📕Play To Kill | An Unputdownable Gripping Crime Thriller | Enter the World of Psychological Manipulation and Digital Deception by Puja Mukherjee Khattri

BOOK DETAILS : 

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Srishti Publishers & Distributors; First Edition (10 October 2025); Srishti Publishers & Distributors, a unit of AJR Publishing LLP, 212-A, Peacock Lane, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi-110049, India, Contact No-011-41751981, sales@srishtipublishers.com
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 216 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9364118871
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9364118873

ABOUT THE AUTHOR : 

Puja M. Khattri has always been a voracious reader, with a passion for writing that started in her late teenage years. As a content writer, an average day has her writing on a multitude of topics, and, on occasion, scripts for tv shows. Coming from a military family, she has spent most of her life travelling to different parts of the country, fuelling her passion for travelling the world.

BOOK REVIEW :

Some thrillers entertain you. A few unsettle you. “Play To Kill” does both, and then quietly messes with your sense of control in a world ruled by screens and secrets.

Puja Mukherjee Khattri delivers a sharp, contemporary crime thriller that taps into one of our deepest modern fears: what if the digital games we casually engage with aren’t games at all, but carefully designed traps?

At the heart of the story is ACP Karan Singh Shekhawat, a grounded and intelligent investigator leading an Urban Crimes team caught in a chilling pattern, victims drugged, memories erased, and lives disrupted without a trace. Parallel to this investigation runs the story of Anya Aulakh, a television producer whose ordinary life spirals into paranoia when she becomes the target of a sinister online game. What begins as digital manipulation soon bleeds dangerously into the real world.

The true brilliance of Play To Kill lies in its antagonist; Mataji, a character as fascinating as she is terrifying. Charismatic, mysterious, and deeply manipulative, she represents a twisted form of control disguised as help. Through her, the novel explores how vulnerability, blind faith, and emotional desperation can be weaponised with devastating precision.

Set against the backdrop of Delhi, the plot moves seamlessly between power corridors and shadowy digital spaces. The pacing is tight, the stakes are personal, and the tension escalates steadily; especially when the “game” starts targeting the investigators themselves. The psychological depth, combined with cybercrime elements, gives the story a disturbing realism that lingers long after the final page.

What elevates Play To Kill beyond a standard crime thriller is its commentary on control, consent, and manipulation in the digital age. It forces readers to question how much of their autonomy they truly possess, and how easily trust can be exploited.

Gripping, relevant, and unapologetically dark, Play To Kill is perfect for readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with strong characters, modern themes, and a plot that refuses to let go. This is not just a story about crime, it’s about the dangerous games people play when power is just a click away.

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