The black orphan by S. Hussain Zaidi

 "The black orphan" by S. Hussain Zaidi - Good thriller!

This book is published by HarperCollins India  in 2024 and has 248 pages.

India conducted nuclear tests. This time 3 times bigger than previous one. Next day the chief nuclear scientist is found dead. DIG Ajay Rajvardhan of NIA comes to Mumbai to investigate and stands a bail hearing of one of the females he arrested earlier. She is defended by a fiery Advocate Asiya Khan. Ajay and Asiya meet a couple of times in relation to work. Sparks fly. A new all women outfit called Khwahran-e-Millat (KeM), a sisterhood, has come up in India without the intelligence agencies getting wiser. There is a plan afoot to destabilize India and lead it to eventual destruction.

Will Ajay and Asiya fall in love? Is there more than what meets the eyes about the death of nuclear scientist? What is the plan against India? Who is behind it all?

Ajay is the hero. He is young, handsome, dashing, intelligent. He also has several contacts in India and writing intelligence agencies of other countries. Asiya is intelligent and beautiful. She is passionate about injustice towards persons of her faith. She is everything a man looks for. JCP Sagar Pratap of Mumbai police starts with hostilities towards Ajay but realizes his genuineness soon and they become good friends. Mumbai Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar does not encourage inter agency rivalry and is an honest cop. Hafsa is the head of KeM and the one who runs anti India activities without being suspected.

The story is fast paced. The book is not too long, so, the story remains crisp. There is a mysterious character but author has poorly concealed the identity. It was very easy to identify the character. If it was well concealed by adding false trails and red herrings, the story would have become more exciting.

Author claims that this story is inspired by some true events like death of 9 nuclear scientists of India, India’s un-acknowledged involvement in killing of Osama Bin Laden etc.

Ajay, almost single handedly, foils the plot. A bit cinematic. Last fight is hand to hand fight, a bit dramatic.

The book ends with two twists. One is the identity of the entity behind all this and second the hint of a sequel. I will wait for the sequel.

Why did I read this book? Author. Subject.

What I didn't like? A little cinematic. 

What did I like? Plot, pace. 

Good thriller. Recommend reading.

The hidden Hindu 3 by Akshat Gupta

 "The hidden Hindu 3" by Akshat Gupta - Its not a religious book! 

This book is published by Penguin ebury press in 2023 and has 256 pages. This is Book 3 of the trilogy.

Bali and Vibhishan have decided to stay neutral. Om's past is unlocked and the immortals are shaken. LSD is pregnant with Parimal's son. Nagendra is reinvigorated. Shukracharya makes an appearance. Padmanabha Swamy temple is the final destination.

Who is LSD? Why is she having Parimal's child? What is Nagendra's plan? Who is Nagendra? What's in Om's past? Will any immortal die?

The story moves geographically from north to south. Several back stories are revealed. Om's son Prithvi is telling the story of what happened to Mrs. Batra.

The first part of this book is similar to Book 2 where one by one words are lost. Then the climax happens in Padmanabha Swamy temple. This is an out and out war. But the description of it is neither crisp nor exciting. Author has brought all the villains from time immortal for the final war and that appears a little overboard. This part should have been more exciting and entertaining.

The trilogy ends but does the story end? Not really. Author has sowed the seed for another trilogy. Hanuman is the only immortal that doesn't make entry in this trilogy. His role is probably reserved for the next trilogy.

Why did I read this book? Had read first two books.

What did I like? Seed for another trilogy.

What I didn't like? The final war. Stretched climax.

Recommend reading if you have read the first two books. 

The prophet and the idiot by Jonas Jonasson

 "The prophet and the idiot” by Jonas Jonasson" - Old rum new bottle!

This book is published by Fourth Estate Ltd.  in 2023 and has 304 pages.   

