Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | NXg | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Photo: S. Gopakumar

Candid Parameswaran Nair admits that he was inspired by Erle Stanley Gardener’s Perry Mason series of books

“What is the point in having them published and then having complete strangers reading them?,” asks the author whose ‘Sam Laxter solves The Case of the Innocent Accomplice’ the only book he says, was distributed by Higginbottoms in Chennai, in the 1960’s.

This author is perhaps one of the first amateur legal thriller authors in India with his Sam Laxter series of novels in English.

According to Parameswaran Nair, it was Erle Stanley Gardener who inspired him to pick up the pen. A candid Parameswaran Nair admits that the Sam Laxter series were based on Gardener’s Perry Mason line of books. “I loved the way Gardener worked his magic on the plot and his characters.”

And thus an inspired Parameswaran Nair wrote six books to complete the Sam Laxter chain of books. With no background in law, his ‘The Case of the Spookish Spouse,’ was his first attempt at writing a legal thriller. The book revolved around three suspicious deaths and how the protagonists solved the case. The series ended with ‘The Case of the Broken Belt,’ as a character, Sreedhar, played by Parameswaran Nair, commits a crime. However, fearing getting caught by the diligent detective, “I kill myself in the end.”

“Having read all of Gardener’s books, I learnt the jargon used by lawyers. I also picked up crime-solving skills from his series and the comic strip series ‘Sexton Blake.’ I referred to various law books too,” says this 77-year-old man who worked in a company in Chennai as a cost accountant, and now lives with his wife, daughter and her family at Manacaud.

Apart from English, the author has also written four ‘whodunit’ novels in Malayalam. “There is no courtroom drama in those novels. Sam Laxter, the detective, takes centre stage in them. He solves the case before it enters the courtroom.”

According to Parameswaran Nair, all the plots are framed in his mind. “All great authors adhere to the rule of being ‘faithful to the theme and sympathetic to his characters.’ I followed the rule to the book. All the plots, characters and situations are based on my imagination. There’s also a bit of me in all my books. Also there’s a portrait of myself on the cover of each book.”

Asked if he reads any of the present day legal thrillers and he says, “Not really. I do catch all the movies based on that genre though. In fact, I spend most of the time hooked to the tube these days.” However, the author is indignant at the scripts on screen. “Half of them are half-baked scripts with no real plot and non-realistic court room dramas.”

Says his wife, Ambujam pointing to various neatly packed packages: “From the day we were married, he has always been penning his thoughts. It is a standing order in this household that whoever drops by must be given a copy of his works.”

The author is also a poet at heart and has written several collections of poems in Malayalam. ‘Kaazhukanne Thedi,’ ‘Pinne Kore Kavithakalum’ and ‘Irru Noorandagalum Njanum’ are some of the few collections he holds close to heart. Asked if he ever plans to share his works to the public and the author says: “Maybe… one day…sure…”

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail