The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Dharma: A Rekha Rao Mystery
Because Dharma was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Ekta Kumari
The plot follows the protagonist as she gets entangled in solving the murder mystery of her mentor and father figure while also battling PTSD and her personal feelings around love and relationships and finding back her confidence after a relationship with an abusive boyfriend. I liked the premise and would have read the book based solely on the blurb. The thing I enjoyed the most while sampling is the suspense build-up and that the plot builds at a stable pace without rushing the scenes, which is quite often the case with crime thrillers and mysteries. I like the protagonist's character sketch, and how realistic and true to life her portrayal is. As for the editing, I would rate the book as professionally edited as I didn't find any editing errors in the portion sampled. I do not have anything to recommend for improvements. I didn't see an official OBC review, but that doesn't affect my decision to read the book further because I've enjoyed the sample so far.
First Ten review added on July 24, 2021, at 5:00 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sou Hi
If it's not for this program, I wouldn't read this. The genre is not my cup of tea, and the blurb isn't interesting. The sample begins when Professor Rao is summoned to inspect a statue of Durga, which was used to murder her mentor. After promising to research the meaning of the statue, she parts ways with detective Newton.
I like the Indian theme depicted in the book. The editing is fine. However, the plot is too monotonous. The characters are also poorly developed. For example, Professor Rao seems to be too busy eying the detective up to grieve for her mentor's death. Looking at her actions and emotions, I can't feel that the victim was a father figure to her. I think the author should add some suspense or describe the heroine's motivation better. Since the book can't pique my interest, I won't buy it. The lack of an official review from OnlineBookClub didn't affect my decision.
Error example: The victim was Joseph Faust, Professor of Archaeology, my mentor, and father figure. -> I think the comma after "my mentor" is not needed.
First Ten review added on July 24, 2021, at 4:13 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
va2016
The title "Dharma", and the cover with the goddess ideal, clearly indicate that this is a book related to Indian culture. There are only 8 Amazon customer ratings, which is not a sufficient number for me to decide if I should sample the book of not. The Amazon summary sounds very interesting and makes me curious about sampling the book. Because of the narration of story in the Amazon summary, I would have sampled the book even if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing the protagonist Rekha Rao meeting the cop Al. I became interested because of the narration, and got intrigued because of the story, so I am going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors. What I liked most about the book is the captivating plot. I don't have any recommendations for the improvement of the book. Although I didn't find any OBC reviews of the book, my decision to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on July 24, 2021, at 4:09 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Justine Ocsebio
I wouldn’t have sampled this book based on the blurb, as I wasn’t interested in the premise. In the sample, I like the infusion of Hindu mythology and murder mystery. Rekha Rao, a professor, was invited to a police station to help identify a statue found in a crime scene. I disliked nothing, and I didn’t see anything that needed improvement. The text is well edited. However, I’m not going to read the book, as I’m not interested in the premise. The lack of an official OBC review also affected my decision.
First Ten review added on July 24, 2021, at 3:49 am by Justine Ocsebio.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sanju Lali
The cover and the title indicated to me that this is a suspense thriller novel. So, I considered reading the OBC official review of this book to know the setting of the story. I felt stranded when I could not find the OBC official review. It is the OBC official review that makes me decide whether or not to buy any book. However, I thought of looking at the sample of this book. After reading the first ten pages, I realized that this book is not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "Isat and stared at the Mahishasura Mardini for inspiration...". The sentence could have been as follows. "I sat and stared at the Mahishasura Mardini for inspiration... ". The thing l liked the most is the premise of the story, where a history professor is murdered in an unusual manner using a valuable artifact as a tool. Unfortunately, the narrative was jumping to many different topics, which may or may not have had any connection with the murder. I lost interest in reading because there was no room for me to make any guesses and engross myself in the story. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and address the difficulties faced by me, as mentioned in the above sentences. Looking at all these facts, I decided not to purchase and read this book today but wait until the author could help me by addressing my suggestion so that I could find myself captivated in reading this book.
