The Bankster

TITLE: THE BANKSTER

AUTHOR: RAVI SUBRAMANIAN

PUBLISHER: RUPA PUBLICATIONS

ISBN: 978-81-291-2048-9

GENRE: FICTION

PAGES: 358

SOURCE: BLOGADDA

RATING: 3/5

Back cover says:

In Angola, a covert CIA agent is about to exchange weapons for blood diamonds.

In Kerala, an elderly man will do whatever it takes to fulfil a promise made to a dying son.

In Mumbai, an international bank is stunned by the mysterious death of its key employees.

Bankers build their careers on trust, or so everyone thinks, till a series of murders threaten to destroy the reputation that the Greater Boston Global Bank (GB2) has built over the years. Who is behind these killings, and what is their motive? Is the banker at GB2 fast turning into a bankster? Or was he always one?

When Karan Panjabi, press reporter and ex-banker, digs deeper, he realises that he has stumbled upon a global conspiracy with far reaching ramifications- a secret that could not only destroy the bank, but also cast a shadow on the entire nation.
With only thirty-six hours at his disposal, he must fight the clock and trust no one if he has to stay alive and uncover the truth.

Spinning an intricate web of lies, deceit and treachery, bestselling author Ravi Subramanian, a master storyteller of financial crime and winner of the 2008 golden Quill Reader’s Choice Award, returns with his most gripping thriller yet.

Raumali's views:

When I received the book first from blogadda, I was thrilled by the concept of a mystery thriller revolving around a bank. Flipping through the pages, I was really engrossed by many subplots in a single story. I was hungry for more, to reach the end. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

The book is a combination of three stories set in three different cities.

Joseph Braganza- An immovable force. A High flyer, yet six feet under. Smart, Suave, efficient, Resourceful, secretive yet hostile. He is a covert CIA agent who comes to Angola with a deal of blood diamonds.

Krishna Menon- A middle class elderly, who lost his only son to an radioactive accident. It was at this point that he decided to go to any means to keep his hometown safe from the upcoming nuclear power plant.

Greater Boston Global Bank Mumbai- An International Bank, fallen prey to serial murders and an intricate web of conspiracies. A place where everyone’s a victim but no one is innocent.

The main book is based with the story of GB2 with the first few stories just popping in between. How do they connect?

Krishna Menon- who lost his son in the Chernobyl nuclear accident, made a promise to his dying son, to do everything possible to keep the residents of his hometown safe from the upcoming nuclear power plant. He shakes hand with Jayakumar, in a protest against the government, to come clean and transparent about the plant. His protest in on the Gandhian principle. But can Jayakumar be trusted? Is he using Menon?

Vikram, Tanuja, Nikhil, Anand, Indrani, Harshita, Zinaida, Raymond- The employees of the bank who are supposed to build their careers on trust. But can they go to any extent to reach their targets, even while keeping the trust of their colleagues and customers alive without thinking about any of them or the repercussions on the bank. Is power meant to be misused? Who is deceiving whom? Can anyone be trusted? Why are the employees being murdered?

When Karan Panjabi, press reporter and ex-employee of GB2, searches the roots of these murders, he finds himself stumbled upon a global conspiracy which combines all these three stories.

The story lacks intricate detailing. The plot is strong but none of the characters are detailed. Also the main protagonist of the tale comes in only the last 100 pages and what seems like a hasty end. All his characters lack depth.

Nonetheless, the story is good, the mystery is thrilling and I would recommend giving it a try.

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