Book Review: Bones Of The Lost by Kathy Reichs

Title: Bones Of The Lost [Temperance Brennan # 16]

Author: Kathy Reichs

Publisher: Random House

Pages: 336
Price: Rs 599

Genre: Fiction / Crime / Thriller

Rating: 7/10

Format: Paperback

About the Book [from the blurb]

The body of a teenage girl is discovered along a desolate highway on the outskirts of Charlotte. Inside her purse is the ID card of a local businessman who died in a fire months earlier.

This is no ordinary hit-and-run. Who was the girl? And was she murdered?

Dr Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist, must find the answers. She soon learns that a Gulf War veteran stands accused of smuggling artefacts into the country. Could there be a sinister connection between the two cases?

Convinced that the girl's death was no accident, Tempe takes courageous action to find justice for the dead. But her search throws her to the centre of a conspiracy that extends from South America to Afghanistan – and places her in terrible danger.

My thoughts:

First few pages were a blur for me, may be because this is my first book featuring Tempe Brennan [this is the 16^th in this series, by the way]. But I quickly got the hang of the plot.

Dr Brennan, like the author herself, is a forensic anthropologist. It is intriguing how much she finds out about people only through bones, sometimes badly damaged bones.

Dr Brennan actually finds herself amid three completely unrelated cases [on the face of it]. One is about a hit-and-run victim, a young girl. Since Tempe also has a young daughter, far away from her; this case tugs her emotionally because she wants to find out who the victim is and send her [her body] home to her people. It disturbs her all the time to think that somewhere the girl’s parents would be waiting for her.

Second case is about seized mummified dogs and a possible case of smuggling. The third case takes Dr Tempe Brennan to Afghanistan, where a Marine has been accused with the murder of 2 Afghan nationals. She is supposed to conduct skeletal autopsies of the dead and find out if the victims were shot from behind or from the front.

On personal level, Dr Tempe’s life isn’t really settled. Her only daughter, Katy, is in Afghanistan. Her current boyfriend Ryan is non-existent, while her ex Pete [though officially still her husband] is about to marry a bimbo.

Over all, though the book wasn’t as addictive as several thrillers are, yet it was very, very interesting. Every chapter ends with a compelling sentence that would make you read the next chapter. 

It was only towards the end that I found that the American crime series ‘Bones’ is based on Dr Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs. I certainly look forward to reading more in this series. The only thing I was confused about was that why was Dr Brennan solving the cases. She isn’t a detective; she is an anthropologist. But frankly, if forensics intrigues you, this book [or the series] is for you. This book will also appeal to those who read crime / thriller genre, in general.

Here are a few lines quoted from the book:

"I see violent death on regular basis. I know the cruelty and stupidity and insensitivity of which humans are capable. And yet, every time, the same question.

How?"

"I try to be open-minded, to judge each individual on merit and accomplishment. I hold no bias against any belief system, sexual orientation, or skin color that differs from mine. I do not hate in stereotype."

" Some burials were still mounded, but most slumped. The newly dead, the long departed. All were aligned in rows, as in farmer's field. But bones, not seeds, lay beneath the ground."

Note: You can also read a Free Chapter Here.

Review Book courtesy: Random House India 

Image source: Random House India

Book Review: Compass Box Killer by Piyush Jha

Title: Compass Box Killer [An Inspector Virkar Crime Thriller # 1]

Author: Piyush Jha

Publisher: Rupa Publications

Pages: 234  

Price: Rs 195

Genre: Fiction / Crime / Thriller 

Rating: 6/10

Format: Paperback

About the Book [from the blurb]

‘Akurle is just the first to die,

To find out who is next, find me first.’

One muggy afternoon, a senior police officer is found murdered at his desk. When Inspector Virkar from the Crime Branch arrives at the scene, he finds a cryptic note that spills out of a student’s compass box. Then begins a series of killings and in each, a telltale compass box reveals more clues.

