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Arsh Verma, IPS

@arshverma15

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IPS Officer. Author of ‘The Velvet Hotline’ and ‘Almost Sixteen’ (Penguin)

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🚨 NEW BOOK ALERT!! 🚨

I’m ABSOLUTELY stoked to announce that my second novel, ‘Almost Sixteen’ (Penguin) will be hitting bookshelves this March!

It’s a super fun, high-school set coming-of-age romantic comedy!

Get your copy HERE: https://www.amazon.in/dp/0143474049

ALMOST SIXTEEN!! by @arshverma15

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7 months ago

Twenty years of daydreaming later, here we are! I am incredibly excited to announce the release of my debut novel, ‘The Velvet Hotline’ this December, with @penguinindia.
Pre-orders are now open: https://amzn.eu/d/iZCQZG9 by @arshverma15

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3 years ago

What happens when a telephone call is the only thing standing between a person and their darkest moment?

And what happens when the phone rings… even though nobody plugged it in?

Arsh Verma's The Velvet Hotline begins with Ayingbi Mayengbam, a primary school teacher who volunteers at a suicide prevention hotline during her summer break.

Her first day ends with a dead body.

She wants out.

Instead, she finds herself working for Dr Rastogi at another hotline—and slowly discovers that something isn't quite right.

What I enjoyed most is that the novel doesn't depend entirely on spectacular twists. The suspense grows quietly, through conversations, silences, loneliness and the unsettling question of whom to trust.

Ayingbi is particularly effective because she feels human. She isn't an expert who magically knows what to do. She learns, makes mistakes, keeps listening—and gradually confronts one of the hardest truths in the book:

You can care deeply about someone and still be unable to save them.

That stayed with me more than the supernatural mystery.

Because beneath the eerie atmosphere, The Velvet Hotline is really interested in something much more ordinary—and much more frightening.

How much can one person carry for another?

I found the middle slightly slower than I would have liked, and the supernatural direction may not work equally well for every reader. But the emotional core of the novel is strong, and the hotline setting gives the thriller an unusual identity.

I finished the book thinking less about the mystery and more about the voices.

The people who call.

The people who don't.

The conversations we sometimes end too quickly.

And the possibility that, occasionally, someone doesn't need us to solve anything.

They just need us to stay on the line.

#TheVelvetHotline #ArshVerma #SameerGudhate #BookReview #BookReviewer #PsychologicalThriller #ThrillerBooks #MysteryThriller #SupernaturalThriller #IndianFiction #IndianAuthors #BookstagramIndia #MentalHealth #HumanBehaviour #LiteraryReview #BookRecomme taken in Mumbai - मुंबई by @arshverma15

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a month ago

Happy Onam
🥥

Wishing you a very happy, healthy & prosperous Onam. The bookish way.

Read on. Eat on. by @arshverma15

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a month ago

-This is Your Vibe-
Almost Sixteen
@arshverma15

If friends to lovers is your vibe, then Almost Sixteen is your vibe, too.
Pick it up today. by @arshverma15

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2 months ago

Perjury by @arshverma15

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2 months ago

Q. Your weekend pick? 📚
I recently completed this light hearted highschool romance by @arshverma15 @penguinindia and just love how very fun, relatable & nostalgic it is! Do check this out for all the cozy chaos that affects teens.

Drop your cozy reads in the comments 👇🏻
Follow @anjumreads for such exciting book recs ✨

#almostsixteen #yaromance #highschoolromance #bookreviewerindia by @arshverma15

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2 months ago

The velvet hotline
https://amzn.to/3RamVfG
#fypppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
#explorepage✨ #bookreview by @arshverma15

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2 months ago

Koban System by @arshverma15

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2 months ago

Community Service by @arshverma15

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2 months ago

How far would you go to pull a stranger back from the edge when all you have is your voice on a telephone line? That is the haunting, deeply personal core of this book. What begins as a compassionate story about Ayingbi, a Manipuri school teacher taking on summer work at a suicide prevention helpline, slowly crawls up the back of your neck, transforming everyday conversations into something deeply unsettling.

As a psychological thriller, this book completely avoids the usual formulaic gimmicks of serial killers or outlandish conspiracies. Instead, it builds an authentic, suffocating suspense out of human vulnerability and the sheer weight of trying to save lives. The hotline setting never feels like a cheap plot device; the calls, the raw desperation, and the emotional burnout of the volunteers feel convincingly grounded.

Ayingbi is a refreshingly realistic protagonist, she isn’t an unrealistically brave super-detective, but a curious, empathetic woman whose very human reactions make the surrounding danger feel terrifyingly immediate. The narrative masterfully balances eerie psychological tension, subtle supernatural touches, and emotional depth without ever taking its foot off the gas. You are constantly kept guessing about whom to trust, wrapped in a lingering uncertainty that grows naturally.

While the middle section slows down slightly to focus on character development and the sensitive nuances of mental health, the emotional payoff is entirely worth it. The author handles heavy themes of loss, hope, and the limits of human intervention with incredible maturity and empathy.

This book is a gripping, atmospheric, and beautifully layered read that lingers for long. If you are tired of predictable mysteries and crave a thriller rooted in the fragile, haunting workings of the human mind, this one is an absolute must-read.
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#bookworm #bookish #bookstagram #bookreview #bookblog by @arshverma15

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2 months ago

Streisand effect by @arshverma15

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2 months ago