Operation India One by Shiv Kumar

Blurb (from the jacket):

Dedicated police officer, ACP Gautam Dhaliwal, takes it upon himself to root out the MAF, a major Naxal organization based in the remote village of Bhagatpur, Bihar, as part of the central government backed, ‘Operation India One’. As his investigations on the ground progress, however, he uncovers behind the official facade of development that he had set out to defend, an ugly nexus of unscrupulous politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen feeding off the oppression of the underprivileged. 

Torn between his commitment to the Indian State and the sympathy he begins to feel for the miserable plight of the people of the area and the supposed terrorists fighting for them, an agonized ACP Dhaliwal is forced to rethink his earlier views on the meaning of one’s responsibility towards one’s fellow countrymen.

KARM by Aditya Mukherjee, Arnav Mukherjee

Blurb (from the jacket):

2020. Mumbai a fetid city, full of crime and violence.

Rising above it, a flattened obelisk of polished black granite, stands the Rustomji Group's imposing headquarters the One World Tower. And at its very tip, is Babylon, Vishnu Rustomji Mistry's famous garden on top of the tallest building in Mumbai the centre of its wealth and power.

It's the day the flamboyant billionaire will make his big announcement. Yet, it'll be one of the few days in the year when his won't be the biggest story. It's the day a letter will be found that could change the meaning of everything. A simple letter, signed ‘The People's Guardian', which threatens the Chief Minister with dire consequences.

When model-turned-newscaster Tara and rookie journalist Sudhir Navkar stumble upon clues about this possible vigilante, they are led on a breadcrumb trail from the eerie slums of gangland Mumbai to the high-rise towers of SoBo. 

As the two of them try desperately to solve the mystery, they begin to uncover a frightening conspiracy that threatens to cast a shadow on the entire nation and on their lives. 

In a choice between love, life and their karm, will they have the courage to pursue the truth?

Business Doctors by Sameer Kamat

Blurb (from the jacket):

Ivy League educated management consultant, Michael Schneider, gets hired by an unlikely client - a mafia boss who wants to make a last desperate bid to resuscitate his family business that spans across gambling, drugs and porn.

A reluctant Schneider takes on the challenge to analyze the problems and re-launch the underworld organization into the super-competitive, highly evolved world of crime.

The Twelfth Imam by Joel C. Rosenberg

   

INTRODUCTION   

AUTHOR : JOEL C. ROSENBERG

PUBLISHER: JAICO PUBLISHING HOUSE

PAGES : 490 pps

JOT(from the jacket):  WHAT IF THE ISLAMIC MESSIAH COMES TO EARTH ?
                                          WHAT IF THE WORLD WAITS TOO LONG...AND
                                              IRAN DEVELOPS NUCLEAR WEAPONS?

Tensions are rising in the middle east . Iran's president vows to annihilate the United States and Israel. Israel's prime minister says someone must hit Iran's nuclear sites "before it's too late." The American president warns against a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities and says negotiations are the key to finding peace.

And amid it all, rumors are swirling throughout the region of mysterious religious cleric claiming to be the islamic messiah known as the Mahdi or the Twelfth Imam. Word oh his miracles ,healings,signs and wonders is spreading like wildfire.

CIA operative David Shirazi was born for this moment . he is recruited and sent into Tehran with one objective: use all means necessary to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapon programs, without leaving American fingerprints and without triggering an apocalyptic new war.

But time is running out.

MY REFLECTION :  This book being a Evangelical fiction was like a cultural and literary shock for me. It's  a religious thriller and it's narrated  mmarvelous The language is rock solid. The traits of all the ccharactersplaying in this thriller are presented intricately without missing a single nuance.

Coming to the plot. It's captivating. Especially , it's so amazing how the plot maneuvers towards the crucial events that made me feel awestruck. I definitely need to appreciate the author for the kind of research he has carried out  in understanding the theology of both Islam and Christianity The best part of the book for me is ,while connecting the dots between the two religions.