Accompanied by the attractive, ambitious TV reporter, Raashi Hunerwal, Virkar has to race against time to catch the Compass Box Killer before the bodies pile up. As the investigation shuttles from Mumbai to Khandala to Belgaum, Virkar is taken deep into a labyrinth of backroom deals that lead to shocking revelations about the ruthless killer’s motives.

Slick plot twists and high-adrenaline action mark the first of the Inspector Virkar Crime Thrillers—part of the Mumbaistan series. Tough, daring and relentless in his pursuit of justice, Inspector Virkar is a policeman one wishes every city had.

My thoughts:

Honestly speaking, till first couple of pages, the setting felt straight out of some popular 70s film – the busy police chowki, the chaiwala, even Inspector Virkar’s entry is very filmy [and it includes a Dance Bar and rescuing an underage girl], the glamorous female journalist, et al.

Inspector Virkar is entrusted with the responsibility of handling the curious case of a dead police officer. This leads him to a series of Compass boxes which give him clues about the killer’s subsequent targets. The only problem is finding the person and protecting him before the killer gets to him. There are no apparent connections between the targeted individuals, and thus, forms a maze of people and places in a sort of ‘Catch-me-if-you-can’ scenario.

Inspector Virkar has been handpicked for Crime Branch because he has the acumen and inclination. He is quick-witted and courageous. Though he seems to be a serious sort of person but he has the amusing habit of throwing in situational one-liners in colloquial language.

The book is an out-and-out page turner. There is no moment to pause and think about, you are just on a chase along with Inspector Virkar. It is a neat thriller, keeps you glued till the end. The book is certainly Bollywood-material with liberal doses of twists and turns and in the absence of a more suitable word, masala. Suspense, mystery, romance, betrayal, skeletons in the closets, drama and so much more are packed into this taut thriller.

This book is something which you would want to finish in one sitting - while travelling or during Sunday afternoons. Its strong points are plot and pace. Its weak point for me was too much of it, and I generally felt it lacked depth. But that is usually the case with most crime thrillers.

If fast-paced crime thrillers are your thing, you will like it.

Review Book courtesy: All About Books Global

Image source: Rupa Publications

Book Review: Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson

Title: Alex Cross, Run

Author: James Patterson

Publisher: Arrow Books [Random House India]

Pages: 416

Price: Rs 350

Genre: Fiction / Crime / Thriller / Mystery

Rating: 7/10

Format: Paperback

“It’s not every day that I get a naked girl answering the door I knock on.”

That is the first line of this book. And you are hooked to it, till you finish the book. Not for nothing, it is mentioned on the back cover, below the author’s name ‘the pages turn themselves’.

This book was my constant companion in the 2 days I read [and finished] it. ‘Alex Cross, Run’ by James Patterson is an extremely fast-paced crime thriller from ‘Alex Cross’ series.   

Alex Cross, from Metropolitan Police Department, is in charge of three investigations while also going through a troubled time at home related to his foster teenage daughter. The bodies are falling one after another, which look like cases of serial murders. With 3 serial killers to chase and stop them from doing more damage, Alex Cross has clearly his hands full. While he is unraveling the mystery of serial murders, Alex Cross is also being closely watched by someone, inflicting personal and professional setbacks on him. Alex Cross’ personal life is also drawn into the story that involves his foster daughter. In his wife Bree, who is also a cop, he has a companion who empathizes about his work while also becomes an ally in times of crisis.

Though this book is unputdownable but it has its flaws. As we read the story, we know who are the killers but I felt the ‘why’ part was not clearly explained in the end. Though Alex Cross is sharp and passionate about his work but a few times I found his actions quite naïve. A few times when the narrative would focus on one particular murder or series of murders, the other ones would seem forgotten, making you wonder what was happening over there. But that is a small glitch in the narrative.

Alex Cross, Run is for anyone who enjoys the good old crime thriller genre. If you are looking for a quick read, this one is for you.

Here are a few of my favourite lines from the book:

"If speed was my number one priority right now, discretion was a close second."

