Book Review : Private India.

Private India is a joint work of two eminent novelists,Ashwin Sanghi & James Patterson.Ashwin Sanghi has penned bestsellers ...namely...the Rozabel Line,Chanakya's Chant & The Krishna Key.I have read The Krishna Key & it was really good.James Patterson is famous for  books like the internationally selling Private series,Women's Murder Club,Detective Michael Bennett novels among so many !

This novel "Private India " is an edge of the seat thriller.The cover shows the Gateway of India,The Taj Hotel & the Worli Bandra sea link.There is a man the run towards the Worli sea link .The publishers are Arrow Books.The print is easy on the eye.Paper is off white colour.The book is of 470 pages & yet it can be completed fast, as chapters are short & that eggs the reader to read a little more each time.The book starts with a Prologue which describes the bombs which stunned Mumbai when they blasted in local trains in 2006.Next is Part I, which has 37 chapters.This is followed by Part II of 40 chapters .Then the finale unfolds in Part III consisting of 29 chapters.This is followed by Epilogue .After the Epilogue ,there is  an extract about how it all started.That left me wanting more !

This mystery is set  in Mumbai .Santosh Wagh is head of Private India ,an excellent investigative agency.A doctor is found murdered in a starred hotel room.She is from Thailand. She has been gagged with a bright yellow scarf.Next murder is of a journalist .There is  that yellow scarf again on the crime scene. Is there any connection & if so what is it ? Or maybe, someone is trying tricks .Then the bodies start piling up.All victims are women.Is it serial killing ? Santosh is unable to decipher anything.Then his hacker goes missing.He is arrested & tortured.Is he the murderer ? Santosh,s,ex collegaue, from the police  keeps blowing hot & cold .Santosh & his team have an office with state of art technolgy.And yet,their investigation is ending up nowhere.There is one guru, who has his hands or rather fingers in numerous shady deals.There is  a don, who has been able to evade the law so very often.There is a terrorist threat looming over the maximum city.Are the murders & the terror threat connected ? In the midst of all this,Santosh Wagh's boss arrives in India. Santosh is unaware about his boss's mission.What is it ? His boss's Indian girlfriend is one of the victims.The police obviously suspect the boyfriend. Santosh is sure, that the police are wrong.Yet ,why is his boss being secretive ?Why only women are being murdered ?Is the perpetrator trying to tell something through the clues that are left near the victims.The victims seem unconnected.Or is there any link ? Santosh is bogged down by the murders.Will he & his team be able to outwit the killer & prevent more bloodshed ? And what happens to the terror attack ?

The thriller keeps us engaged in the narration.Santosh is  addicted to the bottle & his ex colleague to tobacco.Do they give it up, for good ? This story is about the stress ,the guilt of working long hours in the law & order department in Mumbai.The city draws out the maximum stress amongst  the residents.That leads to addictions which take a toll, on the health.Santosh Wagh come  across as a workaholic ,a typical urban trait which leads to guilt of neglecting family which in turn, breaks many marriages.

All in all ,a book, which is a sure winner !

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