Temple of the Gods by Andy McDermott

"Temple of the Gods" by Andy McDermott. This is 8th book of Nina Wild series.

The story starts in Zimbabwe where Eddy spirits away a prisoner in search of his enemy Staiks to prove his innocence.

He then reaches Japan where, the sky scraper he is in, is attacked and destroyed. He manages to save Nina but escapes with the three mysterious purple statutes that can channel earth energy.

Individuals and organizations are trying to obtain the statutes, the sky stone (no one knows where it is) and Nina, essential ingredients of channeling earth energy.

Where is the sky stone? Can Nina find it? Does Eddy save her again? Can Eddy patch up with his father? What happens to sky stone? Who gets control of earth energy?

Andy McDermott's books follow a set pattern. Dr Nina Wild (President of International Heritage Association) and Eddy Chase (ex SIS), who are also husband and wife, go in search of something ancient or some legend. There's always a mysterious organization that tries to stop them for one reason or another. There is lot of fighting, blood bath and numerous deaths. Fights are always action packed. Eddy always gets help from his beautiful female friends who are spread all over the world. Eventually they succeed in their mission.

This book is so full of action that you think you are watching final fighting of a movie for the entire duration. Andy has tried to close a number of open ends from his previous books and has brought an important thread to conclusion. This book is in line with and in the same style as other books of this series, fast paced, action packed and full of witty sarcasm.

A decent book. Read it only if you have read previous books of this series, if you have not read previous books you can not correlate and will not like it.

Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai

"Fasting, Feasting" by Anita Desai. This book was shortlisted for Booker prize in 1999, but lost to JM Coetzee's Disgrace.

This book is written in two parts. 1st part is story of Uma. A dim witted, unintelligent and ugly girl with defective eyes and who is prone to fits. Her education is forfeited to allow her to look after her baby brother. The book depicts her life, the opportunities that were denied to her, the secondary treatment she was given by her parents and siblings. How she was always considered misfit and a non entity. And although all of it is true she is a human being who can think and feel just like all of us. Some sympathize with her, some patronize her, some insult her, some scold her, some ignore her but no one treats her as equal or tries to understand her feelings.

2nd part is the story of one summer spent by Arun (Uma's brother) with Patton family in America, when he has to vacate his dorm during vacation. Here the world is shown through Arun's eyes. The difference in the lifestyles between America and India, Arun's uneasiness, his difficulty to adjust and socialize. However eventually we are all human beings and he manages to find similarities in Patton's and his own family.

The author has adopted an impartial style of narration which is a change. The story is slow, very slow and largely uneventful, peppered with small observations. 1st part ends abruptly and 2nd part begins. Apart from the fact that Uma and Arun are siblings, these two could have been two different stories. 1st part is better than 2nd.

Since this is a small book one can complete it. Had it been twice it's length, I would have opted out. You can not help sympathizing with Uma and Arun. Uma is neither mad nor retarded but is treated like one. The feelings that she would have liked to experience, she experiences through others. Arun is a misfit in a foreign land trying to adopt to the lay of the land.

Fasting, feasting is a contrast between female and male child. Fasting, feasting is also a contrast between America and India, but which is which?

An OK read.

Six suspects by Vikas Swarup

"Six suspects" 2nd book by Vikas Swarup. This is a whodunit mystery. By the way 'Slumdog Millionaire' was based on 1st book of Vikas titled 'Q&A'.

Vicky Rai is a young industrialist and son of home minister of Uttar Pradesh. He has a crime history of mowing down pavement dwellers, killing black bucks (based on Salman Khan) and killing a beautiful bartender for refusing a drink (based on Jessica Lal case). On the day Vicky is hosting a party, celebrating his aquital, he is murdered. There are six suspects. A corrupt bureaucrat, a tribal, an unemployed youth,  a top actress, a dim witted American, and Vicky's father (the politician).

What happened? Whodunit? Everyone has a motive to kill. But is it big enough to actually kill? Who is the killer?

Since the suspects are restricted to six the author has gone into the lives of these suspects in detail to establish the story (this is not usual in a typical murder mystery). Vikas has established the characters, their association with Vicky and their motives in detail. The collection of suspects is so diverse that associating them to Vicky is a Herculean task. That's probably why this book is being made in to a motion picture.

Vikas is a decent story teller and keeps you interested. However in explaining the background of six suspects he is left with very few pages for the actual crime and no pages at all for the investigation. Character of Vicky also goes under developed.

The climax is full of action. A new killer appears every 2-3 pages and readers keep guessing how many more twists are still to come. This makes it difficult for readers to recognize the killer. This is what a murder mystery should achieve. I could not recognize the killer.

We can definitely expect more from him in future.

A good read. Recommend reading.

Sethji by Sjobha De

"Sethji", a political thriller, by Shobha De.

Sethji is a politician from Uttar Pradesh. He doesn't follow any rules, has no principals, is expert in managing things, works only for himself and is only interested in power. In short he is a typical politician and minister at center, who heads a small party and has become very important in the days of coalition politics.

He has two useless sons and a beautiful, sexy and capable daughter-in-law, Amrita, with whom he has illicit affair. Amrita is a intelligent, shrewd and cool headed women. Even Sethji can not fathom her completely.

Sethji has faced many problems and tricky situations in his life and has come out unscathed with the help of his wits, intelligence and his uncanny ability of exploiting the situation. Now Sethji is in a trouble of his life. Moreover he is incapacitated. The only person who can get him and his family out is Amrita with the help of a mysterious person MK.

Will Sethji come out winner? What does Amrita want? Can she turn on her magic? How will it end? The story takes place in Mumbai and Delhi.

Shobha's writing style is direct. She does not waste time in preamble and gets to the point. Politics today runs on flesh, money and information; and this is the theme of this book. She has portrayed the picture of today's politics brashly. It's a gloomy picture.

The description of various amorous encounters in the book is a bit crude and lacks artistic value or class.

The plot is good. A number of characters are based on real life politicians and smart readers can recognize which ones. The story goes slightly out of control when it moves to Mumbai, but keeps you just interested enough not to lose interest. The end however was bit of an anti climax.

An OK read.

The dust will never settle" by Mukul Deva

"The dust will never settle" by Mukul Deva.

India is hosting Commonwealth games when suddenly India is chosen to host peace talks between Israel and Palestine at the same time.

Chief of Anti terrorism task force, RS Gill, is incharge of security of both events. Pakistan based terrorists have declared that they will not let the games go smoothly. There is a plot to disrupt the peace talks by killing the delegates. This plot is lead by Ruby Gill, an MI6 agent and a double agent for Palestainian terrorist organization, who is also estranged daughter of RS Gill.

On one side there is Gill family story & on the other side terrorist threat that may make or break India's reputation. Add to the mix overenthusiastic politicians, officers who want to please politicians, western mercenaries, incompetent security apparatus, illegal arms, Israel, Palestenian terrorists & international conspiracy and you have a potent mixture of a thriller.

Ruby is torn between conflicting emotions and duty towards jihadi's. RS Gill is also torn between love for his daughter and duty and frustrated by incompetence of his second in command.

Mukul has been successful in portraying the emotional side powerfully without undermining the action. The plot is built meticulously. Use of some real life terrorists as characters lend credibility to the plot on one hand and make the plot tangible on the timeline on he other hand.

Although this book is  little short on action it is more than compensated by a strong undercurrent of violence and death.

Intelligent readers can guess the end of the book.

A good book. Recommend reading.

The hundred year old man who climbed out of the window & disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

"The hundred year old man who climbed out of the window & disappeared" by Swedish writer Jonas Jonasson . This book has won many awards and has sold more than 3 million copies. Of all the books I have read so far, this one probably has the longest title. I read a book with Swedish background after a long time, after Millennium Trilogy.

Allan Karlsson, a hundred year old man, decides to run away from an old age home on his hundredth birthday. Once out he acquires a suitcase that happens to be full of cash.

His journey begins. The quirky nature of old man, his willingness to enjoy life rekindled and the fact that he does not mind a few things that do not adhere exactly to the law make him an interesting specimen. He is just wired differently. On his way he meets and/or collects interesting people and animals, unaware that the police are only one step behind them.

The story takes you from Sweden to all over the world. Story toggles between Allan's past and present. Character of Allan, an explosives expert, is a curious one. He has met a number of world leaders and had been on first name basis with them but moves on playing important role in events, that have shaped the history of world, on his way. The story is full of incredible tales, all involving Allan and his role in atom bomb, communist revolution, French unrest, star wars etc. I liked the narration of his past more than present.

Where does he go? Who does he meet? Who does he save? Why is he arrested? How does he escape? Who does he spy for? What does he want? Does he get what he was looking for?

