F
ormer Manhattan public defender Yosha Gunasekera convincingly takes to the page with The Midnight Taxi, her authorial debut. At 28, Siriwathi Perera is a New York City cab driver, more by circumstance than choice. Her immigrant father couldn't afford to buy a coveted taxi medallion, so he leased one instead, with the "promise of a good, reliable salary." His heart disease, however, kept him from the wheel, meaning Siri and her older brother had to cover his shifts. Alas, "Thathi never got better, my brother died, and we were trapped in a ten-year lease. It all fell on me," Siri admits. Family debts, disappointments, expectations loom large.
"My true crime podcasts are a lifeline," Siri confesses about the daily driving tedium. "I spend most of my time thinking about murder." Thinking becomes shocking reality late one night when the fare she picked up has somehow been stabbed dead in the backseat by the time they arrive at Kennedy Airport. Suddenly Siri is the prime suspect for murder. Serendipitously, she has the business card for criminal defense lawyer Amaya Fernando, whom she'd ferried earlier that night--and bonded with over their shared Sri Lankan heritage. Amaya may be her only hope to avoid detention on Rikers Island.
"Innocent until proven guilty is a farce," Siri quickly discovers, but Amaya's already working what seems to be a miracle when she manages to get Siri out on bail. They have five days before the grand jury presentation that will determine Siri's future. Despite Amaya's protestations about protocols, Siri is determined to stay involved--if nothing else, she knows exactly how to get around the city. Criss-crossing the boroughs leads to a pet python, an off-the-beaten-path pizza joint with bad reviews, family and colleagues, environmental activists, and plans for forcing changes "from the inside." Siri and Amaya just need to line up the clues in time to prove Siri's innocence.
Gunasekera writes with straightforward ease, relaying the step-by-step process of Siri and Amaya's fast-moving investigation. The Sri Lankan American background she shares with her protagonists adds cultural and sociopolitical enhancements to her narrative, broadening the scope beyond the usual whodunit. Her plotting proves notably clever, managing to lull readers into willingly nodding along with persuasive developments until the never-saw-that-coming twists near mystery's end. Oh, and to ensure audiences stay properly hooked on these tenacious sleuths, Midnight Taxi ends with the first three chapters of the next volume. --Terry Hong
Shelf Talker: Sri Lankan American attorney Yosha Gunasekera cleverly and convincingly introduces a New York City cab driver and public defender working together to solve a backseat murder.