Review: Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle

Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle by Mark Tully
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had always wondered about the reasons for Army's action in Operation Blue Star. This is a wonderful book detailing the history behind the storming of Golden Temple complex by the Army which also was a major cause for a rise in extremism in Punjab.

It chronicles the events leading to the decision of the Congress government to direct the Army to enter the temple to flush out Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his band of terrorists. It was a blot on the government and the most bitter consequence was the assassination of Indira Gandhi. It details the roles played by Akali Dal, Congress government, the Indian Army, Harcharan Singh Longowal, Zail Singh, Gurcharan Singh Tohra and significantly of Bhindranwale and his rise to notoriety.

Mark Tully and Satish Jacob, who used to work for BBC, has narrated a first hand account of the events leading up to one of the darkest moment in Indian history and it is truly commendable. The only minor irritant in the kindle version was the spellcheck errors which crept in. Being seasoned writers and journalists, the book would have been definitely edited thoroughly. So it might have been inadvertently crept in the electronic version. This can be a reference book for history buffs and people who are keen to learn about Operation Blue Star.

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Review: The Lion's Game

The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the book however, to be honest, I had high expectations from it which did not live up to it. The book is about two FBI agents on the trail of a Libyan terrorist, who is on a plot to avenge the 1986 bombing of Libya, massacring Americans along the way.

The book is interesting at places where it plots the terrorist's movements and at places it becomes a drag. However, the highlight of the narrative is the dry humour and the one-liners the author uses liberally in this story.

Strictly for DeMille fans only ! This was my first.

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