Although the characters in this book are rogues, thieves, world leaders, common folks and law breakers; readers love them nevertheless. Credit goes to author's writing style which is very different from traditional writers. It's difficult to describe it in words but it's very refreshing. He creates humor without appearing to be taking efforts for it. I think this is the key to the success of the book. I could not help smiling on many occasions and laughing out aloud a eee times.

In short it is a crazy, senselessly hilarious, satirical black comedy. You are expected to read it and enjoy it without thinking much. And that's exactly what you do.

Don't miss this. Highly recommended. A must read.

Bankerupt by Ravi Subramanian

"Bankerupt" latest novel by Ravi Subramanian .

The story starts with the marriage of Aditya (a banker, who works in The Greater Boston Global Bank-Mumbai) and Chirisha (an academician at MIT and daughter of an industrialist with interest in Emu farming).  Two stories run in parallel. As is Ravi's speciality 1st story revolves around money laundering and bank in Mumbai and Coimbatore. 2nd story happens in campus of MIT, Boston. This story is a combination of academic ambitions, doctored research and gun control.

Ravi has explained how black money is laundered, how unscrupulous bankers manage the money and share market in detail. Fictitious bank GB2 makes a comeback however none of the characters from previous book appear in this book. He has also tackled the subject of gun rights Vs gun control very well. His narration of the story in Boston is at par with western writers. He has gone in great technical details to explain the solving of mystery. Death of one central character has brought important twist to the tale.

Again full marks to Ravi for apt title for the book. Title suggests the corrupt banker (note the spelling, Bankerupt not Bankrupt) who is the protagonist.

However during the course of novel the story in India drops out and story in Boston becomes the main story and remains so till the end. In one or two instances I felt that Ravi has covered some important aspects in very few words where they deserved more.

A good book. Recommend reading.

Tukayachi Awli (तुकयाची आवली) by Manjushree Gokhle

"Tukayachi Awli (तुकयाची आवली)" a Marathi novel by Manjushree Gokhle.

Jijabai, better known as Awli, was Sant Tukaram's (संत तुकाराम) second wife. Very little information is available about her and what kind of a person she was. She is considered as a women opposed to Tukaram, always insulting him without appreciation and a loud mouth. This fictional novel tries to dispel the notion and tries to portray her in a different light.

The book starts from the childhood of Awli, passes through her engagement, marriage, wifehood and motherhood, Tukaram's sadeh waikuntha gaman (सदेह वैकुंठ गमन) and till the end of her life.

Her relationship with Vithoba is presented beautifully. Rather than being that of bhakt / god it is sometime that of a child who has right to complain about the behavior of his parents or that of an outright enemy or envy. Manjushree tries to convey, rather successfully, that general public could not understand the hardships Awli had to go through due to Tukaram's Vitthal bhakti and his general ignorance of wife / children & how a mother can threaten even 'The God' when it comes to the matter of life and death of her children.

Awli loves Tukaram but is livid about his inaction and not carrying out his responsibilities towards his family. Actually Awli makes Vithoba a medium to convey her anger and feelings to Tukaram who has gone beyond earthly pleasures. The world branded her as anti Vithoba, mannerless and a loud mouth but no one tried to understand her feelings, the hardships she went through to make the ends meet.

Vitthal-Rakhumai, the Gods, are important characters in this story, mostly silent observers. Vithoba is shown repenting for taking Tukaram away from her.

Author had spent a third of the book until Awli and Tukaram's marriage. But it was worth it. Awli's outbursts against Vithoba and the words used by author have become repetative and thus become a sour note.

Manjushree has captured all the minute things and behaviors of the rural life of those times in great details, as if she was there during the period.

It's a good book, but at the end I had a feeling that it could have been better.

Read for the novelty.

One amazing thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

"One amazing thing", by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Chitra is an award winning Indian-American writer. She is better known as author of 'Mistress of spice'.

A number of people are waiting in the Consulate of India, in USA, to get their Indian visa. Uma - a second generation Indian-American, Tariq -  a Muslim Indian-American who has turned towards religion after 9/11, Mrs & Mr Pritchett an aged American couple, Jiang an old Chinese lady (who's forefathers had migrated to India and who has inturn migrated to USA) with her grand daughter Lily and a black American ex army officer Cameron; along with embassy staff of receptionist Malathi and  visa officer Mangalam.

While they are waiting for their turn an earthquake strikes. Outer building collapses trapping them in the visa office. There is no electricity, very limited food, no supplies and no tools. A section of ceiling collapses, there are injuries. Water starts seeping. Minor arguments turn into fist fights. Each person forms opinion about others based on their experience, what they have read and preconceived notions.

The situation appears gloomy and desperate. Hope is waning. This is when Uma comes up with idea of each one telling a story from their life. These seemingly normal looking people have a special and amazing stories to tell. Stories of love, betrayal, anguish,  delusion, stupidity, reconciliation and hope.

What are their stories? Who's story is the best? Does this storytelling bring peace between them? Does some one try to help them? Are they rescued?

Chitra is a very good story teller. All the stories are short and sweet, although initial stories are better than later ones. You remain interested in the book till end as it's not a lengthy book. This was first book of Chitra that I read and I would like to read more of her books.

Good book. Recommend reading.

House of Hedes - Heros of Olympus by Rick Riordan

"House of Hedes - Heros of Olympus" by Rick Riordan. This is the fourth book of the Heroes of Olympus series.

In the previous book demigods Percy and Annabeth have fallen into Tartarus, the bottomless pit. This book shows their journey through Tartarus and towards doors of death. The friends, enemies they meet there and challenges they face.

While at the same time other five demigods Leo, Hazel, Frank, Jason and Piper along with Nico are traveling in a flying ship (Argo II) towards House of Hedes, to the other side of doors of death. They too encounter numerous challenges.

Calypso makes a come back after appearing in 'Sea of monsters' from first series of Percy Jackson. Giants and earthborns have awaken and are marching for The feast of hope.

Will Percy and Annabeth cross Tartarus and stay alive? Who is the unexpected friend they meet there? How does Calypso come into the picture? What challenges await demigods on Argo II? Who do they meet at the doors of death? What next?

Rick Riordan has maintained his style and interest in the story. He has milked Greek and Roman mythology to the fullest. The wait for next book begins.

Read if you are a teenager or if you are a teenager at heart.

Taras Bulba and other tales by Nikolai Gogol

"Taras Bulba and other tales" by Nikolai Gogol.

Nikolai Gogol is considered one of the most brilliant Russian writers. My curiosity in Gogol was kindled after reading Jhumpa Lahiri's Namesake and I decided to read this book.

Taras Bulba is the first story (actually it's a novella) and occupies almost half the book. Taras Bulba is a Ukrenian cossack chieftian. The story paints the uninhabited lives of cossacks (Orthodox Christians) vividly. How women had no standing in their society, how they drank, how they waged brutal wars (against Catholics) etc. The story takes turn when one of Taras' son falls in love with a noble girl from enemy camp while in war. How Taras keeps fighting for his land and cause, dispite losing all the beloved ones, one by one. His cruelty and revenge. All for a cause. This story has many racial expletives, but such was the language of that time.

I could not comprehend what the author wanted to say in the second story 'St. John's eve'. 'The cloak' portrays life of a very simple and timid man, 'How two Ivans quarreled' shows how human ego can destroy a friendship, 'The mysterious portrait' is a dark tale and 'The calash' is an attempt at comedy.

In general the book has a very dark mood and there is little optimism in it.

Read if you want to know what Gogol wrote. Otherwise give it a miss.

The hope factory by Lavanya Sankaran

"The hope factory", by Lavanya Sankaran. This is her second book and first novel.

Two story's run more or less parallel in this book mingling frequently. Anand, an entrepreneur, who is on the cusp of acquiring a large order from a Japanese auto company (looking to expand) and Kamala, a cleaner in his house.

Anand's story portrays the upgraded lifestyle, entrepreneurship, high society, cosmopolitan culture, fantasies and politics of Benglore. Kavika is the portrayal of all that is desirable and human, what you long but know is unachievable and dream. Vidya is the  annoying and at times irritating reality that you live with and you also love. Lawanya has been able to tap the pulse of the city and capture it for the readers.

Kamala's story is of a fiercely proud and poor mother who's only ambition is to give good education to her son and make him a good man. She is ready to toil for his better future but would not tolerate accusations.

There are problems in both the stories, that will impact the lives of the concerned, and there are solutions. Though the solutions may not be permanent there is always a hope.

Lawanya has shown two faces of striving city and how they intertwine. She has shown human emotions and tested them  with the yardstick of reality. Lawanya has a very different style of narration. She has shown the cosmopolitan nature of Bangalore while at the same time has shown that Kannada atmosphere is not smothered.

