Sulajhti Kadiyaan is a collection of four novellas in Hindi. All the novels are for young teenagers and deal with the protagonists solving a mystery in each story. It reminds me of the Hardy Boys series in English, though these are not about the same boys, as the authors are different and the locales in which the stories are set are also different. What is worth mentioning about these four books is that, in each story history has been woven in deftly, so that the reader gets a flavour of the local history, without it reading like a boring history lesson. There is just the right mix of information and imagination in each novel to hold the readers’ interest. The first novella in this collection Khayi Ke us Paar by Sripad Vishnu Kanade has the difficult terrain of Nepal as the action scene. Three teenagers, Ramesh, Vasant and Jangu set out with the help of just a map in search of the Kanchangolden cave. Their journey takes them through the dangerous jungles of Nepal. The boys are confident that they will get what they are seeking. Their courage, in the face of the most difficult situations will certainly inspire many youngsters. The reader waits with bated breath to see what their quest leads them to and heaves a sigh of relief every time they come out unscathed. A good read. Kamal Chamola’s Laapata Kadi or the Missing Link is set in Navgani, a hill station in the Satpura Ranges. The place is beautiful, surrounded, as it is, by hills and deep valleys. Akshay and Vasudha are the children of Bhanu Pratap Singh who is a forest ranger and is now posted to Navgani. Akshay finds a friend in Shekhar who, like Akshay has just taken the tenth board exams. Being of an adventure loving temperament the two boys set out to solve the real mystery behind the death of Rani Chandrika Devi. Despite all odds and dangers the boys do not give up their mission. The story is fast paced and holds one’s interest till the end. Young teenagers would certainly find the lucid descriptions of this place, nestling in the Satpuras fascinating. Hamirpur Ke Khandahar (Ruins of Hamirpur) by Nilima Sinha is the third and longest novella in this collection. Padmini and Rahul are the UK based paternal cousins of Pinky and Vicky, all in the same ...