First Ten review added on July 24, 2021, at 2:28 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vishnu Priya B
Judging by the cover, I wouldn't have purchased this book if I hadn't sampled for OBC. It has the feel of a spiritual non-fiction book. The Amazon reviews were good. However, I didn't find any official reviews from Onlinebookclub, which was a negative aspect in my perspective. The plot feels intense with familiar Hindu mythical tales. But they weren't convincing enough for me to continue reading. I must appreciate the way the author has balanced the drastic speculations with a few paragraphs of light observations of the surroundings in-between. The book seems professionally edited by an expert editor. Regardless, I found one typo where detective Newton's name was mistyped as 'Norton'. I don't think the book needs any improvement.
First Ten review added on July 24, 2021, at 2:14 am by Vishnu Priya B.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Howlan
I think I would have read this book without the program as I found the detailed synopsis interesting. In the first ten pages, Professor Rekha Rao was summoned to the Pasadena Police Department to identify an idol of a Hindu Goddess, which was supposedly the murder weapon of her mentor, Dr Faust. After a long interaction with the homicide detective on the case, Al Newton, Rao tried to confirm the idol's identity back home. The narration was a bit slow-paced, for my preference. Also, from reading the first ten pages, I feel that a huge drama will be covering most of the plot. Also, I did not find the character introductions of Rao and Newton to be very interesting. While I do enjoy reading generic crime thrillers, I generally avoid ones that have too much drama. As the official OBC review for this book is not present, I don't think I would like to buy and read this book as I was not impressed by the first ten pages. No typos were found in the first ten pages. For improvement, I feel that the story could be a bit more fast-paced.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 11:38 pm by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gabrielle Sigaki
Dharma by Vee (Vijaya) Kumari is a fiction mystery novel that brings crime, romance, and mythology too. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its blurb because the novel's premise of a character who is trying to solve a crime didn't interest me. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I won't read the entire book because of the reason I stated before. However, the book seems professionally edited, I think there's nothing to be improved in it, and I liked the fact that the book is narrated from the first-person perspective with the character's impressions and feelings with a lot of details, which makes the book more engaging in my opinion.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 9:39 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jeremie Mondejar
By just looking at the cover photo and the title, I know that I will not buy this book because I'm not interested about Indian's way of life. The sample isn't exciting for me, and I don't like anything in the book. I sampled this book based on the program only, and the lack of OBC review didn't influence me either. The sample looks professionally edited because I don't see any typos. Though I don't like the book, I can't suggest anything for improvement because the book may be suitable for Indian people and other people who are interested in the topic.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 9:10 pm by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
If I had not read the sample, I would have read the book. The blurb sounds really interesting and I already have an interest in art history. After reading the sample, I have changed my mind. I liked the more emotional and mental parts of the narration, such as when the writer was thinking about her past trauma with her dad's violent death and abuse at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. However, there were other moments where the writing was too much "tell, not show," and it became a little bland to read about small things the narrator was doing one by one, like rummaging through a box, then finding an email address, then calling a number, then sending a photo in an email, etc. I think there could have been more exciting ways to write parts like this to move the story forwards. I think a little more professional editing is needed as well, as I noticed that the book kept using a period instead of a comma inside dialogue before attributions, like in "'I'm fine.' I said." I didn't read an official review but that didn't affect my decision.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 8:42 pm by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Manang Muyang
The cover and title tell me that this book makes heavy use of Hindu mythology. The blurb adds that the story involves crime and courtship. Romance is not a genre I favor, so I would not have sampled the book outside of the program. I enjoyed the bit I read, though, especially Rekha's strong personality and the interesting trivia about the Hindu goddess Durga. The author injected the love angle early, even while Rekha should still be steeped in grief over the grisly murder of her beloved mentor. Detective Al Newton was also portrayed as a fan of Lord Byron's romantic poetry. These elements dissuaded me from reading the rest of the book; I felt that romance was going to be a major aspect of the story. I likewise encountered errors, including the improper capitalization of common nouns like "goddess" and "professor." Some of the other errors follow: At 26%, "Maybe Norton needed sustenance from his accolades" should have used "Newton." At 52%, "the interior replete with multicolored shag carpet and walls painted in matching colors" needed "carpets." "That my ex-boyfriend had beaten me up, did not help" at 58% had no use for the comma. I hope the author will address the errors. There was no accompanying OBC review, but I doubt that one would change my mind.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 7:55 pm by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mary WhiteFace
Murder mysteries don't normally appeal to me. Without the First Ten program I would not have wanted to read this one. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind. The lack of an OnlineBookClub review did not influence my decision.
The book seemed to be professionally edited. I have no suggestions for improvements. There was no particular part that I liked more than another. Although, I found it interesting that the murder victim in the current case Professor Rekha Rao was called in to help with was not only her mentor and father figure (location 114), but her biological father had also been murdered in a similar way years before (location 200). At least similar enough that the current case was triggering her PTSD.
I thought it would be an interesting twist if the two murders would end up being related in some way. Which, of course, is pure speculation on my part since I didn't read passed the first ten pages. Even with the possibility that there may be intriguing twists and turns in the story, murder mysteries tend to have a negative emotional effect on me. I will not be reading the whole book.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 5:38 pm by Mary WhiteFace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
The cover and title of this book definitely caught my eye. I would have sampled this even if it was not a part of the First Ten program because the plot seems unique with the mix of murder and Hinduism. The first ten pages were well edited. I liked that I actually learned some facts about Hindu gods. I also was intrigued by the explanation of the prefix "vict". I did not see an official OBC review, but the free sampled was enough to convince me to continue reading. Overall, the plot of this book is very unique and I like that I will also be able to learn some new facts. I will definitely be finishing this book and I look forward to seeing how it ends. I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 5:30 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mutai Marshal
The cover page and title suggested that this book contains superhero elements. This dissuaded me from reading it since I don’t relish devouring books that disconnect me from reality. The sample created an atmosphere of investigative proceedings into a deity-related being. I liked the use of dialogues. It made the reading flow naturally and brought out the discussion of Mahishasura, a demon. The lack of OBC review didn’t affect my decision about buying this book. I am not interested in incarnation themes, and, therefore, I will not complete reading this novel. It seems exceptionally edited as I didn’t come across any grammatical errors. Lastly, I didn’t find anything worth improving from the sample.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 3:43 pm by Mutai Marshal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
smolbird
I would have sampled this book outside of the program based on its cover and title, as I like reading about the different gods and goddesses of different cultures. The book's sample was well edited, as I did not come across any errors. I really liked the touch of Indian culture in this book, as it wasn't simply used as a plot device. However, I didn't really like the protagonist's attitude toward Newton, as I found her attraction to him a little bit forced. I have no recommendations for improvement because I enjoyed reading the sample. While I was unsure at first because of its lack of an official OBC review, I have decided to read the book in full, as I really like its plot.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 10:51 am by smolbird.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Diana Lowery
At first, I was not attracted to the cover or the title because of the Hindu allusions, but the Amazon blurb made the mystery sound interesting. The Kilgus review was positive, and I learned that this was the opening book in a series. I liked that the title word was explained on the first page. The writing style was similar to watching a CSI episode on TV. I liked watching the two main characters and their developing romance. I did not find any errors. There was nothing I did not like. I will not finish reading this book because it is not free. I suggest that the Amazon blurb eliminate the spoiler and fix the error ("heartbroken" should be two words}.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 10:05 am by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Dzejn_Crvena
I wanted to read the book based on its blurb and title. However, the mention of a romance made me change my mind. In the sample, I like how the author incorporated the Indian culture into the story. I learned more about the Hindu religion after reading the first ten pages of this book. I'm not a fan of romance, so I did not enjoy reading about the protagonist's attraction towards Al Newton. I find it distracting in the plot, and I'm not interested in where the romance is going. The book seems professionally edited, but I found some parts (about Rao's father and her PTSD) that get repetitive. I did not see the OBC review, and I think it won't affect my decision.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 9:52 am by Dzejn_Crvena.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rodel Barnachea
Upon poring over the book's Amazon page, I opted not to purchase the mystery novel. I did not find myself interested in learning about the identity of the killer who murdered Rekha Rao's mentor (and father figure as well). I believe the book is not my cup of tea. The title does not have any OnlineBookClub review at the moment, and I must say that the lack of it is a huge factor that affected my decision. Perusing its Amazon sample failed to change my mind. I would not purchase it because nothing in the text I read convinced or compelled me to peruse the rest of the story. My initial opinions of the book were also not dispelled by my reading the Amazon sample. The first ten pages include some pages of Chapter 1. My favorite part is when Rekha thought to herself that Newton is attractive and thoughtful. I was not able to identify any errors in the text. The book seems professionally edited to me. I have nothing to suggest to the author.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 8:23 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shrabastee Chakraborty
