Lashkar by Mukul Deva

"Lashkar" by Mukul Deva. This is the first book of Lashkar series.

This is the story of Iqbal, a Muslim youth from Lucknow, who is drawn in the web of terrorism by the maulana of a mosque in Delhi. He is smuggled to Pakistan, trained and sent back to India to execute terrorist activities in India. The story is set in 2005.

A number of blasts hit Delhi a few days before Iqbal returns to India. But then comes a twist. India's docile response turns into a stern response and India decides to retaliate. Force 22, an ultra secret special operations group, is called into action. This is where the book becomes interesting.

Will Iqbal be able to reenter India safely?  Will Iqbal be able to execute terrorist activities? Had the indoctrination made him a ruthless maniac? Is there a personal angle? What is India's stern response? How is it executed by Force 22? Does it succeed? Does Iqbal see the reality?

This book explains in  detail how the misguided youth are smuggled to Pakistan, how they are trained, how terrorist activities are planned and executed, how ISI plays an important role in all this. How a covert attack is planned and executed. India's response brings a lot of action in the book. This section keeps you on the tenterhook and the adrenaline keeps pumping.

Mukul has an effective writing style. He has paced the novel very well & has supplemented it by the technical details of military hardware. He has successfully kindled the excitement and patriotic feelings within the readers to take the book to a different level. I would not be surprised if the book becomes a Bollywood movie.

Mukul is a master story teller. The book is unputdownable. Recommend reading.