Johan is an idiot. He grows up with his dominating brother. One day brother sells the house and leaves, leaving only one RV for him. Petra is a school teacher. She has done her calculations and she is convinced that end of the world is 11 days away. She tries to tell everyone but nobody entertains her. The two kindred spirits meet. Both are wronged and bullied since childhood. They decide to do something about it and embark on a trip. 

Where will they go? Can they get the revenge before the world ends? What trip do they take? Who would they meet?

It’s a typical Jonas Jonasson novel. An extraordinary protagonist. A journey. Collecting various characters along the way. Agnes, a 75 year old tech savvy widow. Alicia, President of Condor, an island African country in Indian Ocean. Agnes, Johan, Günther, Herbert Etc. The list goes on. All sort of absurd incidents. World leaders (Yeltsin. Ban Ki Moon. Obama) playing their real life roles. Misunderstanding resulting in greater good. Humor. This novel has it all.

Although author's word play is his strength and absurd his USP, over the years all the books have same formula. It has now become repetitive and monotonous. There is no novelty, no excitement. You can easily predict how the story will go. It's same old rum in new bottle.

Why did I read this book? Author. 

What I didn't like? Repetition. 

What did I like? Word play. 

Give it a miss.

Delhi: City of the blood gates by Vineet Bajpai

 "Delhi: City of the blood gates" by Vineet Bajpai - The conclusion! 

This book is published by Treeshade books in 2023 and has 336 pages. This is Book 3 of Delhi trilogy.

The mulla has tricked Mastaan’s friend Shahbaaz to take Fay and Pat out of Delhi. An army attacks them, hundred times their size. Three English generals (John Nicholson, William Hodson, Theo Metcalf) are coming to Delhi to win it back from the mutineers. The Badshah has asked for three wishes to the half faced Darwish at a terrible price. Delhi is colored with blood. Pujari of the Neeli chatri mandir, Gauri Shankar Shastri, is a mysterious person.

Where is Bandookbaz? Will he fight with or against the mutineers? Can he save Fay? What is the date of Delhi?

It’s the final book of Delhi trilogy. We know the outcome of Revolution of 1857, so it’s not difficult to guess how the story will end. The fight for Delhi has reached its final phase. The fight between Mastaan and Nikhaal Bhagvan is the highlight of the story.

I have read Harappa trilogy of this author and it was very good. So, my expectations from this trilogy was high, but unfortunately this trilogy falls short of expectation. Neither does it spell bind the audience, nor does it have a good flow. It looks like a patch work quilt.

However, author makes an important point. Indraprastha was created by burning the Khandavprastha forest and killing all animals and tribes in it. So, Delhi has a violent history and the violence continues till date.

At the end, author rues the lack of attention to the first revolution for freedom and that we don’t know many heroes other than Mangal Pande and Rani Laxmibai. He also argues that the single most important reason why we lost in 1857 was because the freedom fighters were fighting without a leader, without a guiding light. They were scattered all over India. Agree with author on both counts.

Why I read this book? Author. Have read first two books.

What did I like? The fight with Nikhaal Bhagwan.  

What didn’t like? The Tipu angle.

Give it a miss!

The hidden Hindu 2 by Akshat Gupta

 "The hidden Hindu 2" by Akshat Gupta - Its not a religious book!

This book is published by Penguinebury  press in 2022 and has 250 pages. This is Book 2 of the trilogy.

Ashwatthama, Kripacharya and Parshuram are trying to penetrate Om's memories that are somehow locked. They find Devdhwaj in the memories. But who is he? Nagendra is on mission to find and steal nine words that will unlock something very potent. Vrishkapi and Milarepa are attacked. Almost half of the words are lost.

Will Milarepa die? Can Vrishkapi survive? Can Nagendra steal all words? What do the words unlock?

It's a combination of mythology and treasure hunt. Nagendra, LSD and Parimal backed by a mysterious figure on one side and Immortals and Om Shastri on other side. Immortals are losing. To add to it the real identity and past of Om is a mystery that doesn't allow immortals to trust son completely. Moreover, immortals are also not completely united.