A decent book. One can read.

The Ekkos Clan by Sudipto Das.

"The Ekkos Clan" a debut novel by Sudipto Das.

Story starts in Senpara, a village now in Bangladesh, before partition. How a family is devastated by the inhuman atrocities during partition and how a mother, Kubha, makes ultimate sacrifice to save 2 of her 4 children. This account is riveting.

Then there is a time leap to present time. Protagonist is grand son of Kubha. Kubha's family had migrated from Hindu kush region to Senpara long time ago. Kubha tells stories to her children that have been passed to her orally through generations. The same stories are passed on to the present generation.

There is a deep meaning in these stories. What is it? Are the stories very similar to Rig Ved? What does it mean? Someone is trying to kill Kubha's family and decendants. Why? Who is murdering? Is there a bigger conspiracy? What has Russia or a young and beautiful linguist of Pakistani origin to do with it? Who are Kalash people in Pakistan?

Scientific name of horse is Equus caballus.
It is said that before the arrival of Aryans (some say they never arrived, they were always here), India did not know the animal called horse. Hence the title of the book.

Sudipto has done a decent job in narration. The expectations and excitement is set high in the first few chapters during partition, but author could not maintain the same tempo in the rest of the book. Story gets boring at times. Sometimes  characters find very old information very easily which is far from reality. Although the seed of this book is brilliant the execution could have been better.

Chetan Bhagat has started trend of IITans writing books and Sudipto had continued the tradition. We can expect more from his next book.

An OK book. Read if you have time and patience or for a change.

The Partner by John Grisham

"The Partner", by John Grisham.

This is the story of Patrick Lanigan, a brilliant attorney and partner in law firm, with a beautiful but unfaithful wife.

Patrick learns about a conspiracy by his partners to get 30 million $ in fees and removing him before the money comes. He hatches a brilliant plan and steals 90 million $ by faking his death and is on a run.

He is captured. Who captures him? How did he plan all this? Does he have any more surprises up his sleeve?  Who is his partner? Do they succed?

The story is set up in US and Brazil. Its a brilliant plan. Execution is flawless but then he is captured. Grisham has kept up the pace and excitement till the end. Book starts with Patrick's capture and flash back is used liberally. This book is not a lengthy one and does not allow you to get bored.

This being a John Grisham book is a legal thriller alright, but there is hardly any court room drama. World of legal settlements is presented well. The social, political, publicity & reputation considerations are shown in detail and without being sarcastic.

Patrick does everthing right, however book ends on a very very sad note and you feel really bad.

Recommend reading.

Hot Ice by Nora Roberts

"Hot Ice", by Nora Roberts.

Doug Lord, a professional thief, is being chased by bad guys who want to double cross him when he aquires important documents for them. He happens to board car of Whitney McAlister, a beautiful heiress.

Both of them form a partnership (strictly professional), Whitney providing finance and Doug the location of treasure, & set off to Madagascar for the search of hidden treasure buried during French revolution, with bad guys on their heels.

Can bad guys catch them? Do they find the treasure? Do they get it? Are they attracted to each other? Does love kindle between them?  How does the story end?

This book is a little 'hat-ke' in style from other books of Nora. She has used action more than romance. The book gets sluggish at times. There are no major twists or surprises in the story. You don't get bored but it also doesn't keep you on the edge.

Relationship between Whitney and Doug is portrayed nicely. A little bit of more  story would have helped the cause.

Not a bad book. Read if you have time, but you will not miss much if you don't.

RIP by Mukul Deva

"RIP" a thriller by Mukul Deva.

A group calling itself RIP, short form of  The Resurgent Indian Patriots, starts killing corrupt politicians, their aids and corrupt businessmen. The group consists of ex army special operatives (read commandos) lead by Colonel Krishna Athavale.

Objectives of RIP quickly catch attention of TV channels and general public. Government assigns the case to Special Director Vinod Bedi and Home minister Karunakaran, representing corrupt politicians, secures services of 'gun for hire', and ex special operative, Captain Raghav Bhagat to track and kill RIP and not let police catch them alive.

The game of cat and mouse begins. How and who does RIP plan to kill?  Who is their high value target? Do they succeed? Does Bhagat get to them? Or is it Bedi who gets to them? To what extent will politicians go? Is there a traitor?

Paths of Krishna and Raghav have crossed in the past. Were they on the same side then? Added to the mix is a love triangle of sorts and pasts of the protagonists.

Too many times the good guys and bad guys fail to identify a tail on them. Strange thing for professionals. A number of characters are based on real life figures like Sonia, Rahul, Raja, Kalmadi, Anna Hazare etc.. And there are numerous references to recent scams. Writer's attempt of making this fiction appear close to reality has succeeded. Although there is one and half lose ends that need to be tied up, they can be ignored.

Although Mukul has written 7 books earlier, this was the first one I read. Now I look forward to reading his previous books.

It's a page turner. Recommend reading.

Lost city by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos

"Lost city" a novel by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos.

This is a Numa Files adventure and the protagonist is Kurt Austin, director of Special Assignments team of NUMA (National Underwater & Marine Agency - underwater equivalent of CIA) alongwith his sidekick Joe Zavala.

A frozen body of an aviator is found entoumbed in a glacier with a strange helmet. Its the body of a person from one of the most powerful families that has thrived on arms business for centuries. Scientists on a deserted island may have reinvented elixer of life and horrible mutants. What links the two? How does Numa get involved? What is the relation of all this with the Lost City (a field of hydrothermal vents in atlantic ocean)?
                    
Clive Cussler thrillers are all centered around the theme of water. I wonder how he can write so many novels. This is 6th in Numa series that I read and I  have read another 16 of Dirk Pitt adventures, Oregon files, Isac Bell adventures & Sam Fargo adventures. And there are more  to be read.
               
Clive Cussler is a master story teller and keeps you transfixed to the book till the end. This book is no exception. This thriller enters into science fiction zone.
                               
If you like Cussler read it. However this is not a book to start reading Cussler.

The witch of portobello by Paulo Coelho.

"The witch of portobello", by Paulo Coelho.

Protagonist of this book is Athena, a girl adopted by Lebanese family who is settled in England; later known as Witch of Portobello. Its the journey of discovery of oneself, discovering that you are part of universe and god is within each of us. Her journey begins when she decids to go to find and visit her birth mother, a gypsy, in Transylvania-Romania.

The book is written between normal and paranormal. There is a blend of philosophy and psycology with sprinkling of religion. There are also some Pagan traditions of celebrating the mother nature.
                   
Love, not lust, is the real theme and soul of the book. Power of mind is the key to real joy in the world. This book puts forth philosophy that is ground breaking (e.g. you dont teach what you know, you teach what you dont know. Love can not be defined, it just is etc.)

Paulo Coelho's writing style is special. You can not just read the book, you have to decipher it.

Character of Athena is an interesting case study. She sometimes reminds me of character of Maya from Gulzar's film Ijaazat. The end, though, seemed out of sync with the book.
                                         
What did I read? Nothing and everything. Hard to catch the soul of book in words.

If you are serious reader and want food for thought read the book. An interesting book.

Shadow Hunter by Jeffery Archer.

"Shadow Hunter", by Jeffery Archer.

The story is set in cold war era. A nuclear submarine captain, whose father is presumed dead in a submarine accident long ago,  learns about multiple infidelities of his wife; latest being a Russian spy. He learns this just before his departure with his submarine for a major NATO exercise near Russian waters, on a special mission.        

Can he cope up with the breach of trust? What can he do about the security breach on top of it? Has he a plan?  What are his intentions? Defect or destroy?  Can his best friend and captain of another nuclear submarine help?

What does it have anything to do with future of Russia and who rules her? What would happen to Peristroika and Glasnost?

The books explores life on a nuclear submarine, cutoff from outside world for weeks. The chain of command, technical details, submarine protocols are explained in detail and give us a sneak peak in another world.

Pace of the story is fairly uniform and you want to read till end, however you can guess the end.  International politics and Russia's internal politics is captured and used aptly. Climax could have been made more interesting.

A good book to read but not a must read.

Understood by Maya Banks

"Understood", a novella by Maya Banks. I happened to get hold of this book by chance.

Ely a beutiful divorcee, now single, enters a bar, drunk & looking to be picked up. She is rescued by Jake, friend of her ex and Ely's admirer.

Jake loves Ely. But does she love him?  Is she capable if loving anyone after suffering at the hands of her 1st husband?  Do they unite?

Maya's writing style is plain. There is little drama. Character of Ely's husband remains undeveloped. End is predictable. This was supposed to be an erotic romance but does not do justice to either.