"... and for just a little while, I could pretend that my biggest problem was deciding between the salmon and the New York strip with Kinkead's Scotch whiskey sauce."

"It was a game of political football, and right now, I was the ball."

Note: The text in italics have been quoted from the book.

Review Book courtesy: Random House India

Image source: Amazon

Book Review: Jacob Hills by Ismita Tandon Dhanker

Title: Jacob Hills

Author: Ismita Tandon Dhanker

Publisher: HarperCollins India

Pages: 268

Price: Rs 299

Genre: Fiction / Suspense / Thriller / Crime Fiction

Rating: 8/10

Format: Paperback

I noticed this book on a lot of blogs. Honestly, I am not too fond of the cover page, so I was not instantly drawn to the book (since it is the cover page that attracts me first). Moreover, the title of the book was not really giving away anything about the story. But after consistently reading some good reviews, I reluctantly decided to give it a chance. Frankly, I am extremely cautious in reading contemporary Indian authors. Many disappoint and I hate to abandon a book midway. 

Jacob Hills is a fictitious Army training establishment, located near Simla in Himachal. It has a War College, called Jacob Hall, where around 300 senior and junior officers are trained in various skills. Jacob Hills offers a perfect set up for a riveting story that encompasses a fascinating Army background, unconventional lifestyle choices like wife swapping, extreme domestic violence, disturbing child sexual abuse, mystery surrounding the death of a young woman and clear evidence of years of physical torture, internal politics, and also a heartwarming story of love and faith between the main couple. The book ‘Jacob Hills’ is a story of passion and ambition, which we discover through the overlapping stories of several characters.

Just to set the records straight, the author has mentioned in the beginning that though she has chosen Army as her story’s background, at the end of the day the story is about people; people who misuse power, any kind of power, and they can be found anywhere.  

Set in 1980s, the book ‘Jacob Hills’, is about a few Army officers and their families, about their polished outer pretences and some hidden truths. The narrative progresses interestingly through multiple characters, but Eva is the main protagonist.

Major George Chandy is recuperating from his leg injury and he has been transferred to Jacob Hills in the role of an instructor. Eva Chandy is his Anglo-Indian wife, who joins as an English teacher at the Army school. By chance, she finds herself embroiled in the death case of a mystery woman. The misery in which the young woman dies makes her commit to finding her tomentor.  Lt. Colonel Gary and Pam Randhawa are George’s old friends who are affable and yet unconventional in their marriage. They run a wife-swapping club. Saryu is a plain looking village belle, married to Major Vikram Singh. Saryu’s story is a heart-wrenching story of brutal domestic violence and apathy, and of physical and psychological torture. Vikram forces her to sleep with his seniors for furthering his career but she takes up sleeping around with vengeance to teach him a lesson. Captain Rana is a young officer in love with a traditional, Muslim girl Heena. He has feelings for her but he is not serious about settling down, while she is blinded by her love for him. Colonel Tehlan is George’s boss while his daughter Bunny is Eva’s student. Eva and Geroge are disturbed by Bunny’s parents’ denial of what their daughter is going through. Major Alex is another instructor at the War College, who is constantly haunted by the memories of a disgraceful episode in his career that led to the deaths of his colleagues.

Each chapter is from a character’s perspective and the character’s name is represented graphically that tells a lot about his or her personality. The author’s writing is simple and yet engaging. She skillfully paints a vivid picture of Jacob Hills. 

The book is fast-paced and there is never a lull. May be I would say I expected a more logical closure for Bunny episode, and felt Bunny’s friend Junaira’s case was also a bit vague. Besides, we don’t get to know too much of either Major Alex or Captain Rana. However, these minor issues don’t take away from the overall impact the book creates.  

I enjoyed the book thoroughly. I finished it in 4 hours (that must say a lot about the book). It was a compelling read. I found the Army background quite interesting. I recommend it wholeheartedly for casual reading.