The story slows down at times but generally keeps the reader interested. Several references from mythology make it interesting, if you know your mythology.

With several words lost, the evil is closer than ever to overcome good. Wait for the last book of trilogy to know what happens.

Why did I read this book? Liked first book.

What did I like? Concept of immortals fighting for good. 

What I didn't like? Pace, at times.

Recommend reading if you have read ebook 1 and intend to read Book 3. 

The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey

 "The Bombay Prince” by Sujata Massey - Pre-independence whodunit!

This book was published by Penguin Random House India in 2021 and has 400 pages. This is Book 3 of Parveen Mistry series.

Parveen Mistry is the first female lawyer of India. Prince of Wales is visiting India. Freny Cuttingmaster, a Student of Woodburn college consults her on how to avoid being thrown out of college for not attending Prince’s procession. On the day of procession she is killed in the college.

Can the British solve the case impartially of the murder of a Parsi girl? Who is behind the murder? How is Praveen involved? Why? Whodunit?

The story is set in pre-independence India. There are British quarters in Mumbai. Parsi’s are seen as sympathetic to British. Wind of independence is blowing strong. Women are still not allowed to perform several duties including arguing a case in court. Hence, Parveen works as a solicitor and not a barrister. She and her father, Jamshedji Mistry, run a law firm. She is divorced but has tender feelings about Colin Sandringham, a British Civil Servant with defective right leg. It’s a time when speaking to a man was frowned upon. Her friend Alice Hopson-Jones (an English lady) works as professor in same college.

Since the story happens in 1920s, it’s slow. It’s neither a detective story with lot of investigation and deduction, nor is it a court room drama with smart arguments. It’s neither this nor that kind of story. Reader keeps anticipating that it will turn into either one of the two but it doesn’t. As a result, readers remain unsatisfied. The revelation of the reason of murder is also plain. Could have been much more dramatic. Identity of the perpetrator and the reason of murder is also not very convincing.

The book ends on a curious note with introduction of a freedom fighter. Perhaps, this character will appear in the next book of the series.

Why did I read this book? Curiosity about Pre-Independence mysteries. 

What I didn't like? Pace and climax. 

What did I like? Parsi set-up. 

Not a must read.

Bourne defiance by Brian Freeman

 "The Bourne defiance" by Brian Freeman - What’s defiance? 

This book was published by Head of Zeus- An Aries book in 2024 and has 400 pages. This is Book 18 of Jason Bourne series. 

American presidential elections are close. The race is heating up. One by one several Treadstone agents are being killed. Some one is cleaning up. All the agents are related to a secret operation called ‘Defiance’. Bourne doesn’t remember if he was ever associated with Defiance but he is attacked and survives. He decides to get to the bottom. He discovers that several unrelated persons are also being eliminated. Defiance was about an airliner that went missing mid air, never to be found.

What was Defiance? Why are persons related to it being killed? Is Iran involved? Who is behind this? Can Bourne get to the bottom?

The story starts with a lot of questions. On one side Bourne has to get to the bottom of the mystery. On the other, he has to try and keep his girlfriend Abby (an author) out of this and protect their relationship. But anyone related to Bourne automatically gets a target on their back. 

Author keeps the identity of mastermind under wraps for majority of the book. The readers are looking somewhere else and the mastermind is somewhere else. There lies his success.

One shouldn’t ask questions like, how everyone around Bourne dies but he survives?

Author has made Bourne younger. Now he is in his late thirties or early forties. So you have to forget the original trilogy and only take the concept of a spy who has lost his memory forward.

The end of the book is predictable and also appropriate. That gives the author something to continue the series.

Why did I read this book? Bourne novel after a long time. 

What I didn't like? Bourne remains anonymous in America.

What did I like? Hidden identity of the mastermind. 

Read if you like Bourne series.