Escape to nowhere by Amar Bhushan

"Escape to nowhere" by Amar Bhushan - Uninteresting spy thriller!

This book is published by Konark Publishers Pvt. Ltd. in 2019 and has 336 pages. This book is being made into a Netflix movie. 

Ravi Mohan, an intelligence officer and senior analyst of Agency (read RAW), comes under suspicion for espionage. He invites officers not belonging to his division, talks to them on matters not related to him, fishing for information and takes them to expensive restaurants. Jeevanathan, Security Head of Agency, assigns the surveillance to KM Kamat, head of CEU. An elaborate surveillance is mounted but ....

Can they establish that Ravi is a traitor? Can they find Ravi's handler? Can they apprehend Ravi?

As is the case for any intelligence operation, or any operation for that matter, a lot of time is spent doing mundane things. Here author has avoided dramatization or making things spicy. Thus the story becomes very slow,  even less interesting and sounds like a report. It doesn't generate interest, doesn't excite you and at the end doesn't give you the satisfaction of accomplishment. 

How come so many persons not related to his assigned desk brief Ravi Mohan about sensitive matters? This guy regularly sleeps in office during office hours, spends a lot of time chatting with people not directly related to his work. It appears that RAW operates like any other government organization and lacks professionalism. A supposedly master spy agency works like a bureaucratic organization. 

It's said that this novel is loosely based on 2004 scandal involving RAW joint secretary Rabinder Singh. So it's possible to identify some real life characters based on their position, with Google's help. 

The chapters are, rather unimaginably, titled Day1, Day2 etc.. The story happens in about 3 months.

I started to read this book after reading a news report that Vishal Bharadwaj will be directing a Netflix film based on this book starring Tabu. After Redding the book, I wonder what role Tabu will play? There is no strong female character in the book!

Why did I read this book? It's being made into Netflix film. 

What I didn't like? Lack of thrill. 

What did I like? Peek into working of RAW. 

Not a must read.