The title, cover, or the blurb did not attract me much. Based on these, I wouldn't have read the book. There was no official OBC review of this book. After sampling the first ten pages, I couldn't find any errors. This excerpt made me change my mind. Rekha Rao, a Professor of Art History is called to the police station to identify a murder weapon that turns out to be an idol of the Hindu Goddess Durga. I loved that the premise mystified me, making me want to find out more. On the other hand, I didn't like that Rekha Rao kept fixating on the handsome police officer. Apart from this issue, there was nothing else I would want improved. Based on my experience, I would read the book.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 5:33 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Stephanie Runyon
Originally, I would not have sampled this book because it looked like it had a lot to do with the Hindu religion. There was not an official OBC review, but that did not influence my thoughts. After reading the sample, I am intrigued by the mystery that involved Dr. Faust's murder. I have the inclination to think that Lopez wasn't a murderer either. The book appears to be professionally edited, and I have no suggestions for improvement. The mystery is the reason I will continue to read this book.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 2:34 am by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kaitlyn Canedy
Based on the title, I likely would have skipped the sample of Dharma if it wasn't the OnlineBookClub's book of the day. I will sometimes read a murder mystery book, but it is not often that I look into ones that have romance too. I like that this book has this idea presented so early on; this was very enjoyable. There are also mentions of Hindu culture in the book as well. I had a hard time following along with these mentions, so I will be skipping this book. I did not see any grammatical errors and I can think of no improvements. There isn't an official OnlineBookClub review for this title, but I did not need to read one to decide to skip this book. Readers who like reading about different cultures and enjoy murder mystery books may enjoy this title.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 2:21 am by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gen_g
My eyes were caught by the religious figure on the cover, and based on the subtitle, it is a piece of mystery fiction. However, I am not in the market for this genre; hence, I would not have sampled it. There were no official OBC reviews that I could find, but even if there were, it would not have changed my mind due to the genre mismatch. There were, unfortunately, some errors present during sampling. At 4%, the comma in "...readily in the past, but now required..." is wrongly inserted (conjunction before dependent phrase). I suggest more close editing to improve the book. However, what I liked about the book when I sampled it is that the author has taken the time to flesh out the characters by including some measure of narrative description suggesting various characters' personality traits/personal history. For example, we learn that Professor Rekha Rao saw the murder victim (Joseph Faust) as a mentor and father figure, so she is understandably affected when she heard about his death. Also, Rao has a history of PTSD, and her therapist had recommended her to sit still and find the ground underneath her feet as a method to calm herself down whenever something is triggering her. In order to further improve the book, I would actually suggest that the title font colour be made more matte, as reading it off the computer screen makes it a bit more reflective, which is difficult to see in certain lighting. Other than this and the need for more editing, I have no further suggestions. I will not be buying the book today, as I am not in the market for mystery fiction.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 2:21 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ari Martinez
If I hadn't sampled this book for this program, I wouldn't have sampled it based on its title or cover because it did not look like a book I would enjoy. I think having an Official OnlineBookClub review would have been helpful because I usually decide whether to sample a book based on its review. After sampling the book, I have decided to continue reading it because I liked how the murder mystery was developing, and learning about the Indian culture was an added bonus. My favorite part of the sample was the personality and first person narration of the main character. Even though her life experiences are very different from mine, I still felt a connection with her. The book appears professionally edited, and I don't think it needs improvement.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 2:01 am by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
J_odoyo
Sincerely, this book has a nice cover page, and I would say I have no problem with its title. After reading the first ten pages of this book, I have realized that this book is riveting and well written. I was glued to the pages of this sample as I follow the mysterious murder of Joseph Faust—who was a professor of Archaeology. Rekha Rao is a professor and a mentee of the murdered victim. What’s more interesting is the romance developing between Senior Homicide Detective (Newton) and Rekha. I liked the author’s descriptive narration style and reviews posted at the beginning of this book. However, the book had no official online OnlineBookClub review, which denied us insight into what the book is all about. I didn’t find any objective error, and I believe the book was professionally edited. The sample was well-edited, and I wouldn’t recommend anything for improvement of this book. After reading this sample and the OnlineBookClub review, I’m not going to read this book because I'm not a fan of this genre.
