Lynchpin: The best laid schemes of mice and men by Siddharth Maheshwari

​"Lynchpin: The best laid schemes of mice and men" by Siddharth Maheshwari -  Action thriller!

This book is published by One point six technologies Pvt Ltd  in 2021 and has 290 pages. This is author’s debut novel. 

ATC Jaiprakash Mathur causes midair collision of two commercial aircrafts in Mumbai. A group of terrorists sabotages a surrender function of another group of terrorists resulting in death of the surrendering terrorists, two ministers and many others. Chief Justice of India is shot dead. Hindu Muslim riot is instigated in Meerut. Naxal violence erupts in Jharkhand as a Naxal leader is gunned down by people in police uniform. There are bomb attacks. There are Drone attacks in Calcutta.

What is happening? Why is it happening? What is the objective? Who is the Lynchpin?

These are events designed to cause socioeconomic distress in the country. Each one is precise. Either it disrupts social harmony or economic activity. 

Inspector Vikram Aditya Singh from Indian Police sees a link in these unrelated incidents. With the help of his friend DSP Ranbir Roy of IB he convinces the powers to be and they both head the task force. RAW, Army, IB, Police and other agencies collaborate. 

Author doesn’t spend time in travails. The action begins from the word go and doesn’t stop till the end. Although the story is fast paced and action packed, the plot is a little weak. Some of the things are too simple for a plot that has national and international consequences. Especially the recording of confession is naive. 

Author uses names of real life persons from different fields for the characters like Manoj Tiwari, Jagmohan Reddy, Ravindra Jain, Anirban Ghosh for the characters that have no connection to real life person. 

He calls a 3BHK apartment in Worli, modest. Phew! He has never stayed in Mumbai. In Mumbai it’s more than comfortable, lavish. The terrorists travel in black Range Rovers. How difficult is it to spot a Range Rover in India? Shouldn’t they have used a less conspicuous car?

Chapters are titled with colloquial phrases. The titles are Interesting and it’s a novelty. I collected a couple of new/out of the way words like soigné, petrichor. 

What about title? Lynchpin is a pin that keeps the wheel attached to the Axel. Looks like Lynchpin is a famous book name. I found at least six on Amazon. 

Why did I read this book? Cover. 

What I didn't like? Flaws as mentioned. 

What did I like? Action.

Recommend reading.