A few lines from the book:   

“The woman who can’t be tamed by force can be tamed by sex. It’s the ultimate violation of a woman’s psyche, it shames her into silence.”

“I wanted to tell him that there are no real women, just as there are no real men.”

“It’s tough being a child in an adult’s world, every day their innocence dies a little.”

Review Book courtesy: HarperCollins India

Image source: writersmelon.com

Book Review: The Sea of Innocence by Kishwar Desai

Title: The Sea of Innocence

Author: Kishwar Desai

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Pages: 264

Price: Rs 350

Genre: Fiction / Thriller /Crime / Women issues

Rating: 6/10

Format: Paperback

‘The Sea of Innocence’ is the third book in the trilogy by Kishwar Desai. The first one was ‘Witness the Night’ and the second one was ‘Origins of Love’. The only connections between the three are the main protagonist Simran Singh, and the fact that each one of them deal with a women-centric issue. ‘Witness the Night’ was about female infanticide while ‘Origins of Love’ was about Surrogacy and IVF.

About the Book (from the blurb):

Goa, south India. A beautiful holiday hideaway where hippies and backpackers while away the hours. But beneath the clear blue skies lies a dirty secret…

Simran Singh is desperate for a break and some time away from her busy job as a social worker-come-crime investigator. And so the unspoilt idyll of Goa seems just the place - white beaches, blue seas and no crime. 

But when a disturbing video appears on her phone, featuring a young girl being attacked by a group of men, she realises that a darkness festers at the heart of this supposed paradise. And when she discovers out that the girl is Liza Kay, a British teenager who has gone missing, she knows she must act in order to save her.

But first Simran must break through the web of lies and dark connections that flourish on these beaches. Everyone, it seems, knows what has happened to the girl but no one is prepared to say. And when more videos appear, and Simran herself is targeted in order to keep her quiet, the paradise soon becomes a living nightmare.

My thoughts:

Kishwar Desai does not beat around the bush. Her first few lines are always the attention-grabbers. She comes straight to the point (or the case).

The main protagonist in the series, Simran Singh, is a 46-year old social worker (who really ends up being a detective for the cases she gets embroiled in). Simran Singh is long past conventional marriageable age, loves her smoke and destresses with alcohol. She is headstrong but gullible at times; though her heart is in the right place. She has a penchant for courting risks by meddling into cases related to vulnerable women, which usually also runs her into powerful politicians and inefficient police. Her family consists of her mother and an adopted teenage daughter, Durga (who was part of ‘Witness the Night’).

Quite evidently, the book has taken liberally from the much-publicised Scarlett Keeling case. You may read about the case here. Since it was dealing with sexual crime against women, the book also gives a lot of references of the recent Delhi gang-rape case and other such reported cases, which sometimes puts the narrative off-track. But clearly, author’s motive was to highlight the injustice meted out to women like Scarlett Keeling who have been victims of sexual violence and who are now lost into oblivion with several perpetrators yet to be brought to books.

Honestly speaking, the author had much to consider in putting all the strings together for this book. Having the protagonist on the crime scene; involving her in situations in which Scarlett was found dead; also incorporating the recent, much publicized Delhi rape case and other sexual violence reports; Simran’s pursuit of the case; inserting a romantic angle; and moreover, the setting of Goa had its own baggage like issues of locals against tourists, problems due to modernization, night life, surge in crime, the drugs mafia, et al. I felt there were a few unnecessary, cringe-worthy sequences about the sexual violence.

What I admire about the author is her ability to highlight a social, women-centric issue and weave a fascinating, fast-paced thriller around it. Perhaps it is her years of experience in journalism that helps her accomplish that. In retrospect, since I had read her previous 2 books, perhaps I had unrealistic expectations from the third one. But if you like this one, trust me, you will love the other ones more.

This book is not a masterpiece but like all Kishwar Desai’s books, it is a compelling read, woven around topical women-centric issues, and like always, it too strikes a note. As Smita also mentioned, the only issue with all of the author’s three books is that their endings do little justice to the fast-paced narratives. But having said that I feel this book will work for the readers who like thrillers or crime-based fiction.

