Review: Fall of Giants

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Simply stupendous and engaging ! This is a sweeping historical saga from 1911 to 1924 covering principally, the World War I. The myriad characters mingled with the historical events was so interesting that it keeps you hooked. The best part I enjoyed were the opposing views and reasons of both the Germans and the Allies for the occurrence of World War I. The author gives a dual perspective with awesome finesse.

Will take some time off from the Peshkovs, von Ulrichs and Fitzherberts. Whew !!

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Review: The Unending Game: A Former R&AW Chief’s Insights into Espionage

The Unending Game: A Former R&AW Chief’s Insights into Espionage by Vikram Sood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very good book on espionage, more like a research paper or thesis. The author is a former intelligence chief of RAW and exploits his vast experience on the technicalities of the espionage profession.

The book gives us an insight into the CIA and the KGB too. However, if you are looking at how the RAW functions, you will be disappointed. The author has not revealed anything about the RAW or its secrets.Being an ex-intelligence chief, you expect some kind of revelations on the workings of the agency. But, I suppose it would not be prudent for the author unlike other professions. Detailed facts on terrorist events in India like 26/11 and USA like 9/11 find its way into the book but all are documented facts and can be found easily in the public domain. There are some interesting anecdotes sprinkled all over. For example, a frightening titbit was about a cabinet minister in Indira Gandhi government offered to sell secrets to KGB and the same minister later became the prime minister of India ! Or how about the fact that USA was in possession of evidence from a terrorist that there would be terrorist attack on a huge scale as early as 1998 but chose to ignore this resulting in a catastrophe of gigantic proportions !

Recommended for people with an interest in espionage or politics. There were places where the writing became a drag but one can ignore it.

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Review: Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales

Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales by Randy Singer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a legal thriller which was just about ok. Being a sucker for legal thrillers, I came across the author whose book I have never read before. Since I have not read any of his other books, I cannot compare it with other authors like John Grisham and Victor Methos.

The plot is about a quarterback player Landon Reed, who is released from prison after serving a sentence for shaving points in a football game. Now I am not sure what that means but it sounds bad, as he had to go to prison. He comes out a reformed man and passes the bar exam to become a lawyer, aptly aided by another veteran lawyer, Harry Mcnaughten who employs him. He is now involved in a lawsuit where Elias King, another trial lawyer is charged with insider trading and murder charges. His wife gets involved with a shady ex-CIA operative Sean Phoenix (not an extramarital affair) professionally. Bodies start falling, the plot gets murkier and it is our protagonist who needs to win the case to save Elias King. The football narrative gets boring since I am not familiar with the game. But overall a good fast paced thriller which readers can enjoy.

Would I read another Randy Singer ? Probably yes, but not immediately. Given a choice I would still pick up a Methos.

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Review: The Dhandho Investor: The Low-Risk Value Method to High Returns

The Dhandho Investor: The Low-Risk Value Method to High Returns by Mohnish Pabrai
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a good book on investing fundas in the equity markets from a very well known name in the American capital markets. I had first come across the author's name when he became famous in 2007 for buying dinner with Warren Buffett along with his partner at Buffett's annual charity auction. Enamoured more about this event than by the author, I had written an amateur piece on value investing on my blog (my link text). So when I came across this book written by Mohnish Pabrai, I just couldn't resist myself.

The author is a self-confessed fan of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger and needless to say there are few innovative original ideas in the book. But the whole idea of value investing was propounded by Benjamin Graham in his book "The Intelligent Investor" which is considered to be the bible of every value investor and popularised by Buffett. The author has lifted examples, quotes and anecdotes from Buffett's life. In fact, his fund Pabrai Funds itself is structured similar to Berkshire Hathaway, as revealed by him.

Coming to the core of the book, this is totally based on American capital markets. The analogy of the Patel community given by the author is interesting but for an Indian it is not at all new. The title contains the word "Dhandho". Any Indian reader would more or less expect some advice in the context of Indian stock markets (ok, so this is about value investing...still !) but there is no reference at all to any other emerging market except the US of A. Also almost a whole chapter is dedicated to financial websites for the American investor which can be useful titbit for investment tips. I wish the author had done some more research in the context of Indian capital markets. It is a tad disappointing when the reference point are the Patels.

