In Mumbai, seemingly unconnected people are dying, strangled
in a chilling ritual and with strange objects carefully arranged with the
corpses.
For Santosh Wagh, head of private India, the Mumbai branch
of the world’s finest investigation agency, it’s a race against time to stop
the killer striking again.
In a city of over thirteen million, he’d have his work cut
out at the best of times, but this case has him battling Mumbai’s biggest
ganglord and a godman who isn’t all he seems.
And then he discovers there may be an even greater danger
facing private India. Hidden in the shadows, someone who could destroy the
whole organization – along with thousands of innocent Mumbai citizens.
Raumali Says:
I have always been a fan of mystery novels, so couldn’t
resist when Blogadda gave the opportunity to review one. I have read Ashwin
Sanghi’s novels before and have liked them. James Patterson, is altogether a
new author for me. So before I read this book, I decided to do some research
first. What I found was Private series is a collaboration between Patterson and
different authors around the globe. So for Private India, Patterson decided to
collaborate with Ashwin Sanghi.
The sheer thrill of reading a murder and mystery keeps me
hooked. I remember my school days when I used to sneak a Dan Brown or Agatha
Christie novel inside one of my study books in class. I continued that in
college too, sitting in the last bench with a nice book while the teacher
rattled away. Well, my book reading has taken a back stand since I have entered
the corporate field. But my hands started itching when I found Blogadda is
giving away mystery books for review. I have read Sanghi’s books before and
have reviewed them for Blogadda too. They weren’t spine chilling but were not
bad either. So, I was disappointed when this book didn’t meet my expectations.
The book made me feel lost. There was no cohesiveness in the characters, and
the plot was more or less predictable. It took me a lot of motivation and quite
a few mails from Blogadda for me to finish reading this book. (I would have
done it if my manager promised me a bonus for reading this book). The font was
huge which was a real dampener. The end was disappointing.
Writing is a creative job. The authors make stories in their
head and pen them down in such a way so people would read it. Hence I am not
very fond of doing a bad review, because it will be like criticizing the way
they do their work. I do have some good to tell about this book too.
I read Indian authors because they make me feel connected. The
language, the story, the culture, everything is my own. Sanghi’s penchant for
mythology comes through some Indian festivals in the plot. The books opens with
the murder of a Thai doctor in a Mumbai hotel. It’s a serial killer who places
some token of his presence beside each of the dead bodies.
Santosh Wagh, and ex-policeman, who heads private India, and
also the protagonist of this tale, gets in charge of this case. Wagh is a
compelling if somewhat pitiable character with a troubled past. Wagh has a
sharp mind and impeccable powers of reasoning. He also has an inexhaustible
fund of trivia that helps him solve mysteries.
The characterization was very precise. The thing I liked
most was there were alternate chapters on the murder and something else.
Overall, it’s a okay read. You can go for it, if you have
time to spare.
Rating – 3/5
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