Review Book courtesy: Simon & Schuster India
Image source: Amazon

Book Review: Drop Dead by Swati Kaushal

Title: Drop Dead

Author: Swati Kaushal

Publisher: Hachette India

Pages: 321

Price: Rs 250

Genre: Fiction / Thriller / Crime

Rating: 7/10

Format: Paperback

‘Drop Dead’ is the third book by the bestselling author Swati Kaushal. But unlike the earlier 2 books, this one is a crime mystery novel. This book is supposed to be the first one in the ‘Niki Marwah Mystery series’.

In this book, the author introduces Niki Marwah, the Shimla Superintendent of Police. Young, attractive, charismatic, tough, sharp and level-headed; she has all the makings of a promising central character. She does not consider living it up with stylish clothes and driving a flamboyant 2X2 SUV frivolous for a cop. Priyanka Chopra in Don is definitely a benchmark because we often find her references. (Niki also reminds me so much of Nancy Drew!).

This book is about only three days during which a dead body is discovered, an enquiry is conducted and the case is solved. Rakesh Mehta (also known as Rak), President and CEO of Indigo Books India Ltd., is putting up at the luxurious Lotus Resort, Sonargam (a fictitious place near Shimla) with his team for a corporate meet. Rak Mehta is ruthless, shrewd and opportunistic. He is flamboyant and quite a ladies’ man. On the verge of making an important announcement, he is found dead at Jharna Point, near the Lotus Resort, apparently due to a fall from the cable car. Niki Marwah takes charge of the investigation with her team, and soon finds out that almost everyone could have a motive to kill Rak.

Since there is an intention of a series, so one would find a few seemingly unnecessary parts and characters. Niki’s friend Kam or Niki’s big Punjabi clan, even a potential romantic angle have not been explored in this book but I am sure they would have relevance in the coming books from the series. Niki’s subordinate Shankar Sahay is a likeable character though his casual banter with Niki sounds more like that of a younger brother rather than a junior who has just started out.    

The title is catchy, and seems ironical when you read the book. The cover page is in line with the author’s previous two books. I found the publishing industry setting pretty interesting. But the book lacks in-depth characterization. Even Niki’s character is not too fleshed out. The book is actually a chick lit married to a thriller; so apart from pursuing the case, Niki also has her moments of meeting single men, dodging the marriage question and fantasizing about shoes and clothes.

The other issue with the book is finishing the story in haste towards the end. From taking every suspect’s statement to nabbing the killer, there should have been a logical connect. However, it certainly is a page-turner which should appeal to anyone who is looking for a fast-read and favors thrillers. Young Adults is another potential audience for this book. We also get a glimpse of the second book in Niki Marwah mystery series towards the end - ‘Sweet Cyanide’.

Image courtesy: Amazon

Book Review: She's Never Coming Back by Hans Koppel

Title: She’s Never Coming Back

Author: Hans Koppel

Publisher: Sphere (Hachette India)

Pages: 393

Price: Rs 350

Genre: Fiction / Thriller

Rating: 8/10

Format: Paperback

I don’t favour fiction these days but I like thrillers, especially after you have read some heavy-duty stuff or taken ages to finish a book, it feels good to pick up a fast-paced thriller.

‘She’s Never Coming Back’ is every bit a fast-paced thriller. I finished it in 2 days with my limited reading time (owing to my little one). But this book is a little different than the usual crime thrillers – good different, that is!

Here’s a little outline of the story. Ylva Zetterberg, a mother and wife, leaves office for home but never reaches. Her husband, Mike, assumes she is out with office colleagues, and keeps speculating about possibilities of why she might not have reached home, even when she does not turn up the next day. Ylva is a compulsive flirt and has had a fling before. When Ylva does not reaches home in the evening the first day, Mike is reluctant to call her so as not be accused of distrust by her. But when he is unable to reach her or get much information from her best friend at office, Mike reports her absence to police. In the wake of the brewing issues between Ylva and him, Mike becomes primary suspect for the police.