Overall the book is written fabulously with a stir of suspense,crime,mysticism religion, riots, politics, etc. The book revolves around issues which are very deep to my conscience, but I somehow made it to fathom them.

The only thing that bothered me is  the abrupt closure of the novel, with hardly a note of climax. without this the entire book is  good.

 WARNING: This book contains literature which may hurt the sentiments of people who believe in Islam. And  this book  has biased description about Bible and Jesus.

As this book is a work of fiction, I sincerely request the readers  to look at it  from a creative writer's point of view. I cordially request all the readers ,not to take any part of the book  granted as it triggers the feelings of Fundamentalism

I hope all the readers will  respect the "freedom of expression" and accept the author.

About the Author: Joel C. Rosenberg is the NEW YORK Times best-selling author of five novels. Joel is the producer of two documentary films based on his nonfiction films. He is also the founder of The Joshua Fund , a nonprofit educational and charitable organization to mobilize Christians to " bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus" with food,clothing ,medical supplies,and other humanitarian relief.
                       

ISBN-13: 978-81-8495-447-0

                    

Love Lasts Forever... by Vikrant Khanna

LOVE LASTS FOREVER...
                           only if you don't marry your love

    

                                                                    INTRODUCTION

                                               

AUTHOR - VIKRANT KHANNA

PUBLISHER- SRISHTI PUBLISHERS & DISTIBUTORS

PAGES- 248.

JOT(From the jacket) :    So you think your love can last forever..?

                       Get married !

Eighteen-year-old Ronit falls madly in love with aisha the moment he meets her at his graduation day from a navel college .He believes he has found his perfect soul mate, and come what may ,his love for her will last forever . Seven years later , he gets married to her. Big mistake! A week later, he completely hates her and believes she has turned into a devil.

But his perception about love and life change when he hears the poignant love story of shekhar ,his captain ,on a ship that later gets hijacked by the pirates of somalia .

As they are left fighting for their lives they comfront if love truly can last forever...?But does it get too late?

MY REFLECTION :  The problem with youngsters of this generation is they are too quick in everything, they are naive and gullibel.All the subtle emotions, vulnerabilities, feelings of two youngsters are showcased in a witty, artistic yet realistic way. 

The book comes like two birds at one hit. There is another love stroy narrated in this book, which is situated in 1980's which is a very heart touching one.It made me weep. I learned a lot from that story which is so true about love and life. 

The Best  part of the book for me is the depiction of the navy. All the scenes of the ship being hijacked, How  all the Navy staff had to disconnected from their family and friends and had to stay in somalia as hostage have thrown a light about the life of Navy men. Reading throw these scenes touched the chord of patriotism in me. 

Finally the book is a lovely story of a young navy person who looses hope in his love life(after marraige) and wishes to end the  relationship, but later  realises what's love by the love story of his captain which inspires him to introspect and get his love back

A must read to all the married people , who are having a gloomy married life. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :  A Sailor by profession and a writer by passion , Vikrant has penned two novels before this . He lives in delhi with his family. 

You can get in tough with him at 

www.vikrantkhanna.com.

                                                                             

ISBN-13: 978-9382665175

                           

Anti-Social Network (Inspector Virkar #2) by Piyush Jha

Blurb (from the jacket):

When college students across Mumbai are murdered one after another in gruesome ways, inspector Virkar from the crime branch is called in. As Virkar investigates, he stumbles upon a ruthless gang of young, tech-savvy miscreants who use social networking sites and the Internet for blackmail and sextortion. But how are the two cases linked? And who is the mastermind behind these killings?

As the case grows murkier, the computer-challenged Virkar finds himself greatly out of his depth, chasing a killer who always seems to be one step ahead and a group that soon trains its sights on him. He must race against time to unmask the gang and to find the murderer before his reputation is ruined forever. Thick with suspense and layered with grit, anti-social network brings to you inspector Virkars toughest case yet.