Readers are expected to have a basic knowledge of equity markets and financial jargons like present value of future cash flows, intrinsic value, earnings per share etc. Then it becomes enjoyable, especially for the American reader.

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Review: The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion

The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion by Ram Sivasankaran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Purely for Indian history and Indophile buffs, this is the story of Peshwa Bajirao in his pre-Mastani days (If you know about the story of Bajirao and Princess Mastani of Bundelkhand). The book charts Bajirao's life from his infancy under the tutelage of his father Balaji Vishwanath to his fatherhood and his first battle against the Mughals under Chhatrapathi Shahu's rule. When I first got this book in a kindle offer, I was expecting this to be another tome on the Bajirao-Mastani affair which had become popular due to the Hindi movie on the same folklore. But it was a refreshing change to read about Bajirao on his early life.

The author has written in a very simple and lucid manner which makes it much more enjoyable. I was transported back to my childhood days when I used to read more of such stuff. It deals mainly with the conflict between the Nizam-ul-Mulk of the Mughal empire and the Marathas, the military and political ramifications, time bound tradition of honour in the armed forces and glory for he brave. The book ends with the introduction of Princess Mastani which more or less would likely result in a sequel later life of Bajirao. I thoroughly enjoyed this break from thrillers.

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Review: The Wife Between Us

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A story on primarily three characters - the husband, the wife and the other woman and a sincere attempt by the wife to stay sane to keep the marriage alive. This is the short synopsis if I am not supposed to reveal more. However, as the story progresses, the plot unravels slowly.

I was intrigued by the blurb on GR and the excellent reviews, so I bought the kindle version when I got a good bargain. The start was good. However, as the pages turn on, it becomes slow and drags a lot. The drama unfolds largely between the husband and wife and drags on for the most part of the book, which is necessary for the development of the plot. The climax is stunning and not revealed until the last couple of chapters. This is the saving grace of the book. There are moments when it becomes very interesting but few and far between. However, you need immense patience to read this book. It is a psychological thriller with a difference. The characters are well etched out and the writers bring out the complexities fully.

Not for somebody who loves action or wants an edge-of-the-seat thriller.


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Review: Next

Next by Michael Crichton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Actually I liked this book. Don't know why majority readers thought this book was overrated. I was hooked from the word go. Well researched book, the author has taken pains to learn about genes and weave a story around it. The book was also interspersed with articles and essays on biotechnology related subjects.

To make it short, the book is about genetic technology and experiments around it including the discovery of various genes with behavioural traits. There are three or four plots in the book which are unconnected. There are greedy tycoons, unethical scientists and immoral health workers and abundant technical jargon thrown in to make the book interesting to the reader.

Simply put a very engrossing book.

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Review: Dark Matter

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An old friend recommended this book to me offline. Initially I was skeptical since I am not too much into sci-fi thrillers. It started off with a bang. Then it started petering out. About halfway through I was getting impatient to finish the book. But later, it started getting more and more interesting. The climax was stunning to say the least.

The plot is about a scientist and teacher Jason Dessen who disappears when out for drink with his friend. Without giving away too much, Jason embarks on a mind-altering journey seeking his wife, child and his identity.

I am sure a movie based on the book is not too far off. Fantastic book if you are a sci-fi thriller fan.

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Review: A Place Called Freedom

A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweeping saga of love, greed, betrayal and revolt combined with period drama is worth a read. A Ken Follett book makes it really special. This is a story of Malachi McAsh who is a Scottish slave working in the coal mines of Scotland owned by a greedy and wily man George Jamisson and his sons. McAsh yearns for freedom from slavery and circumstances arise when he is forced to go to America as a convict. He falls in love with Lizzie Hallim, an aristocrat lady who is married to the villain of the story, Jay Jamisson, the son of George Jamisson. This is the story of McAsh journey to freedom.