First Ten review added on July 23, 2021, at 1:20 am by J_odoyo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
Based on the book’s cover and title, I would not have sampled this book if I were not part of this program. The blurb was interesting, however. The sample pages started out a bit slowly, but the pace picked up once Rao started examining the idol found on her mentor’s back. I can see that she and Al are destined for a love/hate relationship, as the tension is already building. We get a good description of Al in the first ten pages, but I wonder what Rao looks like. I will have to continue this book to find out more. She seems destined to solve murder mysteries of beloved men in her life. I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages, and I have no suggestions for improvement. I did not see a featured OnlineBookClub review, but the absence of one had no bearing on my decision to buy this book.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 11:44 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jorge Leon Salazar
The cover represents figures from India. Initially, I associated the title "Dharma" with natural reality. However, then I saw the meaning included in the book. The Blurb seemed very revealing to me, maybe it included a spoiler. The plot seems to contain romance, drama, crime, and mystery. Customer reviews highlight aspects of Indian culture and the strong personality and leadership of the female protagonist Rekha. These elements did not encourage me to try the book since I did not see anything that makes me differentiate it from other novels of similar genres. The sample focuses on the murder of the Archeologist Joseph Faust. The deadly weapon was a statue of the Hindu goddess Durga. Faust was Rekha’s mentor and father figure. What I read raises the main plot around the search for Faust's murderer. Everything indicates Rekha will involve herself in the investigation just as she did with the murder of her father. I liked that some suspects of Faust's assassination can already be identified. In addition, it is attractive there are subplots like the case of the murder of Rekha's father and her struggle with her PTSD. Although the plot seems well constructed, it didn't completely capture me. The aspects associated with Indian art and culture are not my favorites. Plus, most have complicated names. Ultimately I think I will not read the rest of the book. This book did not have an official OnlineBookClub review, but I think I would not have changed my mind about not reading the rest of the book. The editing looks professional as I didn't see any details to comment on. In general, I did not see anything that I believe could be improved.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 10:25 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Odette Chace
The title is intriguing. I like the image on the cover. However, I think it would be more striking if the background had more black instead of red. The synopsis on Amazon was interesting. This book stands out as having the potential to be different from anything I have ever read before. There was no official Online Book Club review, but I am certain that I want to sample this book. I initially find it very bizarre that Newton asked Rekha if she wanted to hold the statue. The victim was her father figure, and I can only imagine that would be quite traumatizing. However, it becomes clear that the detective was unaware of the personal connection between Rekha and the victim. I didn't like that the narrator notes that Rekha is beginning to feel attracted to Newton. That took away from Rekha's grief and made it seem trivial. "Maybe Norton needed sustenance from his accolades on a regular basis to pursue the bad guys" (37% of sample). It should be Newton, not Norton. I believe the work was professionally edited. I really enjoyed the first ten pages. The murder was clearly described without being overly graphic and I am curious about the killer's motive. I plan to finish reading the book.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 8:23 pm by Odette Chace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
markodim721
I would choose to read samples of this book because of its cover and title. The title seems rather mystical and exotic to me. The same could be said for the cover of the book. I will buy this book because I love novels that combine the excitement of mystery with a hint of romance. Reading the sample somewhat changed my mind from my original guess because I wasn't sure if it was a book of a religious character or a real novel. While reading the sample I did not notice any typos or errors and the book seems like it is professionally edited. In the part of the book that I had the opportunity to read, I liked the description of the atmosphere during the investigation into the murder of Professor Faust. Also, I liked the symbolism of the idol as a weapon with which the murder was committed. In my humble opinion, there is nothing that should be improved in the book. The book doesn’t have an Official OnlineBookClub review.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 2:13 pm by markodim721.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Twylla
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book so much, but by the time I finished reading the sample, I had to read more. I will definitely buy and read this book.