Why did I complete it? Only because it was a novella and not a full length novel.

Avoid.

Zero Percentile by Neeraj Chhibba

"Zero Percentile", a debut novel by Neeraj Chhibba.

Pankaj, Priya and Motu are childhood friends. Pankaj is destined to go to IIT, expected to achieve 1st rank in JEE i.e. 100 percentile. But fate makes him zero percentile and lands him in Volvograd, USSR whereas Motu goes to IIT.

USSR is a completely different country. Good people, lot of fun, everything in short supply, extreme cold, uncertainties, student groupizm & mafia.
         
Does Pankaj survive? Does he find just girls or love? How does he perform academically?  Is he reunited with his childhood friends?

Novel is narrated in first person by Pankaj. I thought that author has spent too many pages in establishing the story and characters but found himself short of pages for main story.

USSR and the lifestyle is picturized very well. Readers realise that changing Russia after the breakup of USSR, and opportunities presented by change can do wonders.

Neeraj has a different writing style. Its like a breath of fresh air in still atmosphere. Climax and end could not be guessed & leaves you perplexed, but I would have liked it to be elaborated more.

A good read. Recommend.
A sequel of this novel is already published and is on my waiting list.

Taken at the flood by Agatha Christie

"Taken at the flood", a murder mystery by Agatha Christie. A classic whodunit. This is a Hercule Poirot mystery.

Gordon Clod, a rich man supports families of all his brother, sisters and cousins. He marries a young widow (Rosylene) while travelling from South America to England thereby automatically nullifying his previous will, that benifited his relatives. He dies in bombing (war) before making new will, so all money goes to his new wife.

A person appears claiming that 1st husband of  Rosylene is alive. He is murdered. Another person commits suicide. Hercule Poirot thinks that everything is wrong in this case. Then Rosylene is found dead. Is it murder or suicide? Whats wrong? Who has been murdered? Whodunit? Can Poirot find the murderer? There are a number of relatives, 2nd wife, her brother but nobody seems to have motive for all the deaths.

The clues were there scattered all over the book. I even found one clue but could not make the link. I thought, I was able to recognize the culprit (though using different logic than Hercule) untill the last chapter but there is a big twist in the last chapter and Agatha defeats the readers once again.

As always this is a meticulously written book with a lot of details. You need time and patience to read Agatha Christie mystries.

A good mystery. Read if you like Agatha.

Vyomakesh Bakshi mystery stories Part 1 by Sharadindu Bandopadhyay

"Vyomakesh Bakshi mystery stories Part 1", a novel by Sharadindu Bandopadhyay, translated in Marathi by Ashok Jain.

1st story is called 'Prani Sangrahalay'. An ex judge runs a farm and employs a number of questionable characters. He assigns a work to Vyomkesh and removes him from job shortly after. Then he is murdered. Another person on the farm is also murdered. Who is the murderer? Who is the mysterious ex actress, now disappeared?  Has the young widow of owner anything to do with it? Or is it his nephew? You will have to read the book for answers.

2nd story is called 'Chitra chor'. Vyomkesh is on recuperation leave in a small town on west border of Bengal. 3 copies and negative of a group photograph go missing. Is it serious? There is an interesting assembly of characters. An unhappy husband, a bossy wife, a young widow, a wealthy man, a young doctor, a banker, a beurocrat, a DSP, an addict sketch artist and so on. 

There is a theft where nothing of value is stolen and the sketch artist is found dead by drowning. Is it murder? Is there any relation between the three incidents? Is there any other angle? Will Vyomkesh solve the mystery?
     
Setup of the stories is more than 50 yrs ago. Bengal of old times and Vyomkesh's methods of solving crimes is a novelty for todays reader. Things move slowly as was the pace of life in those days. Writer has shown Vyomkesh, his side kick Ajit & other characters smoking too many cigarettes.

It is amazing that widow remarriage and plastic surgery are used in the stories years ago by the author. Those who like murder mystries and those who liked the serial on Doordarshan can read this book. You can read it because it is different.

Dongar Mhatara Zala (डोंगर म्हातारा झाला) by Anil Barve.

"Dongar Mhatara Zala" (डोंगर म्हातारा झाला), a Marathi novel by Anil Barve.

Story starts with Retired Major Kama deciding to leave Mumbai forever and going to spend rest of his life quietly on 'Malkarnicha Dongar'. He meets Kamrad (derivation of comrade) Mhatara (old man), a communist, who has spent all his life for upliftment of Thakar community. They gel slowly, a curious pair. Kamrad Mhatara is a samaj sudharak and Kama has nothing to do with the society.

Kamrad Mhatara calls Kama sojir, not soldier because he follows command and does not do what is required for the good of society. 
There is a classic conflict between the established / wealthy and Thakars. Kamrad Mhatara fights for them and takes heavy losses. There is a lot of politiking of wealthy to grab Thakar lands. Will Kama do anything? Or will he remain aloof and detached as usual?

The book is writren exceptionally well. The focus is not on the issues of Thakars but on how everyone looks at them differently. Characters like Mhatara, Kama, D'souza, Boy D'souza, two seths etc are very well developed. Malkarnicha dongar is also a very important character. Developing characters was a very difficult taks considering that this book is about 110 pages long.

Intelligent readres can guess the climax. After climax the book ends logically as it should end. The end might have been more effective if the last 3-4 pages were not there.

Recommend reading. Since the book is small, even those who are not avid readers can read.

Astitva (अस्तित्व) by Sudha Murthy

"Astitva" (अस्तित्व), a Marathi translation of original kannad novel 'Tumula' of Sudha Murthy, by Prof A R Yardi. (Narayan Murthy happens to be Sudha Murthy's husband) This is a novella, 97 pages long.

Mukesh Rao is a son of rich Raosaheb and stays  in London with his wife. His wife meets an accident and he recieves a message of his fathers death at the same time. So he leaves for India alone. His parents have made him a good human being and a good son. He misses his father and consoles his mother and sister.

After reading of his fathers will everything changes for ever. He does not understand what to do and who he is. He goes on journey to discover himself. His search takes him to Amritsar, UK and USA.

What happens next? Does his search end? How does the book end?

First half of the book is gripping. In second half a twist takes the story tangential. There was a possibility of story going out of control.  But Sudha manages to bring it back on track and ends it agreeably.

Not a bad read.

The Taj Conspiracy by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

"The Taj Conspiracy", by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar.

Mehrunisa (Persian mother and Sikh father, now dead) lives with her godfather and Taj historian Mr. Kaul. She is fluent in 6 languages and a historian herself.

She goes to meet the curator of Taj Mahal, Arun Toor, & finds him dead between tombs of Mumtaz and Shahjahan. He is in a peculiar position and has written something in his blood. (Did this remind you of Da Vinci Code?). She finds that the caligraphy on tomb of Mumtaz is altered, thereby declaring it fake. A Pakistani terrorist is plotting to attack Taj. Mehrunisa is attacked but escapes miraculously. Mr. Kaul is loosing his mind to an illness.

What is the Taj conspiracy? Who is behind it? Hindu political party? Pakistani terrorist? Home grown terrorist? Someone else? Can Meherunisa solve the case? Does she get any help from the government agencies or the bald officer assigned for the case? Who is the real culprit?

Character of Shri Kriplani is a fusion of MM Joshi and LK Advani. All characters are properly developed. Almost everyone seems to be the culprit.  Story is gripping and keeps you interested. Mehrunisa and Pamposh, new age ladies are constructed in interesting manner. All the conspiracy theories and legends about Taj are used to create suspense and confusion.

Manreet seems to be India's answer to Dan Brown. She has heightned the expectations.

A good read.

Pacific Vortex by Clive Cussler.

"Pacific Vortex", by Clive Cussler. A Dirk Pitt adventure.  Actually this was Cussler's first Pitt adventure but was published much later.

A nuclear submarine goes missing in an area, notorious for ship disappearances, known as pacific vortex, and is presumed drowned & lost.       

Dirk is on vacation in Hawai and finds a message capsule from this submarine. An attempt is made on his life by beautiful red head. Dirk expresses doubt about the veracity of capsule message. He eventually becomes part of navy expedition to search & salvage the sub.

Do they find her? Has she drowned naturally or is there a conspiracy? Has it anything to do with missing scientists? Is there any relation with Canoli, an island civilization drowned centuries ago or kidnap of Admirals daughter? What daredevil adventures does Dirk do? What is Pacific Vortex & the truth behind pacific vortex? Can Dirk unravell the mystery with his intelligence, wits and fertile  imagination?

Pace of the story is steady. If this was the 1st novel written by Cussler it has come pretty well. Character of Summer should have been given more space.

An OK read.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

"The  Namesake", by Pulitzer prize winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri (Not for this book).

It is the story of a bengali couple, living in US, and their son, named Gogol, after Nikolai Gogol (a Russian writer); under strange circumstances. Gogol grows up, has relationships, works, marries in America. All the time hating his name and namesake Nikolai Gogol, who was considered brilliant but eccentric and who had commited suicide at 43. Gogol even changes his name legally. He marries Moushami an Indian-American like him. Do they love each other? Does this marriage succeed? Is Gogol Indian or American? Does he forgive his father for naming him Gogol?
                    
Difference of thinking between 1st and 2nd generation NRIs/PIOs is the central theme. How children born to Indian parents abroad feel American. How they can not connect with india.

There is some interesting philosophy "being a foreigner is a sort of life long pregnancy -a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts".
Entire novel is narrated in present tense rather than past tence. Jumpa, herself born and braught up in UK, US respectively, has captured the Indianness, culture and traditions very well.

Although the book is ok,  you can't help thinking that she could have given the same message in a long story or novella.

Not bad. Read, if you have time.

Is Gandhi out of date? by Dr. Vishwanath Tondon.

"Is Gandhi out of date?" a booklet by Dr. Vishwanath Tondon. This consists of two parts, an award winning essay by author written in 1969 and his thoughts today.

Author has covered Gandhi's principles one by one.
Philosophy: His religiousness consisted of an abiding faith in absolute values of truth, love & justice. There are chords in every human heart. If we only know how to strike the right chord, we bring out the music.
Ethical ideas: Truth is highest law, nonviolence is highest duty.
Brahmacharya however is not well defended by the writer.
Swadeshi is defined as that spirit in us which restricts us to the use and service of immediate surroundings to the exclusion of more remote.
Economic: Urbanization harms both cities and villages. He was not opposed to machinery but the craze for it and it's dominance over humans.
Political: That government is best which governs the least.
Education: Education must be woven around craft.
Satyagraha: Moral equivalent of war.
Non stealing, trusteeship, life, sarvoday are also covered.

In second section author says following in today's context:
There is enough in world for everyone's need but not everyone's greed.
There is increasing need of acceptance of nonviolence due to danger of nuclear annihilation.
Deal with terrorism by removing their economic and political greviances.

Author states the obivious, in the end, that his ideas have relevance today and would prove relevant in future. He also states that there is greater realization in west than in India.

This booklet is a crash course in Gandhian philosophy. I have tried to give you a gist of it. The quotes in this booklet can be used effectively in any speech, Gandhian or otherwise.

I had a feeling that the author has tried to show that there are similarities in Gandhi's philosophies and those of various western scholers, in order to justify or validate Gandhi. This seemed unnecessary and artificial.

Gandhiji was great and his greatness lies in the massive support he mobilized and his simple living and high thinking.

Those interested in quotations can read it.

A case of exploding mangoes by Mohammad Hanif

"A case of exploding mangoes" by Pakistani writer Mohammad Hanif. This book received two prizes (Commonwealth book and Shakti Bhatt) in first book category and was long listed for Man Booker prize in 2008.

The book has been advertised as Indian and Pakistani best seller.

General Zia was killed in a plane crash along with his top generals. Conspiracy theories have been making rounds ever since. Hanif has used this incident to write this fiction by adding Hanif another conspiracy to the mix.

It is a story of Zia, his security chief TM, chief of ISI Gen Akhtar and two young officers Ali Shigri (whose father was Colonel Shigri, found hanging from fan) and Obaid Ul Lah.

Author has used his observations well to highlight the contradictions in the Pakistani society in general and army in particular. Gen Zia is portrayed more as a buffoon than a capable general.

It is not clear whether author has tried to write a satirical thriller or sarcastic comedy or comical  suspense. Since the approach appears confused, so is the flow of story and ability to keep readers interested. You often wonder what exactly is he trying to convey?

I had to use a lot of will power in order not to abandon the book, hoping for something interesting in subsequent pages. Alas! it did not come.

I was unable to find what the judges / jury of these prizes could find in the book.

Avoid.

Gokhale - My political guru by M.K.Gandhi

"Gokhale - My political guru", by M.K.Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi). This is a small book of 60 pages and was published in 1955.

We all know that Mahatma Gandhi considered Gopalkrishna Gokhale as his guru, he even refered to him as Mahatma Gokhale. Gandhiji had written a number of articles about his time with Gokhale, Gokhale's legacy, his place in Gandhiji's life and delivered speeches on Gokhale, mostly in Gujarati. This book is compilation of these writings and speeches extracted from Gandhiji's literature.

The book portrays Gokhale as a scholar, compassionate towards plight of Indians, one of the best English speakers (even better than native English speakers), a thinker, reformer and a person with crystal clear thoughts. Gandhiji sights Gokhle's delicate health as an impediment in his work. Probably this was the reason for Gokhle not resorting to frugal living, penance and fasting. He donated all his allowances and lived on allowance of 40 to 75 rupees per month.

Gandhiji narrates Gokhle's trip to South Africa to review situation of Indian laborers in detail. He was the first Indian leader to visit South Africa. He also affectionately talks about Gokhale and how he helped him personally and guided him in his work.

Gokhale was proponent of compulsory and free primary education to every child. In his times it was unusual foresight. His idea of doing the right thing with public opinion on his side, if possible; if not, doing right thing anyway, is exemplary. His idea of creating young political Sanyasis to take up politics as duty towards society is ideal but seems impractical in today's world.

This book, however, is curiously silent about Gokhale's rivalry and differences with Lokmanya Tilak and resultant breakup of congress.

The main difference between guru and disciple is that Gandhiji tried to change the establishment by non cooperation whereas Gokhle tried to change the establishment by being part of it.

Read this book if you want to know about one great man from another great man.

Kill list by Frederick Forsyth

"Kill list", latest thriller by Frederick Forsyth. Forsyth turned 75 in August.

America maintains a list of terrorists to be eliminated covertly, without arrest or trial. A new name 'The Preacher' is added after a series of assassinations of american public servants, inspired by Preacher's sermons. No one knows the identity of the Preacher as he wears a mask while delivering sermons. The job is given to a person called 'The Tracker'.

The story is about how tracker tracks the preacher. Story takes us to Pakistan, England, Djibouti and Somalia. Does he identify preachers real identity? Can he stop the assassinations? Does he find the preacher?

All thought from the advertisements of this book it appears that the real name and identities of Preacher and Tracker are the suspense of the story, in reality their true identities are revealed to the readers early in the story.

Reader gains a good knowledge of the gadgetry, hardware and technology used by America in fight against terrorism. Although the book is rich in content and technical details, it is short in action by standards of a thriller. The story is evenly paced and does not let you abandon the book.

Although the book is good on its own, Forsyth's previous books (The day of the jackal, Fist of God, The icon, The Afgan, The cobra.. to name a few) were better.

An OK read.

A short life of Shri Ramakrishna by Swami Tejasanand

"A short life of Shri Ramakrishna" by Swami Tejasanand. Actually this book is the life of Shri Ramakrishna in short, not his short life.

Author has covered life of Gadadhar and then his transformation to Shri Ramakrishna in 132 pages.

Born in brahmin family, he started taking steps to break rules of casteism in 1845, at the age of 9. Ramakrishna, as you all know, was a yogi and tantrik of highest order. He was a supreme bhakt of Kali and Ram.

The book gives details of his attaining samadhi on number of occasions, how he used to talk to mother Kali, people he  encountered, people he learned from, his male disciples (this includes Narendra Nath alias Swami Vivekanand), his female disciples etc.. Actually the book gets boring later on.

It is obvious from the writing that the author is in awe of Shri Ramakrishna. It is also apperent that the author is more a disciple than a writer. Writing does not follow timeline. Author goes back and forth on a couple of occasions.

Although this book has very little literary value, one may read it to understand the life of great yogi, his philosophy and his teachings.

Wikipedia may give a crash course on life of Ramakrishna in fewer words. Avoid this book.

Interpreter of maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

"Interpreter of maladies", a collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. Jhumpa won 'Pulitzer prize for fiction' for this book.

The stories are typical every day life stories mostly involving expatriate Indians. These stories look for meanings in the lives of common people. Events in these stories happen every day, but only a good writer can see through the obvious and present the same event in a different perspective. Jhumpa has done this job very well.

This book contains 9 stories. All of them are good. 'Sexy' and 'A real durwan' are very good stories, but the ones I liked most were 'Interpretor of Maladies' and 'Mrs. Sen's'. Jhumpa demonstrates keen observation, adds right amount of emotions and yet presents them in an impersonal manner.

The message in these stories is very subtle. A casual reader may easily overlook it and hence may not like the book.

For the first time, I liked an award winning book.

BTW: Very recently Jhumpa lost the booker prize 2013 for 'The lowlands'. Hard luck.

Do not miss this one. A must read.

Rarang Dhang (रारंग ढांग) by Prabhakar Pendharkar

"Rarang dhang" (रारंग ढांग) a Marathi novel by Prabhakar Pendharkar.

I chose this book for reading because of it's strange name. Sheer cliffs in Himalaya are called 'Dhang' in local language and 'Rarang' is name of one such cliff, through which a road is to be built, by 'Border Road Organization' of army.

Vishwanath Mehendale, a civil engineer and civilian, is recruited for the job. He is the only civilian between army personnel. This book is the story of building road through Rarang Dhang. What does he experience? Does he succeed? Can he complete on time? Are his efforts acknowledged?

The difference of thinking and approach between army and civilians is nicely portrayed by the author. Civilian logic and army discipline are always at loggerheads.

Vishwanath, his humanity, his rebellion and his thought process are portrayed beautifully. The books ends on a turn that keeps you guessing wheather justice was served.

A few things could have been done better editorially e.g. when narrative changes from 3rd person to 1st person sectionalization should have been there, dialogues should have had quotations etc.

Considering the backdrop of Himalaya and Sutlej river and the dare devil activities, this can become a spectacular movie.

It's a page turner. Don't miss.

The shadow throne by Aroon Raman

"The Shadow Throne", debut novel by Aroon Raman. 

There is a sinister plot, code named Shadow Throne, to assemble nuclear war heads in Afganistan and launch them using Ghauri missiles from Pakistan, destination India.

A journalist, an Inspector and a History professor with support of a bureaucrat must stop the world from nuclear WW III. Story takes place mainly in India & Afganistan.

Who is behind the plot? ISI, RAW, Taliban, Shia Hazaras, Kushans (8 feet tall giants of indo-greek origin) who are believed to be extinct? Can this madness be stopped? What is the damage? What are the repercussions?

The story seems somewhat far fetched (but thats what thrillers are supposed to be, isn't it?). The pace is not even, bit jerky at times. However the seed is good & narrative is fine. Climax is abrupt. Current political situation in India is used as apt backdrop. Considering that this is the debut novel of the author we can expect more good novels from Aroon in future. 

A new age has dawned where english fictions of Indian writers are being widely accepted. This story provides a fresh perspective & a different landscape if you read too many western novels. One should read such novels to support Indian writers.

Towards Zero by Agatha Christie

"Towards Zero", a murder mystery by Agatha Christie. 

This is one of the rare Agatha Christi novels where neither Hercule Poirot nor Miss Marple appear. The detective is Superintendent Battle.

A man visiting a widow at her estate dies and the widow is murdered. A number of guests, relatives and accomplices are in the house and everyone seems to be a murderer. Story goes through ups and downs, twists and turns and reaches climax to reveal the killer.

As typical of Agatha, a number of small clues scattered around the book like bread crumbs converge in the climax. A classic whodunit.

This story has a lot of characters; as is usual for Agatha novels. You have to concentrate hard in the beginning till all the characters are introduced and their relations to others are established.

Although the name has modest relevance to story, it has all the characteristics of usual Agatha mystery and keeps you interested till the end.

Although '10 little Indians' or 'Murder on orient express' are better, recommend reading this one.

The Karachi deception by Shatrujeet Nath

"The Karachi deception" , a debut novel by Shatrujeet Nath.

Indian army has an ultra secret special ops group called 'Unit Kilo'. They undertake a commando mission (Project Abhimanyu) to assassinate Irshad Dilawar (An Indian living in Pakistan and wanted for a number of terrorist activities; definitely based on Daud Ibrahim) in Karachi deep inside Pakistan. Another group has already made an attempt on Dilawar and failed, but they too have not given up. However Project Abhimanyu is compromised and ISI knows everything about Indian commando mission. Indian commandos and this unknown group converge in Karachi to kill Dilawar.

Will 'Unit Kilo' deliver? Is there a traitor within Indian intelligence organization? Is Dilawar killed? Is there another international conspiracy? How will it end?

This is an intriguing story where you can not make out a friend from a foe, where hunters become hunted and killers become protectors. There are double agents. Friends of India inside Pakistan and vice versa. Although the book is short on action, it is compensated by the story and narrative. Writer manages to keep you interested till the end. There are two major twists to the story to rekindle the interest.

I purchased this book on impulse, without knowing the author and without having any feedback about the book. This was a big risk of disappointment. But the book has come out very well. It doesn't appear to be a debut novel. Shatrujeet's writing is of professional quality. Indian writers are often found short when they discribe a portion of story in other country, Shatrujeet is at ease in Indian as well as foreign setup. He describes Pakistan as if he has lived there.

The only thing that I found odd was that the characters use their names and details of their locations while talking on phones. In the business of spying this is always avoided in enemy territory in order to avoid detection of SIGINT and code names or aliases are used.

Shatrujeet's writing style is factual, riveting and non melodramatic. I liked the writing style and his way of story telling. The book keeps you interested and on the edge of you chair till end.

A very good read. Recommend reading. Looking forward to Shatrujeet's next book.

Good thief's guide to Vegas by Chris Ewan

"Good thief's guide to Vegas", by Chris Ewan.

Charlie is a mystery novel writer, who writes novels of his detective Michael Fox. However Charlie is also a thief. Good thief's guide is a series and this is the 3rd book where he comes to Vegas (first 2 being Amsterdam and Paris) with Victoria, his literary agent. They are accused of stealing money and something important from a casino by teaming with an illusionist. There is a murder as well.

Can Charlie and Vic repay the money? Can they find the illusionist? Who is the killer? How does Charlie's secret trade help?

Unlike previous 2 books, the story is slow and low on drama. There is hardly any twist in the tale. No surprises. In short the book is not enticing.                  

I did not enjoy. Obviously do not recommend.

Now you see her by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

"Now you see her", by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge.

A teenager, Jenine, is angry at her boyfreind & drunk and accidently kills a person. But she is not arrested. Jennine then marries a cop to find out that he is a bad cop. She runs away, changes name to Nina and becomes a lawyer. Not even her daughter knows her past.

Nina is a successful lawyer and very happy. Her daughter has turned 16. Everything is going fine untill she is assigned a pro-bono work (lawyers work for free) by her law firm.

She is torn between fear for her life and saving an innocent man. If she tries to save him, she may loose all that she has. Who is he? Will she try? Does she have the courage? Who is she afraid of? What does her daughter think? Are there more skeletons in the closet?

Most of the book is narrated by the character of Jenine alias Nina. Authors have an easy writing style. On occasions when it was possible to sensetionalize or spice-up things, authors have missed it, intentionally or unintentionally. The book just about keeps you interested. You don't get bored.

Read it if you have time and nothing better to read.

Night probe by Clive Cussler

"Night Probe", by Clive Cussler. This is a Dirk Pitt adventure.

There is a secret treaty by which one country had SOLD another country to America 75 yr ago. Unfortunately persons carrying the copy of treaty met with accident and their respective vessels went under water. The sale and transfer never took place.

American president wants Dirk Pitt to salvage the copies of treaty so that he can claim the country. There are forces of the 'seller' country trying to stop Pitt. Can Pitt salvage the copies of treaty? Who wants to stop him? Will the 'sold' county mearge in America?

Story happens in 1989. The back drop of Qubec independence movement is used for the story.

Novel is lenghty & becomes boring. The title has little significance to the story. However entry of James Bond adds spice at the end.

Although I am a fan of Cussler, this one does not qualify to his usual standards.

First of God by Frederick Forsyth

"Fist of God" by Frederick Forsyth. Saddam's invasion of Kuwait is used as the basis of the story.

Israel has a traitor, Jericho, in Saddam's cabinet but has no one to 'run' him. America decides to pay for his services and UK decides to send in a british operative called Mike Martin, who can pass as Arab, to 'run' Jericho.

He finds out about the existance of 'Fist of God', a WMD, which is hidden with genius disguise. Attempts are made to locate 'Fist of God' and destroy it.

Does he find 'Fist of God' ? Is it destroyed? Does Martin survive? Has it anything to do with the outcome of Gulf war?

Idea of using an operative who can pass as local was also employed by Forsyth in his later book 'The Afgan', though I read that first.

Forsyth has deliberately kept the narrative simple and neutral. He has used real life figures like Thatcher, Bush, Netanyahu, General Shawrzkopf as characters in the story. His objective of blending fact with fiction and making it difficult to make out one from other has suceeded beautifully.

A long and detailed book but a good read.

The man in the brown suit by Agatha Christie

"The man in the brown suit", by Agatha Christie.

Anne Beddingfeld, a beautiful young lady, is orphaned and comes to London to look for a job. She sees a frightened man die accidentally by stepping on railway track. A man in brown suit approaches him, posing as doctor, and declares him dead. He also removes an important document from his pocket.

Anne decides to find out the truth. She also finds that a women is murdered. To solve the mystery she decides to take a voyage on a ship to South Africa, spending all her savings. There she meets a number of people but does not know their intentions.

Can she find the murderer? Can she find the man in the brown suit? Are they one and the same? What is the mystery?

The story is slow. Characters appear to be shallow. The novel does not end, for a long time, even after mystery is revealed.

Unlike other Agatha novels, this novel is drab. Agatha Christie hallmarks are missing and suspense is not enticing.

Give a miss to this one.

Act of terror by Marc Cameron

"Act of terror", a novel by Marc Cameron. This is his 2nd book after 'National Security'.

America faces strange attacks. The attacks are perpetrated by seemingly American citizens having no link to terrorism and working in reputed institutes like Airforce, FBI, CIA etc.

Who are these people? Why are they doing this? What has it to with an orphanage at Tajikistan -Afganistan border? Who is behind this? Will America survive?

Jericho Quinn is tasked to find out. There is an attempt on the life of his daughter and ex-wife. A new character of Veronica Garcia, an American with Cuban mother and Russian father, is introduced. There is a hint of romance between them at the end.

Story takes place in USA, China, Tajikistan and Afganistan. This book also has motorcycle chases. In the climax Quinn jumps from a chopper riding bike. Little too far fetched.

Pace of story is not uniform. Reader tends to loose interest a couple of times. Although the book is not bad, the raised expectations after first book, are not fulfilled.

Kill shot by Vince Flynn

"Kill Shot", a novel by Vince Flynn.
This book is a prequel to Mitch Rapp series. The story is set up mostly in France and tells us story of Mitch Rapp in his first year at CIA. This is second prequel of Flynn (after 'American assassin') and he has used these two prequels to bridge some gaps of Mitch's character, explain some interpersonal relations and bring in new characters and a love interest.

Mitch is sent to kill a person and result is 9 dead bodies including 3 innocents. Mitch has screwed up big time, or has he? His old enemy raises head. There is CIA politics to not let Thomas Stansfield become director. How do the 2 things relate? Is this a setup? Who is behind it all?

Flynn's writing style is dynamic, we live the story through his narrative. Pace is good and keeps us on the edge of chair. You do not get bored and do not loose interest.

Although there are a couple of loose ends, they may have been left intentionally for another prequel.

 Needless to say that I liked the book & recommend it. Now I have read all Vince Flynn books of Mitch Rapp series and have to wait for the release of new one.

Doomsday conspiracy by Sidney Sheldon

"Doomsday Conspiracy", a novel by Sidney Sheldon.
I have read 9-10 Sheldon books earlier and what I like most is that he doesn't write series books. Each book is a standalone book.
                                         
Commander Robert Bellamy is recruited from Navel Intelligence by CIA to find out the witnesses of a weather ballone crash. He later finds out that it was actually a UFO crash. Unknown to him a secret multinational oganization, headed by mysterious Janus, is killing the witnesses he found.

Why did CIA lie to him? Why the killings? Are there aliens? Things take a nasty turn and he is on a run. Police and intelligence agencies all round the world are hunting him. Who is behind this? Has it anything to do with his ex-wife, who he still loves. Who is Janus?

The story takes place in Europe and USA. Robert Bellamy is portrayed as emotional secret agent, but his past is shown as an efficient and hard sleuth. A bit of contradiction because sometimes he seems naive.

Since Bellamy is on run a large portion of book is dedicated in describing his travels. Story is not revetting, but one does not abandon the book either. The climax and end is abrupt.

The book promotes environmentalism. This book is not in the same class as some other Sheldon novels.

The racketeer by John Grisham

"The Racketeer" a novel by John Grisham.

Grisham is well known for his legal thrillers. This one is a borderline legal thriller. It has no court room drama.

Malcom Bannister, a black lawyer and ex marine, is sentenced for 10 yrs for money laundering. He claims to be innocent, his only fault being choosing wrong client.
A fedral judge is murdered with his girlfriend. His locker opened. Why was the judge killed? Banister may or may not have some vital info about the murder and killer.

Does the FBI get the info from Banister? What is the price? Is the murderer found? Who is the racketeer?

The story takes place in America and Carrebien. The pace is good, although it slows down in a couple of places. Writing style of this book seemed to be different from the previous Grisham books. Moreover this book is written in present tense (but not continuous present), which is a novelty.

There is a big twist to the story towards end that I did not see coming. It changes all the equations.                      

Its a good change from hard core Grisham legal thrillers. Although this book is not in the same league as 'The runaway jury' its a good one. If you don't like legal thrillers but would still like to read John Grisham, this is your book.

Dead or alive by Tom Clancy

"Dead or Alive", a novel by Tom Clancy. This was 2nd book I read after 'Againt all enemies'.

This is a novel about a terrorist plot to detonate nuclear bomb in USA alongwith multiple coventional bombs in various locations at the same time. The mastermind is 'The Emir', a character based on Osama bin Laden.

A covert organization 'The Campus' who works without congressional oversight. (In short does not exist) is trying to stitch the pieces and fragments of information to find out the actual plot via SIGINT (electronic
 intelligence) & HUMINT (human intel)    

USA searches Amir in Pakistan. But where is he? Afghanistan? Saudi? Or close to home? Does he suceed? How many bombs go off?

The novel starts with 18 to 20 unrelated stories. All of them incomplete. Slowly they start to converge into a mega plot. Untill then it is a difficult task to remember the names and their story.
                                   
This novel is from Jack Ryan series and doesn't have one protagonist but rather a team.

Tom Clancy's writing style is different. Too many parallel stories. Each one in multiple pieces. Feels discontinuous. A lot of detailing. Mention of someone parking the car appears at least 20-25 times.                          

Should read the previous novels of the series to understand some references.

Read if you have time but not a must read.

Lost city by Clive Cussler

"Lost city" a novel by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos.

This is a Numa Files adventure and the protagonist is Kurt Austin, director of Special Assignments team of NUMA (National Underwater & Marine Agency - underwater equivalent of CIA) alongwith his sidekick Joe Zavala.

A frozen body of an aviator is found entoumbed in a glacier with a strange helmet. Its the body of a person from one of the most powerful families that has thrived on arms business for centuries. Scientists on a deserted island may have reinvented elixer of life and horrible mutants. What links the two? How does Numa get involved? What is the relation of all this with the Lost City (a field of hydrothermal vents in atlantic ocean)?
                   
Clive Cussler thrillers are all centered around the theme of water. I wonder how he can write so many novels. This is 6th in Numa series that I read and I have read another 16 of Dirk Pitt adventures, Oregon files, Isac Bell adventures & Sam Fargo adventures. And there are more to be read.
               
Clive Cussler is a master story teller and keeps you transfixed to the book till the end. This book is no exception. This thriller enters into science fiction zone.
                               
If you like Cussler read it. However this is not a book to start reading Cussler.

National security by Marc Cameron

"National Security" a debut novel and thriller by Marc Cameron.

There is a terror attack on America, 1st time after 9/11. A bio wepon, a deadly virus, is unleashed on an American airplane. Are these 2 incidents all or is it the tip of proverbial iceberg? Who is behind this? What is the plan?

Jerico Quinn is recruited from airforce as OGE (Other government agency-for black ops) alongwith a Marine. Will they unearth the mega plot? Can they stop it?

This book has the usual ingredients of terrorists, a hateful Iraqi, beautiful bio wepons scientist, our protaginist and a lot of action. Author has gone in a convoluted way to bring in high adrenaline motorbike chase in the climax. What's absent in this thriller is double cross and traitors. This story is a straight fight between good and bad.

Cameron's story telling style is simple, story hasn't got too many complications or twists. I liked his writing style. We can expect more in his recently released 2nd book.

The Christmas wedding by James Patterson and Richard Dilallo

"The Christmas Wedding", a short novel by James Patterson & Richard Dilallo. This was my 2nd Patterson book after 'The postcard killers'.                                      
As a matter of fact, this is neither a thriller nor a murder mystery. Its a family novel. This was a welcome change for me.

Gabby, a widow in her fifties who has always put family ahed of her, decides to get married. She invites her 3 daughters and 1 son alongwith their families for 'The Christmas Wedding' of hers but does not declare the groom. There are 3 suitors and even they do not know who will marry Gabby. The setting is American countryside.
                         
Each of Gabby's children have one problem or another and they approach the problems based on their upbringing. There is a cancer patient, a drug addict, a useless husband and so on. However dispite the problems everyone comes home for Christmas.    

The book portrays the intricate relationships very well. Dispite the differences, the oneness of family and friends is depicted nicely. Needless to say emotions run high in this novel withot getting melodramatic.

Interesting to note that not one family member opposes the marriage. Everyone supports Gabby wholeheartedly.

Who does she marry? One of the 3 or someone else? The book gives all the answers at the end.

This novel looks at the positives rather than negatives. Those who like simple novels should read this.

Inferno by Dan Brown

"Inferno", latest thriller by Dan Brown. This is his 4th book of 'Robert Langdon' series.

Dante Alleghieri wrote an epic poem called 'Divine comedy' @ AD1320, where he describs his journey through Inferno (hell), ascent to Mount Purgatory and passage to Paradise. This book revolves around the theme of his depiction of inferno.

Robert Langdon wakes up in a hospital bed in Florence-Italy with all his memory of last two days wiped out due to a bullet grazing his head. . An attempt is made on his life in hospital and a lady doctor (Sienna) saves him. Then a game of cat & mouse begins. Robert does not know who is trying to kill him and why? He posseses an artefact that everyone is after but whats so special? Its a map. Of what? In the course of action enemies become friend and friends become foe.

A mega plot is unearthed. WHO is involved and so is a mysterious organization and a brilliant scientist. Can Robert save the day?

This is a thriller alright. However Dan Browns USP is the theological and art backdrop, his vivid description and meticulous detailing. In addition to the story you want to visit the places and verify the details described. I had this urge after reading Da Vinci Code, Angles and Demons & The Last Symbol.
It has become a standard feature of Dan Brown books that when you think that the book has reached plateau, a major twist is unearthed.
This book is no exception on both the counts.

How does the book end? Well you will have read it to find out. If there's a sequel to this book in future, it would be a SciFi.

Dan Brown fans will definately read it. Others should do so as well.

The last man by Vince Flynn

"The last man", latest thriller by Vince Flynn (2012). This is his 13th book of 'Mitch Rapp' series and now I have read all but one.

Mitch Rapp is a top CIA operative who has little regard for authority & rules when national security is in question. He is difficult to manage but is best at what he does that is killing tge bad guys.

One important CIA operative (Rick) goes missing in Jalalabad. Rapp goes to find him and an assassination attempt is made on him by a killer from his past. In the fight for his life Rapp sustains head injuries and has a short term memory loss.

Will he find Rick? Is he alive? Is it the doing of intelligence agency of another country? Is there a bigger plot than what meets the eyes?

There are multiple layers of deception & misinformation is difficult to segregate from fact. The plot is full of subplots. Story takes place mainly in Afghanistan, USA and Pakistan. Its a real thriller.    
                             
Loss of nemory and recovery brings a new dimension to Rapp's personality. The end also sows seeds for the next book that is expected this year.

Vince Flynn's writing style is very good. It is very difficult to put the book down. Story is well paced and keeps you on tenterhook. (It is hard to believe that Vince Flynn was a dyslexic.)

All in all worth spending the time.

Those who like thrillers should read Vince Flynn.

Battle for Bittora by Anuja Chauhan

"Battle for Bittora", by Anuja Chauhan during vacation.
   
This is the story of Sarojini 'Jinny' Pande who's grandfather was a freedom fighter + ex-MP and grandmother an 3 x ex-MP. Jinny is hurled from her job as animation specialist (making kitanoo of Harpic) to fighting election on Pragati party (read Congress) ticket for Bittora, a constituency in Pavit Pradesh ( Read UP). Her opponent is Zain Altaf Khan of IJP (Read BJP), an ex-royal of Bittora and her childhood sweetheart, who she still lusts.

Will she fight the election? Will she win? Do Jinny and Zhain become enemies? The story has twists, real politiking, horse trading, betrayal and magnanimity.

Jinny's state of always being in two minds, being torn between politics and love is portrayed well. Her love-hate relationship with Zhain is the base of the story. A number if characters are based on real life figures like Sonia, Varun, Modi etc.

The pace of story is slow.Zhain seems to be always 2 steps ahed of Jinny. Sometimes you wonder wheather Jinny is really smart. Although the election is for Loksabha, the canvas seems smaller and appears like a Vidhansabha election instead.

This is Anuja's 2nd novel after 'Zoya factor' where she has depicted emotions of modern day young Indian lady very well. (It has become her USP).
Although it is an OK read, this novel does not raise to the heightened expectations after 'Zoya factor'

Paangal (पानगळ) by Prof. Milind Joshi

"Paangal", a Marathi 'Katha Sangraha' by Prof. Milind Joshi during vacation. This is a collection of 14 short stories.

All the stories are interesting. Some of them like 'Samadhi' are too good. This book has a bouquet of stories. 'Krishnarpanamastu' is a tragedy, 'Sathi' is a comedy, 'Paangal, is a tale of sorrow, 'Eka sahityikachi diary' is a parody, 'Jimi ani me' is aashawadi, 'Dattak putra' depicts complex family relations.

Death seems to be the central theme of the book as 9 out of 14 stories have death in it.

Details of human emotions, human nature and interpersonal relations are captured very well. However it seems that ,in order to make the stories short-n-sweet, sometimes writer has been miser in allocating enough words to create the background that explains the behaviour of a particular character or an incedent.

The editing and proof reading of the book leaves lot to be desired. In addition to the grammatical errors, there are some descripancies and contradictions that could have been easily avoided by a watchful eye.

Overall it's, really, a good book. A nice Marathi read after a long time.

Thr oath of Vayuputras by Amish

"The oath of the Vayuputras", much awaited, 3rd and final book of Shiva triology by Amish.

Destiny of Neelkanth is to identify the evil & take the evil out of equation without offering any alternative. Shiva identifies the evil and declares a holy war.

What is the evil? Who are the enemies? Does he meet the chief Vasudev? Where are the elusive Vsyuputras? What is the oath of Vayuputras? Is it fulfilled?

There is some very good philosophy in this book and its explained in very simple language e.g. overuse of good makes it evil, objectives of institutions of Mahadev & Vishnu etc. Amish has an amazing writing style. The story keeps you on tenterhooks.

You are glued to the book for 480 out of 565 pages. Then it starts going wrong. The great war turns out to be a damp squib. It becoms personal rather than based on principal. Mahadev, the living god breaks his promise. Vayuputras only make a guest appearence.

From a beutifully constructed epic by a master story teller, that captivated India for 2-3 years, Amish suddenly looses interest after page 480 & decids to end the book abruptly, leaving many errors & contradictions. It's wrapped up hurriedly. An anticlimax. Seeds of Mahabharat series are also sowed at the end.

Read it for first 480 pages. Read it bacause you can not 'not read it' after reading first two books. But I was disappointed.

You are here by Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan

"You are here" a debut novel by Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan.

This is a book of modern day young Indian working woman called Arshi, who has a catholic father and kashmiri mother who are divorced.

The book takes us on a journey through Arshi's world, her mind and love life. There are few people she can call 'close'.

Emotions of today's young Indian girl are presented vividly. Mind of a woman is beautifully unfurled. Meenakshi's writing style is expressive. The book can be categorized as 'bold' and caters to urban and metropolitian readers. The chapters are titled innovatively.

Downside of the book is the story or rather the lack of it. This is one major handicap of the book. Not much happens throughout the book. The book appears like a beautiful lady without a soul.

It's a good read for those who like expressive writing. Those who do not look for a story in the book, may even like it.

The Bankster by Ravi Subramanian

"The Bankster", by Ravi Subramanian, who is dubbed as John Grisham of banking, by Wall Street Journal. This is his 4th book, although 1st one I read.

Three stories run in parallel. A CIA agent works as arms supplier. A nuclear power plant is built in Kerala and locals oppose it. Three employees of a multinational bank are murdered.

Who has done it? Is it related to money laundering? Is there any connection between 3 stories?
How does it end?

This book has all the ingredients for a thriller. Corporate politics, governance issues, ambitious managers, extra marital affair, use of good looks to further ones clause, NGO's controlled by external powers, nuclear politics, religion, murders and investigative journalists.

Character of Indrani appears to be inspired by Chanda Khochar of ICICI. All characters are sufficiently developed. Inner workings of banking industry is used as background for the story. How bankers run after business, how protocol is overlooked, how rules are bypassed and how things are influenced is shown in detail. I liked the title. By calling it Bankster, author has simultaniously raised curiosity and made it look sinister. Full marks for the title.

Story keeps you interested. Pace is even.You do not get bored. After reading this book, I do not mind reading other 3 books by Ravi.

Although it is not a 'wow' book, it's a good read.