Caravan to Tibet by Deepa Agarwal

Blurb (from the jacket):

'The thud of hooves hammered at Debu's ear, the swishing of whips, the shrill exclamations of the boys goading their sleeds on. Slowly, steadily, they left one horse behind, then another, than another.'

In the last years of the nineteenth century, a caravan of traders sets off from the high hills of Kumaon, India, for Tibet. They traverse dangerous passes and brave blinding snowstorms, in order to carry on their traditional trade in the Tibetan markets. Among them is fourteen-year-old Debu’s father. Many days later, when the caravan returns, Debu is heartbroken to learn that his father was lost in one of the treacherous passes. Somehow he cannot believe it, and when a Tibetan trader turns up in the local market wearing an amulet remarkably similar to his father’s, he is convinced that his father is alive, somewhere in Tibet. 

Debu joins the next caravan to Tibet to look for his father, little knowing he is setting out on the most perilous, yet most exciting journey of his life. The adventures follow thick and fast—a forced stay in a monastery with a young lama who takes a fancy to him; his capture by a band of bandits led by the cruel, mysterious Nangbo gifted with magical powers; a stay in the goldfields of Thok Jalong; and finally ending with a heart-pounding, breathtaking horse race.

An action-packed adventure story, Caravan to Tibet teems with memorable characters and fine descriptions of life in the Himalayan kingdoms of Kumaon and Tibey at the turn of the nineteenth century.

Rage in the jungle, Raj on the street by Doctor Kesi

Blurb (from the jacket): 

'Rage in the Jungle, Raj on the Street', is a story that captures the essence of a group of people caught in a strange predicament. 

Political activist Neema unwittingly puts her family - a widowed mother, old husband, a little daughter in jeopardy, while pursuing Buddha, the encounter specialist, for his false encounters. Buddha, with his dogmatic belief in an extreme definition of patriotism, was tempted to stage false encounters on a terrorist couple. Chased by his pursuers, he finds himself in an awkward place, which he must have not dreamed of in the wildest of his dreams. 

Sambhu, an absconded bonded labor-turned Maoist was in Neemas company, knowing precious little of how fast his criminal past would catch up with him. Or that he would again meet the same terrorist-cum arms peddler from whom he had purchased the AK47s, in exchange for hashish, cultivated to fund Maoist activities.

What fate awaits Sambhu, Neema, her husband Dr. London and Buddha?

Will justice prevail?

The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes by Donald Thomas

Blurb (from the jacket):

Donald Thomas combines his expertise as a novelist and criminal historian to give a breand-new twist to the adventures of Conan Doyle's famous creation.

Accompanied as ever by Dr. Watson, Holmes here investigates: The alleged bigamy of King George V... The theft of the Irish Crown Jewels in 1907... The bizarre circumstances of the death of President Faure of France... Such dramas are not fiction but historical reality. 

The investigations described in this volume relate the part played by the great detective in seven major crimes or scandals of the day, some of them too damaging to the monarchy, the government or the security of the nation to be fully revealed at the time. 

Compiled in narrative form by Dr. Watson soon after the great detective’s death, Holmes’s notes have been kept under lock and key at the Public Record Office in Chancery Lane. Now, seventy years later, we can finally open the secret casebook of Sherlock Holmes.

Faceless by Nizam Ahmed

Blurb (from the jacket):

What do you do when you try to commit suicide, and end up discovering you have superpowers? 

Kabir faced this question just when he had done enough to get rid of a life he couldn't get along with. 

Foolishly encouraged by his new-found abilities, he decides get even with a cunning boss at work; win back his colleague Nat's love, and be an admired superhero. 

So starts his crazy journey – a clumsy rescue act for a girl called Riona; a dramatically rigged introduction at the Qutub Minar; mathematical manipulations at flying; use of Facebook as a weapon, and surreal encounters with a wily Russian, and a mysterious monk. 

Just when he thinks he has a hang of it, he runs into the Devil - a manic ringleader of kidnappers - who is clearly more than a match for him.