I would sample this book on Amazon based on the cover. It somehow sends a message to the reader that this is an interesting story.
What I like most about the book is that it is an opportunity to learn more about Indian culture and Hinduism while, at the same time, being entertained with a very well-written novel. Even though the names and places are unfamiliar, the writing style is very American. It is very comfortable for me to read.
I enjoyed the discussion of arranged marriages. If I was an Indian woman, I would insist on marrying an Indian man – I wouldn’t settle for less out of pride for my culture.
I can’t name anything that should be improved.
I have read 20% of the book so far and I have not found any errors. The book is well-written and professionally edited.
There was no official OBC review. Hopefully, mine will be the first!
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 2:09 pm by Twylla.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Brenda Creech
I would not have checked this book out based on the cover and title alone because I wasn't quite sure what type of book it was. Since there is no OBC official review, I read a sample of the book. The part I read was where Rekha was called to the police department to identify a statue put on the back of a murder victim. They needed to know what the statue was and what it meant. The victim was Joseph Faust, Rekha's mentor and father figure. Rekha and the detective didn't seem to hit it off very well, but she still found herself attracted to him. I didn't find any errors in the part I read, and I didn't see anything that needs improvement. I don't plan to read the rest of the book since I am not a big murder mystery fan.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 2:09 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Michelle Menezes
From the title, I thought it was a non-fiction book based on religion and spirituality. I had decided not to read the book till I happened to see the cover that specified it was a mystery. The blurb was interesting, and I wanted to know what happened next. The lack of an Official OnlineBookClub review did not affect my decision. After reading the first ten pages, I can say I'm definitely going to read the book. It grabbed my attention from the first page itself. It is well-written, and I only found one error where the wrong name was mentioned. Instead of Newton, it said Norton. Having a major error so early on in the book makes me doubt whether it was professionally edited. I don't think it needs any improvement.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 2:00 pm by Michelle Menezes.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
TheMazeRunner
The cover of this book didn't attract me, but the sample changed my mind. This book does not have the official OBC review. There are no mistakes in the sample. Young Rekha Rao is in a search for her mentor's killer. This thriller mixes Indian culture, romance, and murder. I would like to read the rest of the book because I like thrillers. I wouldn't change anything in it.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 1:18 pm by TheMazeRunner.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Theresa Moffitt
This book has an interesting cover. The cover art caught my attention. I am not sure of the meaning of the title. However, it states that it is a mystery novel. Since I enjoy mystery novels, I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. The first ten pages drop the reader into the middle of the mystery. A man has been murdered with a Hindu statute and a local college art professor is called in to help with the investigation. The first ten pages were well written and piqued my interest in the mystery. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages, so I believe the book was professionally edited. I also didn’t see any area the author could improve upon. Although I haven’t read a review of this book, I was intrigued by the Hindu mythology and would like to learn more. I am very interested in this story and would like to finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 12:22 pm by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Laura Ungureanu