The characters are well developed and I loved the character of Lizzie who is portrayed as dare-devil and tom-boyish. You feel for McAsh who never gives up on his dream of breaking free from the shackles of slavery. You hate Jay for his selfishness and bigotry. There are fringe characters like Lennox, Cora and Peggy who complete the story beautifully. A nice and quick enjoyable read. However this cannot be compared to Pillars of the Earth which was a magnificent period drama.

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Review: The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the most beautiful history books I have ever read. It was recommended to me by 7Jane (thank you, 7Jane) and in turn I have recommended this to a few other people. What attracted me was the title and the beautifully designed cover. However, the title was a bit of a misnomer when it says that it is a new history of the world.

The book largely concentrates on Europe and the Middle East with a passing reference to other countries. The book is written in a chronological order starting with the Medieval Age and ending in 2000s. The book gives insights into the political landscape of each region and the history behind the major events that have occurred in the world. Each chapter is divided into different historical periods and each such chapter has small nuggets of information which was absolutely delightful to read.

The author has done a wonderful job putting together such a well researched tome. However, this is not an in-depth research into the history of the world.



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Review: Mightier Than the Sword

Mightier Than the Sword by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As usual Archer comes up with a wonderful tale in his fifth instalment of the Clifton Chronicles. There are numerous twists and turns with political and courtroom dramas thrown in. This was more enjoyable than the earlier book. You fall in love with the characters of Emma Clifton, Cedric Hardcastle and Bob Bingham and hate the characters of Lady Fenwick and Alex Fisher. These characters are well etched out including Harry and Seb Clifton.

Will now take a break from the Clifton series for a while before I pick up the next one. The worst thing about the series is each book has a cliffhanger of a climax and you are eager to pick up the next one in the series. Thank goodness, I waited until all the books in the series were published before I bought them one by one.

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Review: The Summer Children

The Summer Children by Dot Hutchison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book cover was beautiful. I picked it up the book from Net Galley when I found the average rating which was well above 4. I had huge expectations from the book but somewhere I could not connect with the characters.

This is about FBI agent Mercedes Ramirez working in the Crimes Against Children Dept who finds herself investigating murders when children are dropped at her home after being rescued from their abusive homes. She is aided by her colleagues Eddison, Vic and Sterling who, I guess, made an appearance in one of the previous book in the series. The agent herself has a dark history and mysteriously the killer trusts her to safeguard these children.

The book starts with a promise but it loses its pace with myriad characters flitting in and out of the plot. The narrative is dark and horrific. The crux of the plot is superb and the subject is quite macabre. However, I did not find it thrilling enough to keep me hooked. Maybe the earlier books in the series were far better. Also the characters from the Butterfly Garden (Priya, Inara and Victoria-Bliss) make an appearance without adding any value to the plot. However at some places it becomes quite emotional and disturbing to read about the sexual abuse faced by the children.

I thank Net Galley for a free copy of the book.

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Review: 11.22.63

11.22.63 by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely fantastic ! My first Stephen King ! I never could lay my hands on Stephen King novel after watching the movie "The Shining". I simply did not like it at all. How I wish I had read his books long back ! This is a magnum opus sci-fi book about a man who is accidentally thrown into a rabbit hole, literally, and how and why he thwarts the assassination of the John Kennedy. Being an Indian, apart from the conspiracy theories and Oliver Stone's JFK, John Kennedy's assassination had little significance for me. But after reading this book, I now somewhat understand the magnitude of this crime which shook America.

Jake Epping is an English teacher from a small town in Maine who is coaxed by his friend Al Templeton to travel back in time to prevent the assassination of the President of USA in November 1963. The good thing about it is he can go back in time any number of times and stay as long as he wants but he will always enter September 1958 and if he comes back to the present, he will be gone for only two minutes. The catch here is , if Jake tries to change the past, the consequences would be better or worse, known as the butterfly effect.

Jake goes back to September 1958, lives four years, gets a job as an English teacher, falls in love with a school librarian, meets Lee Harvey Oswald (yeah, unbelievable right ? ) and his family with the sole aim of stopping him from killing the President and saving the world. Will he or won't he, looms the big question that is constantly there in the reader's sub-conscious mind.

