Siddharth Maheshwari

Siddharth Maheshwari, an entrepreneur by profession was born on 13th June 1993 in Bombay (Mumbai), India.

He holds a degree in Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the University of Warwick, UK.

An avid reader, he has interests in history, philosophy, science, geography and art. He is well travelled all over the globe and loves to observe and imbibe the cultures of the world. He loves to watch plays & musicals and listening to Sufi songs. Dark chocolates and red wine are his weakness.

He lives in India with his Parents, his wife Sakshi and daughter.

TBE: First of all, congratulations for your new book ‘Lynchpin: The Best Laid Schemes of Mice & Men’. So just for readers who are new to your work, do you want to just describe the basic premise of the book?

Siddharth Maheshwari: Present day India: About 1.4 Billion people, living across its twenty-nine states and seven union territories, speaking about one thousand six hundred and fifty-two languages and following at least nine recognized religions, stand united in the country. A sinister plan, of a shrewd calculating mastermind, has set the wheels of doom in motion.

Based upon his interpretation of John Calhoun’s study of mice, he is pulling the lynchpins across the country and making it fall into disarray. He is using everyone in his path to achieve his goals. Within thirty days he intends to control the nation’s soul. As chaos grips the country, it is a race against time for DSP Ranbir Roy of the Intelligence Bureau and Inspector Vikram Aditya Singh to stop him before anarchy dooms the country.  The pieces are set, the board is laid out but what happens when your own pawns move against you? What will be the end game?

TBE: What is the significance of the title?

Siddharth Maheshwari: Any Economy, business or even a company is set on certain pillars. These are the key members who provide the strategy, the vision and the driving force to ensure efficient output. When these elements are removed, it is not always possible to replace them and in the story the antagonist targets such events in the country which can threaten its socio-economic structure. Hence the title. Also fate has a big role to play and therefore the by-line which states ‘the best laid schemes of mice and men,’ indicating that man proposes but god disposes.

TBE: Do you want to tell us about the writing process of Lynchpin? When was it that you made the decision to actually sit down and write the book? What was it that led you to writing your first novel and was writing something you’d always wanted to do?

Siddharth Maheshwari: Writing the first rough draft was fun. It involved a lot of research work and creation of scenarios, making the timeline and thinking about the plot points. My late maternal grandmother used to keep telling me to write. I started writing funny anecdotes in a diary and then I got the confidence to start writing a fictional story. Plus the lockdowns gave me a good opportunity to try my hand at it. I guess I always was a storyteller at heart.

TBE: How and why did you decide to focus on a thief as your central character in the book? What do you think he offers as a protagonist?

Siddharth Maheshwari: The thief is not a central character. The thief is just a mere catalyst which puts the protagonists on to the heels of the antagonists. The situation that I have set wherein the theft takes place, was my way of telling the readers that (a). Situations in life can change anytime and anywhere; (b). We must not operate with our preconceived notions in life – even a thief has a purpose and lastly, (c). Fate has a big role to play in our lives. We may make the best of plans yet God or nature has its own ways of creating balance. The antagonist is a brilliant calculating mind for whom the ends justify the means. He has nothing to do with the theft.

TBE: Lynchpin is a delightfully mysterious book, and full of literary sleight-of-hand. The mystery is buried even more deeply than usual — it feels like a true long-con. How did you approach this particular kind of mystery?

Siddharth Maheshwari: My intention was to make the protagonists feel frustrated. Every time they were close to cracking a clue or getting a lead, they would unexpectedly hit a dead end. And this so often happens in our lives too. We make plans and as the day turns we realize that we are back to square one. Therefore I spun such a convoluted mystery, which may have flaws from an extreme logical viewpoint but then not everything that happens in life can be justified by logic. People are careless, shrewd, sloppy, intelligent, calculative, inefficient, amoral – and this mix of characteristics is what I have tried to capture in the story.

TBE: Which mystery and suspense writers do you draw inspiration from? What are your favorite books from the same genre?

Siddharth Maheshwari: I am inspired by Jeffrey Archer’s Books, Sidney Sheldon, Mario Puzo, Dan Brown and Agatha Christie. I am also greatly inspired by Marcus Luttrel’s Lone Survivor.

TBE: How was your publishing experience with Leadstart?

Siddharth Maheshwari: This was my first publishing experience. Leadstart has guided me well through this new journey in my life. It takes a team to deliver, it is never a one-man show.

TBE:  Is there anything you are currently working on that may intrigue the interest of your readers?

Siddharth Maheshwari: I have written my Second Novel, wherein certain characters do return and it is from a similar universe, but it is a very different story. While editing the second one, I have also started brainstorming and researching for my third novel – which will be a classic murder mystery, like a whodunit.