The book seems very intriguing, as I'm not familiar with the Hindu religion. The title reminds me of "Lost," the TV series, where there was this group called "the Dharma initiative." However, I don't know anything about its meaning. I was a bit reluctant because mysteries aren't usually my preferred genre, but I was willing to give it a try first. I would've liked to check an OBC review in order to make a proper opinion before going into this book. The book seems to introduce the readers to Hindu mythology, which is interesting but also a bit confusing. However, I find the author's explanations to be satisfactory for now. I find it a bit unbelievable that Rekha Rao would think about how attractive Al Newton is while studying the statue that was found at her father's crime scene. From this first glance, I can say that the book has interesting characters and the mystery is quite intriguing. However, it seems to be exactly like all the other mystery novels I read, which makes me not want to read it anymore. I found only a small error. In '"I'm fine." I said.' the two sentences should be divided by a comma, not a full stop. The book doesn't need improvement, as my rejection is because I don't like the genre that much.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 11:39 am by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
The cover impressed me because I had never seen the word "dharma" associated with a mystery before. The blurb is fascinating and made me want to read the first installment of the series. The book also has great ratings, so I would have bought it based on my first impressions.
From the first ten pages, I liked how we'll the author depicted the conflicting feelings of Professor Rao towards the Detective. She thinks he's attractive but also brusque, and she "wondered if he had any understanding of other cultures." What I didn't like is how the author rushed the beginning and favored the "tell" over the "show". If the dead man was such an important fatherly figure, I would've liked to see the Professor's feelings portrayed and not just summarized to "I worked hard to contain my grief."
I didn't find editing mistakes. I would only suggest for the author to favor showing instead of telling.
I would have loved to have an official OBC review to take a more informed decision, but I'll still read the book because it mixes mystery and history, which are two of my favorite subjects.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 10:34 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'Dharma' is a book written by Vee (Vijaya) Kumari. Professor Rekha Rao is summoned by the Pasadena Police Department to identify a statue. Professor Joseph Faust was killed with the statue. Rekha could identify the statue as an idol of the Hindu Goddess, Durga. I like how the author blends Hindu mythology with a murder mystery. The editing is great. There is nothing in need of an improvement. An OBC review would have been helpful. I would read this book without the sample based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews as the title grabbed my attention. I will read this book as I like how the author blends Hindu mythology with a murder mystery.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 10:24 am by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AntonelaMaria
After reading the sample, I'm not interested in continue reading the book. It seems like it is a mystery book set around the murder of Rekha's mentor. It didn't capture my attention for me to buy and read the book. The blurb gives some plotline away. I learned Rekha found the killer. Publisher weekly's review indicates that this will be a series. So, is this a standalone or book one in a series? That makes me question the ending of the book. I would make that more obvious to the reader, and that is something I would improve. That is another reason which makes me hesitant to give this book a chance. I wish there is an Official Onlinebookclub review of this book. I always find them helpful, and it would be clearer about the ending of the book. I didn't notice any grammatical errors. I like the cover.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 10:18 am by AntonelaMaria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Bertha Jackson
This book listing got my interest because I am interested in Indian culture, and I enjoy reading mysteries. Although the editorial and customer reviews were positive for the book, I am disappointed that the blurb reveals that Rekha finds the killer. This information spoiled the book for me because all the remains to read is the method she uses to find the killer. The book appears to have been edited by a professional editor, although I did find an error at 77% of the sample in the sentence beginning with “Isat and stared at the…,” “Isat” should be “I sat.” I did not see anything I would recommend the author change in the first ten pages of the book. I will not be buying and reading the book because of the spoiler in the blurb. I am disappointed there was no OnlineBookClub review that may have revealed that this was not a spoiler.
First Ten review added on July 22, 2021, at 9:53 am by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 42%
Dharma earned a score of 42%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 42% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
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