As he stares at the barrel of the gun that the Devil has pointed at his head, he realizes how terribly inappropriate being a superhero has been.

The Obliterary Journal: Volume 1 by Rakesh Khanna (Editor), Rashmi Ruth Devadasan (Editor)

Blurb (from GoodReads):

A collection of comics, street art, typography, and illustrated stories from India and beyond. Includes:

*) A classic Bengali gangster comic in translation

*) Traditional Odisha palm-leaf engravings of alien robot invaders

*) 12th century Sanskrit algebra problems

*) Bus painters from Suriname

*) New work from Vidyun Sabhaney, Amitabh Kumar, Roney Devassia, and Aarti Sunder

*) Bleeding lizards

*) Defecating cyclopses

*) Psychopathic killer tomatoes

*) and much, much more!

Performance Anomalies by Victor Robert Lee

Foreword:

This is one of those very few books I have received through GoodReads First Reads Program. You know how difficult it is. There are thousands of members participating in each giveaway and there are very few copies to win. Almost all the times, I was one who was most likely to win. Well, I guess it is the same with you, too, if you have participated in any of those GoodReads giveaways.

However, I won this book, which was exclusively for Indians and I remember that there were as many copies as there were participants. Otherwise, how in the name of God did I even win this!

In that, a hard-cover! Big deal!

Blurb (from GoodReads):

Victor Robert Lee’s provocative debut spy thriller PERFORMANCE ANOMALIES introduces a protagonist to rival the most memorable espionage heroes. Cono is a startling young man of mixed and haunting heritage who has been gifted – or cursed – with an accelerated nervous system. An orphan from the streets of Brazil, he acts as a freelance spy, happy to use his strange talents in the service of dubious organizations and governments – until, in Kazakhstan, on a personal mission to rescue a former lover, he is sucked into a deadly maelstrom of betrayal that forces him to question all notions of friendship and allegiance. 

The Guardians of Karma by Mohan Vizhakat

Foreword:

Like many other books from Srishti, this book too was sent by Arup Bose.

When I first received this book (I received it like this) I was damn excited. The cover gives the impression of a sci-fi. And I am damn excited about sci-fis.

The Guardians of Karma. What a name? I had real high stakes before starting reading this book sometime around last weekend.

Plot (from Goodreads):

INTRIGUING MYTHOLOGICAL SF THRILLER BASED ON ANCIENT SHIVA PURANA

Prehistoric times beyond the mists of vedic India - the forgotten era of ‘first wave’ civilisations.

Around 10500 BCE, with sea levels much lower than they are today, and mainland continents still largely covered with ice, the primary centres of Indian civilisation were dominated by two highly advanced nation states – Dev Lok and Daityan Empire. Spiritually-inclined Devas lived in harmony with nature, whereas Daityas believed in brute force technologies for rapid prosperity and material gratification. Steady inundation of the tropical islands created a crisis, particularly for Daityas. To fuel their hunger for material resources, the aggressive Daityas proceeded to invade other nations.

Zombiestan by Mainak Dhar

Zombiestan by Mainak Dhar

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

ISBN(edition I've read): 9789381626924

Review:

I am very glad that I came across this book.

It was completely impossible to come across this author, if not because of a reading group on Facebook. Mainak Dhar, I came to know, is a best-selling author on Amazon. In fact, he has already got thirteen best-selling ebooks on Amazon.

After reading this book, I was wondering why such a brilliant writer is not getting the lime light he deserved. Just consider my rating - 4.5 out of 5. It is not a normal rating! I rarely give any book 4 and scarcely above 4, save if the book touched the deepest of my heart. And this book did touch.