Meanwhile, Ylva has been kidnapped by her new next-door neighbours, Gosta and Marianne; who were known to her from before. She is also subjected to extreme sexual violence at their hands. She gets to see her husband and daughter on a screen, through a camera directed towards her home’s entrance. Locked in a sound-proofed cellar, Ylva cannot be heard outside, despite the fact that she is about 100 yards from her house.

The premise was very, very interesting and promising but I felt there were some weak links to the book.

First of all, the information on the back cover of the book is a little misleading. I think on reading it what comes out is that Ylva is a loving mother and wife from a happy, close-knit family, and she suddenly goes missing. Her husband is distraught and hysterical on her disappearance. On the top of it, he becomes the prime suspect which is heart-breaking for him. The camera shows Ylva the activities around her house and she is pained to see her loving husband and daughter, the way things progress in the days to come, how slowly Mike and Sanna start moving on, so on and so forth.

I might be giving away tiny bit about the story from here on but not really a spoiler. Ylva and Mike was not an ideal couple. Mike suffered from low self-esteem and is emotionally unstable, while Ylva is outgoing and a big-time flirt. As a consequence, there is a lot of friction between them. The book fails to draw out their characters well enough. We fail to connect with either Ylva or Mike. In fact, even as a victim, Ylva does not gets our sympathy because we don’t know her well. There is not much on what goes on inside her mind.

On another end, Jorgen Petersson, who has suddenly made a lot of money, reminisces about his school life and a bunch of bullies and is curious about what would have become of them over the years. He, along with his school friend, Calle Collin, a freelance journalist, start finding out about ‘the gang of four’. There is no justification to this angle, sheer coincidence. It is really not explained why Petersson is keen on finding those bullies from his past, and also how he finds any connection in what happens to each one of them.

The characters have not been drawn out too well. The relationship between them is also sketchy. We roughly know the state of affairs between Mike and Ylva, but we don’t know about the relationship between Ylva and Sanna or Ylva and Nour. When Ylva looks at her family on the screen for weeks, then months, then for over a year; we don’t know what she thinks, what goes on in her mind to see them getting back to normalcy. There is no insight into what goes on in the minds of all the main characters!

Another issue which disturbed me a lot was how Marianne approves her husband raping Ylva repeatedly. There is a bit of envy in places, but mostly she tells Ylva that she would be used by her husband whenever he wants. We also have no knowledge about the relationship between Marianne and Gosta.

The sexual assault on Ylva is also unnecessarily graphic, even repulsive.

In the beginning, Gosta is shown to be giving power point presentation on the methods used by perpetrators to control their victims. Each of those techniques has been explained in the beginning of several chapters dealing with Ylva and her captors. It is interesting and yet at some point, all this also looks like a case study.     

I have surprisingly rued about a lot of things and yet I loved reading the book. What stand out are the plot, the pace and the ending. The book is absolutely unputdownable. The ending absolutely lives upto the high the book creates. All the issues start coming out only in retrospect, they do not impact the pace or the story. When you read the book, you don’t really feel much amiss. You may absolutely love the book if you do not dwell too much into the things I mentioned.

Image source: flipkart.com

Book Review: We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Title: We Need To Talk About Kevin 

Author: Lionel Shriver
Publisher: Serpent’s Tail
Pages: 477
Format: Paperback

Genre: Fiction
Rating: 10/10

Thought provoking, nuanced, ambiguous, horrific, dark, multi-layered, disturbing, unputdownable, engrossing, terrifying, even haunting – these are some of the words which popped into my mind while reading this extraordinary book. I often forgot that it was a work of fiction but it could have easily been a real story.

In ‘We Need to Talk about Kevin’ by Lionel Shriver, the story unfolds through a series of letters by Eva Khatchadourian addressed to her husband, Franklin. Through her candid letters, Eva tries to pursue the possible reasons that eventually led her first born Kevin to murder seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker and a teacher, three days short of his sixteenth birthday. She ruminates, evaluates, examines several incidents, feelings and experiences from before Kevin was born leading up to the present context (two years after the unfortunate incident).

