400 Days (novel)

400 Days is a 2021 mystery novel by Indian author Chetan Bhagat. It is Bhagat's tenth novel and the third installment in the Keshav-Saurabh series, following The Girl in Room 105 (2018)^[3] and One Arranged Murder (2020).^[4] The novel blends elements of mystery and romance, focusing on a detective case involving a missing child.

400 Days

First edition
Author	Chetan Bhagat
Language	Indian English
Genre	Mystery, Thriller
Set in	India
Publisher	Westland Publications[1]
Publication date	8 October 2021
Publication place	India
Media type	Paperback
Pages	352 [2]
ISBN	978-1542094085
Preceded by	One Arranged Murder

Plot

After the events of One Arranged Murder, Keshav and Saurabh are living with Keshav's parents in a gated community called Icon. Keshav, preparing to become an IPS officer, is approached by Alia Arora, a neighbor seeking help to find her missing 12-year-old daughter, Siya, who disappeared nine months earlier. Initially reluctant, Keshav agrees due to his love for detective work and the promise of a substantial reward.

Alia recounts her troubled marriage to Manish, a wealthy businessman, and their strained family dynamics, including mistreatment by Manish's domineering mother. Siya went missing during a family gathering, and the only witness, Suhana, Alia's younger daughter, described the abductor as a man with bracelets, a tattoo, and glowing hair. Despite police efforts, the case went cold until Keshav and Saurabh reopened it.

While investigating, Keshav gains Suhana's trust and uncovers clues, including suspicious online messages between Siya and someone named "Roy." Attempting to trap Roy through a fake Instagram account, the plan fails when Roy escapes. Meanwhile, Keshav and Alia develop feelings for each other, though Alia remains married.

A breakthrough occurs when Keshav discovers that Shastriji, the family priest, matches Suhana's description of the abductor. Tracking Shastriji to an abandoned sugar factory, Keshav and his team rescue a traumatized Siya, who reveals she was kidnapped and abused under the guise of a religious ritual.

Grateful for Siya's return, Alia thanks Keshav but chooses to remain with her family for her children's sake. Keshav, letting go of their relationship, shifts focus to expanding Z Detective Agency with Saurabh, including plans for a child security unit.

Characters

• Keshav Rajpurohit: A budding detective preparing for the Indian Police Service (IPS) under pressure from his parents. He had a brief affair with Alia Arora.
• Saurabh Maheshwari: An engineer, skilled hacker, and Keshav Rajpurohit's best friend.
• Alia Arora: Keshav Rajpurohit's and Saurabh Maheswari's client. An ex-model, Manish Arora's wife, Siya and Suhana Arora's mother. She had a brief affair with Keshav Rajpurohit and wanted to marry him, but he rejected her.
• Manish Arora: Alia Arora's husband and Siya and Suhana Arora's father. He is the owner of Nava jewellers.
• Siya Arora: The missing teenage daughter of Alia and Manish Arora and the older sister of Suhana.
• Suhana Arora: The younger daughter of Alia and Manish Arora, and the younger sister of Siya Arora.

Reception

• Sankalpita from Book Geeks gave it mediocre ratings, stating that its plot is "pretty much non-existent", but that it is an easy read, especially for people with beginner level English.^[5]
• Sahana Hegde from Scroll.in gave the book a mixed review, and said that "despite its clichéd ingredients, Chetan Bhagat’s new novel is his most readable yet".^[6]