Mandar's book review (24th April 2014)
Completed reading "Clear line of fire", debut novel of Badrinath Nuggehalli. This book is published by Rupa and has 232 pages.
Czech republic has an agreement to provide Howitzer guns to India. America leans on Russia (after the break up of USSR) and Russia leans on Czech republic to cancel the deal.
There is no gun better suited for mountain terrain as it can fire from steep slopes. Uzbekistan has the technology to make the gun but does not have the requisite software (Fire control unit - FCU). A niche Indian software company headed by Satyan Sharma can develop the technology. Indian defense ministry ties up with Satyan to develop it. This joint Uzbek - Indian gun will be the best in the world. The gun is close to prototype testing. It will then be produced en mass and inducted in Indian army. The big contractors will lose out.
Now America wants it. Russia wants it too. Covert operatives from these countries are pressed into action. Politicians want to discredit the indigenously developed gun as there would be no kick backs from local contractors. Other gun manufacturers and Pentagon is also interested. There are attempts of sabotage, threats, physical violence, kidnapping.
Satyan doesn't know who to trust. Who is a friend and who's the foe. The only person he can trust is his fiancé and TV journalist Rubita. Can he save his software from bad guys? Can he save his company? Will he get caught up in red tape? Who is behind all this? Is there a traitor? Are the politicians really patriots? Is the army corrupt?
Author has tried to create a spectacular story with unimaginable twists and turns and make it grand. However in this what has come out is only an unsuccessful attempt at everything and success in only a few. Author has tried to cram in a lot of things thereby either not justifying them or making them unrealistic (even more unrealistic than fiction writers freedom)
He had not been able to decide if the protagonist Satyan Sharma should be portrayed as a technocrat, a hero or a businessman who does heroic deeds in a particular situation.
Politicians are all corrupt and traitors. So are the bureaucrats. Russians and Americans operate freely in India and Indian intelligence does not even know it. Satyan is backed by some powerful persons but acts alone as if he is the sole savior.
The end of this book baffled me. Completely out of synch. It had little to do with the story and could have been avoided completely.
It would have been a good book if author had not tried to do too much. Avoid.
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