I almost gave it a 4-star rating as I thought it was a tad too long at 740 pages. But after I read the climax, which was no less than a Christopher Nolan movie ending, I was simply struck by the stupefyingly brilliant plot. The language too is easy on reader. The characters are loveable. You even have some sympathy for L.H.Oswald and his family. This concept of time travel is different and entertaining. I am now raring to go for one of his horror books.

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Review: The Innocent

The Innocent by David Baldacci
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another good read from Baldacci. This is about an assassin who gets caught in a political conspiracy when he botches up an assignment. He is now saddled with a teenager who becomes involved in an international conspiracy unknowingly.

A taut thriller, I enjoyed this immensely.

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Review: Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew

Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew by Shehan Karunatilaka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I came across this book on GR and was absolutely bowled over (pun intended) by the blurb, the beautiful cover and the reviews. This is a fantastic story about an alcoholic sports journalist W G Karunasena and his quest to uncover the story of Pradeep Mathew who was perhaps the greatest spinner to have bowled on the Sri Lankan pitches. He is aided by his friend and neighbour Ari Byrd and a couple of other colourful characters.

The author has spun a beautiful story incorporating the politics of Sri Lankan cricket and the country. The book has anecdotes of cricket in the 80s and 90s. It also gives an insight into the Srilankan people and culture, the racial tensions between the Sinhalas and the Tamils and a little bit about the LTTE. He has also explained each and every cricketing term and jargon with beautiful illustrations so as to make it inclusive for a non-cricket fan. But according to me it can only be enjoyed by a cricket fan or at least somebody with a passing interest in cricket. However, I found the book a bit too long. Otherwise, this is a brilliant piece of work by the author.


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Review: Confessions

Confessions by Kanae Minato
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fabulous thriller. I came across this book on Goodreads when I read someone's review. I had read Keigo Higashino's "Devotion of Suspect X". From then on I was hooked to Japanese thrillers which are so underrated as compared to English and American ones.

This is about two students who kill their teacher's daughter and how the teacher exacts revenge on her pupils. With lots of twists in the book, the narrative turns addictive and unpredictable. All the characters are dark and evil. What sets the book different is the plot which is written in the first person account with very few dialogues, in the form of a teacher's lecture or somebody's diary extract.
Thriller fans, enjoy this middle school drama !

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Review: Mayday

Mayday by Nelson DeMille
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fantastic techno-thriller. All about a Tokyo-bound supersonic jet flying at 62000 feet hit by a naval missile inadvertently over the Pacific Ocean and how an amateur pilot and a flight steward try to bring the aircraft to safer grounds. The passengers are either dead or suffer from brain damage. The flight crew are all dead. There are only five survivors. The US naval officers in charge, the airline officials and the insurance agency try to cover it up for their own interests. The survivors are now fighting for survival against the turbulent weather, low fuel, malfunctioning controls and people who do not want the airline to land safely.

Fasten your seat belts and enjoy this turbulent ride !

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Review: The Unraveling

The Unraveling by Schmidt John R
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a brilliant piece of work by John Schmidt. He is an American ex-diplomat who was based in Pakistan for a long time and a subject matter expert on Pakistan. I wanted a neutral honest view of Pakistan and its foreign policies and I was absolutely bowled over by the author's work. It is a refreshing take on Pakistani foreign policies through the eyes of an American.

He has given a detailed inside account of Pakistan and its geo-political environment. What is commendable is that he has documented each and every terrorist attack inside the country and abroad by jihadist forces and its implications on Pakistan. In the initial chapters he has given a background of the feudal system, its political patronage given to powerful politicians and non-tax paying rich landowners, lack of public utilities and infrastructure and absence of sound education system which has contributed largely to the poverty and backwardness in the country. He has given a brief history of various terrorist organisations, their rise to power inside Pakistan and Afghanistan and in some cases their downfall. He goes into the history of Kashmir conflict and gives a concrete reasoning as to why the dispute may never get resolved. He goes into the root of the problem facing the country with respect to its policies towards India, Afghanistan, USA and China. The final two chapters provides all possible outcomes / scenarios like Pakistan falling into the hands of terrorists and its likely implications on USA and India over such a scenario, including the possibility of use of nuclear warheads in the likelihood of war with India.