Plot:
A new kind of plague starts to spread around the world. It all started in a small village, in the outskirts of Afghanistan. Then start, it spreads faster than a fire could spread in a field full of hay. Just on the second day of the outbreak of the plague, there are reported spotting of humans turned into some creatures - with sores all over their skin, blood and pus spluttering out of their boils, their skin yellow in colour, with crooked teeth - when the infected bit them. All the zombies - thats what they seemed to the people - performed an act, immediately after transforming - typing a black turban around their heads, just like Muslim terrorists. After all, the whole idea of plan was create terror and avenge the loss of their leader, Osama.

Back in India, there are five key survivors - a US navy seal, trying to get back home, an old history professor, a guy in his late teens, a girl of just about his age and her brother who is three-years-old. They come to know that the key to survive the plague is hidden in the three-year-old kid.

During one radio broadcast, they come to know that high in the Himalayas, there was hope. Hope of surviving from the monsters. Then starts their journey to hope.

Will they get to the place, broad-cast on the radio? Is there really a place like that? Will they able to fight back the monsters? Does the kid really holds the keep for survival and stands a chance of hope?

My take on the book:
With all the interesting aspects, thrills, twists and action, Zombiestan takes you on a 'on the edge of the seat' journey, which will remain etched in your memory for quiet some time.

The biggest honor a book gets from me, is completing it in two days. Considering my snail-pace reading ability and meager amount of time I spend reading, it is handsome achievement made by any book.

The best thing about the story it is that it is very fast paced. The fight against the Zombies and the struggle starts even before the 40th page.

I felt, the author must have had a very imaginative mind to think of such a plot and transform into a story and then, into a book.

This is the second book - after The Road - that touched the deepest feeling of my heart, this week. It is an exaggeration to say that I cried, but when I was almost nearing the end, one scene made tears well up in my  eyes.

Recommendation:
Hmmm... Read this book, if you love fast-paced thriller. Others, also read this book. I am sure you will start loving fast-paced thriller, after reading this one....

Overall, a great read and 'hats off' to the author(also the second this week)...

Hungry Ghost by Stephen Leather

Hungry Ghost by Stephen Leather

Rating: 4 out of 5

ISBN (edition I've read): 0671753002

Review:

This is a pretty old book. First printed(publish, that is) in 1991. And the book I am holding right now is of 1993. I found it in a closer a long back. My father said it was my grand father's. Since it is old and I believe old book suck, I never got to read this. Then one fine day, when I was deciding what to read next. I couldn't get to decide on one. There were so many good books in the shelf. So I decided to read the one, I didn't want to read. So that is how I came to read this one.

And now, after completing reading the book, I am thankful I read it...

When I was reading this book, I knew nothing of the author - Stephen Leather. I didn't even care to know about him. Come on, I am not the kind to check out the authors of yester-generations. The current generation authors' stories are more relatable and I prefer relatable reads.

However, I read the plot on the back of the book. These were the points, I could make out of them...
*The story of the genre, either, crime or mystery
-It turned out to both and suspense and action and romantic thriller.
*The story is set in Hong Kong.
-Yes, it was.

And nothing else. That was one reason I hated old books. There are so hard to decipher.


This story goes back to the Communists revolution of 1997 and its effect on Hong Kong. Most part of the story happens in Hong Kong. It follows a theme of a dangerous killer, Geoff Howells, probably the Hungry Ghost, who gets pleasure in killing, cracking of the bones, etc, being let free.

As usual, the start was a bit slow and I had a hard time understanding the writing. But just in 50 pages, I got used to the writing and it was just as smooth as butter then on. The writer was one of the bests. Each and every scene was so clear that you will feel like you are watching some movie. Every move, every punch, every kick is described to vividly that when I am reading the action sequence, the hair on my hand stood on end.

This being my first action novel, I don't have much to compare it with and rate.

Interestingly narrated. Vividly described. I didn't come across any book, yet, with such a narration of the fights and the story. With such a powerful writing author, Hungry Ghost delivers non-stop action and suspense...

All in all, the book was a killer. Good start for a Action novel.. 

To top the above all, Hungry Ghost has given me many memories of my late Grand father. So it holds a special place, personally...