughly enjoyed The Blue Bar， and I absolutely loved the fact it had short chapters！ I can’t wait to see what Damyanti Biswas comes up with in the sequel！ 。。。more
Stesha -
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Overall Rating: 3。75/5Short Chapter Rating: 5/5An interesting concept set in Mumbai。 A series of bodies show up on a construction site and could have many high powered people involved given who owns it， and who's been involved。 It's fast paced and shorter chapters made it enjoyable。 There were a lot of characters and various suspects that sometimes I found myself confused or needing to go back to understand better。 Luckily the author did start to summarize some of the details in later chapters， Overall Rating: 3。75/5Short Chapter Rating: 5/5An interesting concept set in Mumbai。 A series of bodies show up on a construction site and could have many high powered people involved given who owns it， and who's been involved。 It's fast paced and shorter chapters made it enjoyable。 There were a lot of characters and various suspects that sometimes I found myself confused or needing to go back to understand better。 Luckily the author did start to summarize some of the details in later chapters， otherwise I would have been completely lost。I liked the setting in Mumbai， learning about the police， the dance club scene - it was a nice change from my typical thriller read。 I would definitely check out more from Damyanti in the future， now that she's on my radar。Is this book for you？ If you enjoy fast paced thrillers， interested in Mumbai settings， like mysteries with multiple suspects and tracking the details。。。then give this a go！Thank you to net galley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Sarah
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I am still reeling in the aftermath of this book！ It was SO good。 Highly recommend。 10/10！！！I love that this book takes place in one of the most famous and beautiful cities of the world- Mumbai， India！ There is just something about Mumbai that is always so enthralling and also mysterious。The author has both Muslim characters and Hindu characters in the story and I as a Muslim reader am happy about the way they are written。 As in most books， most Muslim characters are written in a very sterotypic I am still reeling in the aftermath of this book！ It was SO good。 Highly recommend。 10/10！！！I love that this book takes place in one of the most famous and beautiful cities of the world- Mumbai， India！ There is just something about Mumbai that is always so enthralling and also mysterious。The author has both Muslim characters and Hindu characters in the story and I as a Muslim reader am happy about the way they are written。 As in most books， most Muslim characters are written in a very sterotypical light and in this book this was not the case。 The other thing I absolutely loved about this book- It is written by a South Asian author and set in India but the author is not trying to cater to an American or white audience- things are not over explained as is the case for most of the books I read written by South Asian American authors。Halfway through the book I thought I had it all figured out but boy was I wrong！ So many twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your toes。 This book is written in multiple POV but it was easy to follow along and was not confusing as sometimes books with multiple POV can beLastly this book had a little bit of everything- Mystery， thrill， abuse。 power play， murder， violence， gangs， police， sex workers but also heart and love， friendships and human relationships。This is such an amazing debut novel I cant wait to read whats next from Damyanti！ 。。。more
Midnightstorybook
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𝘛ʜᴇ 𝘉ʟᴜᴇ 𝘉ᴀʀ ʙʏ 𝘋ᴀᴍʏᴀɴᴛɪ 𝘉ɪ𝘴ᴡᴀ𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨。 𝘈 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳， 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳， 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘪。 𝘈𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦。 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘪 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴。 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴。 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘖𝘝𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥。 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘛ʜᴇ 𝘉ʟᴜᴇ 𝘉ᴀʀ ʙʏ 𝘋ᴀᴍʏᴀɴᴛɪ 𝘉ɪ𝘴ᴡᴀ𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨。 𝘈 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳， 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳， 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘪。 𝘈𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦。 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘪 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴。 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴。 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘖𝘝𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥。 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴， 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘺。ᴀ ᴍᴀꜱꜱɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀʀᴄ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀɴ ʜᴏɴᴇꜱᴛ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ。 。。。more
Marc Faoite
，
Review coming soon。 Short version - Gripping。 Buy it， read it。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Blue Bar
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Blue Bar&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Blue Bar&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0