Although this was read 5-6 years too late (book was published in 2011-12), not much has changed with the exception of a few more terrorist attacks in Pakistan and abroad and a change in the Afghan government. But you realize at some point that Pakistanis have suffered far more than Indians economically and financially on the world stage. The author should also have given us a glimpse of Pakistan and its relation with its closest ally, China which I found lacking in this book. But otherwise this is a mind blowing book for people interested in politics or history.

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Review: Be Careful What You Wish For

Be Careful What You Wish For by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As usual Archer spins a wonderful tale and keeps the reader engrossed throughout. Continuing with the fourth installment of Clifton Chronicles, this takes the reader through the lives of the Barrington and Clifton families. Love, death, conspiracies and plentiful suspense in this book. As usual Archer ends the book at a crucial juncture. You are left wondering what happens next and tempted to pick up the next book in the series.

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Review: Congo

Congo by Michael Crichton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book was interesting in the second half with the first half using lot of technical jargon which almost made me abandon it halfway. Once you overcome the first half, it becomes interesting and edgy. The author has described the African jungles so vividly that you visualise it right before your eyes. All about an organisation's quest to explore blue diamonds which sends a woman, Karen Ross accompanied by a primatologist, Peter Elliot who becomes the central character along with his pet gorilla, Amy. You feel for Amy when she converses with her handler Peter Elliot. The expedition is led by a mercenary turned expert jungle guide Munro. There are the unusual twists and turns given the jungle backdrop, the tribals and the gorillas. The whole technical stuff appear a bit outdated today since this was written way back in the 80s. Otherwise this is a good book to read.

After reading Congo I will see monkeys and apes with a lot more respect. The gorilla is described to be far more docile creature than the chimpanzees, however fearsome they appear. Don't judge a book by the cover (pun intended). I was actually surprised by such tidbits in the book regarding primate behaviour. Enjoy the adventure !

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Review: The Alchemist

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Till now I was never tempted to read this. When I saw a bargain on Amazon, I bought it just for the heck of it. How did this book become a best-seller ? I could neither make head nor tail of the story. Written as a motivational book, this is least bit motivational and utterly disappointing.Have read better books than this.

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Review: Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a hilarious and funny book. All about a chef's life in the kitchen. Anthony Bourdain has nailed the profession perfectly in this book and seems to have good writing skills too. There are some interesting titbits about the kitchen like the one about fish on Mondays, the right kind of people to be hired as kitchen staff etc. I was however expecting a bit more dirt on the restaurant industry, but was disappointed. It was more of a professional biography of Mr. Bourdain. Would give it 3.5 stars.

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Review: The Boy

The Boy by Nrupal Das
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was a short story of about 14 pages. What started off as promising and interesting, tapered off with a straightforward ending. The author has written a beautiful story about a boy who has gone missing and his parents' despair and the uncertainty that awaits their fate. The prose is good flows beautifully. However, due to the short length the author could not etch out the characters in depth.

PS: - Free copy in exchange for a frank review.

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Review: A Gambler's Jury

A Gambler's Jury by Victor Methos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As usual Victor Methos never lets you down. This is the second book that I have read and I loved it. Initially I was a bit skeptical after reading the blurb about a mentally challenged boy wrongly accused of drug dealing and a lawyer who is forced to adopt him under strange circumstances, fighting to keep him out of jail. But as the story unfolds, it becomes a larger conspiracy involving the State and turns into a David v/s Goliath kind-of-a-fight, it becomes interesting and you don't want to put the book down.

I loved the character of Danni Rollins the almost drunk lawyer, who has a I-don't-give-a-damn attitude and Will, the rich private investigator who helps Danni in her investigations.