In the beginning, she is taken in by the idea of having a child “for a change” but eventually when she finds that she was pregnant she did not like the idea any longer. Pregnancy felt intrusive in her personal space. Even after the baby was born, she failed to feel the connect with her newborn. She detested the changes it brought to her body and to their lives. In her letters, she candidly admits to her faults and her failings as a mother, in order to single out the reasons that eventually led Kevin to commit the unthinkable. 

She confesses to being a bad mother. When little Kevin tells her that she did not want him. In response, Eva tells Kevin that he would not want himself. All in the guise of being factual. She was also envious about Franklin's attention for the baby. The way baby responded to him and he behaved with the baby. 

She felt early on that Kevin was not an ordinary child. There was something odd about him. He was evil by birth. But she forever struggles to convince Franklin about this because Kevin is always the regular, loving, enthusiastic child in front of him. Eva believed that Kevin was a scheming, shrewed boy, not a little innocent child. The way Kevin behaves in front of Eva is almost eerie but Franklin always laughs off all such incidents. He might have been even unreasonable in convincing himself that there could not be anything wrong with his child. Eva goes up to the extent of having a second child Celia to prove (even to herself) that Kevin was certainly different and her own emotions as a mother were quite alright for the second child. A lot of times, Eva seemed even scared of Kevin.

Eva comes across as cold, proud and also vulnerable at times, but still Eva and Franklin could be any regular couple and that is what terrifies the most. This could happen to anybody!

The story telling and characterization are probably one of the best that I have ever read. This book is in the league of classics. A must-read if you are also a parent! It is the kind of book that stays with you long after you have finished it. You cannot stop thinking about it. 

It is a difficult book to read but always engaging, never slow. I cannot recommend it enough!

Image source: http://bookdepository.com

The Newsroom Mafia by Oswald Pereira

Title: The Newsroom Mafia
Author: Oswald Pereira
Publisher: Grey Oak Publishers (Westland)
Pages: 259
Price: Rs 245
Genre: Fiction / Thriller
Rating: 6/10

Though I am sure this book draws inspiration from the real, yet it is hard to overlook its strong Bollywood appeal. The main characters also seem to come alive straight from an underworld movie - a Hindu Don, Narayan Swami, ruthless and astute in his dealings, has a heart of gold for the poor and the needy. He puts together a coterie of shrewed and promising scribes as his advisers, for channelising his money as well as for handling the politicians and the police; a supercop, Bombay Police Commissioner, Donald Fernandez, who takes it upon himself to finish the Don and his empire. And the usual right hand men, side kicks, corrupt politicians and police thrown in good measure. The story even has a moll in the form of Stella Kutty. But over and above these cardboard characters from a hindi movie of the 70s or the 80s, the most interesting aspect about this book is the insight it offers about the media.

The naive common man assumes that the role of media is to report what goes on in the society but this book opens our eyes to how easily media can orient public opinion by planting stories in collusion with benefitting parties, timing the release of news articles which can deviate our attention from important issues to even preconceiving a scoop.

Oswald Pereira, veteran journalist and author, conceives a fast-paced crime thriller in 'The Newsroom Mafia'. The book begins at an interesting point, when a huge inside scoop goes awry. The Bombay Police Commissioner, Donald Fernandez plans to capture Narayan Swamy with much planning and secrecy. But his plan falls flat when the Don trumps him by sneaking away to safety from under the nose of a huge police contingent. This event sets pace for a story full of twists and turns where one trumps the other every now and then. Meanwhile, the story also charts Narayan Swamy's efforts to transform his image from an underworld Don to a charitable, social worker. Aiding both the parties in this game of cat and mouse are journalists. The narrator Oscar Pinto, a journalist, sides with Donald for exclusive stories, while a slew of scribes jump on the Don's bandwagon for money.

The cover page and the title are fitting, but the language and narrative are too flat for the theme of the book. The dialogues on several occasions are too filmy and cliched. I also felt that the end was a little let down in comparison with the high drama in the rest of the book. The book could have been much shorter as some details and events seemed irrelevant for the total narrative.

The book may not merit to be a part of literary hall of fame, but it can certainly give you good company on a journey or a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Image source: http://www.westlandbooks.in 

Mafia Queens of Mumbai : Stories of Women from the Ganglands by S. Hussain Zaidi with Jane Borges

Title: Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of Women from the Gangland

Author: S.Hussain Zaidi (with Jane Borges)
Publisher: Tranquebar
Pages: 290
Genre: Non Fiction / Crime
Rating: 10 /10
Source: Review Copy (from BlogAdda)

Vishal Bhardwaj begins his foreword with “Crime is juicier than spirituality”. And isn’t it so? I read an article somewhere recently (as Bharadwaj also laments) about the dearth of literature on crime in India, something on the lines of ‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote. Incidentally, I recently found a new book, which deals with the Neeraj Grover Murder case called ‘Death in Mumbai’ by Meenal Baghel.

To digress a little more from the book, I recently read an article here that says how unimaginative the word ‘Non Fiction’ is. It does total injustice to the talented lot of writers who do not dwell in fictitious stories and yet create nothing short of excellent pieces of literature. Why bunch them all together in a highly non-creative word called ‘Non Fiction’? It takes away from the whole effort.

Finally coming back to the book, it is an outstanding and fascinating book – in its unusual subject, extensive research, deft story-telling and engaging pace. The cover page is highly apt and sets the mood for the book. I finished it in 4.5 hours flat.

S. Hussain Zaidi (who has also written the exceptional ‘Black Friday’) alongwith Jane Borges, creates vivid imagery of 13 women who enjoyed a lot of clout in the Mumbai mafia.

Though little known to the general public, unlike their several infamous male counterparts, these women have been singled out for their close involvement with underworld or power enjoyed by them. From wives and girlfriends of Dons to a Bollywood starlet, from a much sought-after bar dancer to women fueled by their ambition – each story reads like a movie script. The fact that the stories of these women are not easy to piece together, since little has been known about them, it makes the authors’ efforts far more commendable.

Following are glimpses of 13 women featured in this book:

• Jenabai –known for her closeness with the underworld dons Vardharajan, Karim Lala and Haji Mastan, and she was quite sought after for her advice.
• Gangubai – a girl who ran away from her small village, goes on to become the much-respected matriarch of Kamathipura – the red light area of Mumbai
• Ashraf or Sapna didi -  a wife who did not have any knowledge about her husband’s underworld connection till he gets killed in an encounter, trains herself with single-minded determination to take on the people responsible for his death
• Jyoti Amma and Mahalaxmi Papamani – Poverty and responsibility of taking care of family lead them into drug peddling, and over time they became powerful
• Monica Bedi – Her closeness with a Dubai business, who was actually Abu Salem, got her into the wrong side of the law, and she paid the price heavily
• Asha Gawli, Neeta Naik, , Sujata Nikhalje, Padma Poojary – Wives of Hindu Dons who went on to handle the place of their husbands while they were absconding
• Mrs Paul, Rubina Siraj Sayyed – Girlfriends and associates of Chhota Shakeel
• Tarannum Khan – the most (in)famous bar dancer who minted a lot of money in cricket betting
• Archana Sharma – a Ram Leela artiste from Ujjain becomes  a hardcore criminal, responsible for kidnapping, extortion and murder

It is definitely an interesting book, for who is not fascinated by the many stories of the underworld. Several movies have been scripted over the years, and it would continue to be portrayed on the celluloid with as much interest and drama.

It is definitely a must read for all book lovers, and I would go on to say that it would also appeal to people who like Fiction. After all, these are also stories, only real!

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Image Source: westlandbooks.in