The author's note says that the story is drawn from the author's personal experience as a lawyer. For all ye legal thriller fans, one more author to watch out for.


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Review: The Fragile Thread of Hope

The Fragile Thread of Hope by Pankaj Giri
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

On GR the punchline for this book is "A gripping emotional inspirational fiction about love, loss, and finding hope in the darkest of times". It was not gripping, but it certainly lived up to its punchline - emotional and inspirational fiction. This is a decent book on human emotions of love, loss and a sense of hope. The main characters are Fiona and Soham who go through the lowest points in their life - losing loved ones. How they overcome their loss and find each other forms the main plot. Being fed on a heavy diet of thrillers for a long time, this looked like a breath of fresh air, when the author approached me for a review. And I don't regret it.

The setting is Gangtok and the author has beautifully described the place with its wonderful climate, the heavy rains, narrow roads and alleys, the tea shop, the local bookshop and Kanchenjunga at sunrise. Believe me, when I say that the Kanchenjunga at sunrise is one of the most beautiful sights to behold, it is an understatement. Also one gets a bit of an insight into the Nepali culture, traditions and language which I feel the author should have been more liberal with.

The main grouse is the author has spent too much time going into the details with a heavy dose of wordplay. Somewhere the story drags and the reader tends to lose interest. The author seems to have a very good vocabulary but I couldn't help notice a few grammatical mistakes (syntax errors ?) in some places. The first fifty pages, I was lost in the chronological order in which the author had written the book and couldn't keep up with it, having to turn the pages backwards a couple of times to check what was written earlier. Once you get used to it or maybe ignore it, it becomes easier to read.

Being a debut work, this was a decent one and I wish him all the best for the future.

PS: - Free copy in exchange of a review.

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Review: Angels & Demons

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fantastic book. If you want to turn an atheist, read this book. It debunks all myths about religion and God. The author tries to wed science with religion and concocts an immensely interesting and edge-of-the-seat thriller.

A priest-turned-scientist at CERN (the organisation where the Hadron Collider was built - remember God's particle ? ) is killed and investigations reveal that he was on the cusp of a mind boggling invention which is about to turn religion and faith on it's head. Enter Robert Langdon, the renowned American symbologist, who is called upon to investigate the murder. He teams up with the scientist's daughter Vittoria and the trail leads them to Vatican City and papal domain.

What is interesting here is the way Dan Brown recreates Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, the Pope's Office and residence and the CERN environs in detail. The book contains beautiful illustrations of the symmetrical ambigrams. I commend the author or the artist who has conceptualised these ambigrams which forms the core plot. The only part which I found a bit over the top was the helicopter ride towards the end of the book. Overall, this was one good thriller with a healthy dose of religion thrown in.

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Review: Meena Kumari

Meena Kumari by Vinod Mehta
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a biography written by Vinod Mehta in 1972. I was always intrigued by Meena Kumari, the yesteryear actress, when I saw her act in "Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam". It was one of her best known films directed by Guru Dutt along with "Pakeezah". The book is divided into two parts. The first part is about her life which is more or less half the length of the book, and the other part is about how the author came to write the book. The book takes us through the life of the actress from the time she was a child till her death. There are some insights into her private life like her equation with Kamal Amrohi, her husband, her close relatives who live with her and actor Dharmendra. I was shocked to read that she died penniless with not even Rs 3,500/- to spare to pay her hospital fees, despite acting in over seventy films in her short career.

Vinod Mehta, was an eminent journalist ( my link text) till he died in 2015. This was his second book as an author. The author is a self-confessed fan of the actress and his views seem to be a bit biased . Also the author dwells more on the actress' relationship with her husband and her film directed by husband Kamal Amrohi "Pakeezah". The book needed a bit more fodder about her life and career and some more in-depth research. Maybe he was honing his skills as an author / journalist in 1972. Still a good book on the life and times of the "Great Tragedienne" of Indian cinema.

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Review: The Accident

The Accident by Shree Janani
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This 12 page long book is a mix of suspense, romance and horror all mixed together. The author has tried to put in all the elements and tried to narrate a story. When i was approached for a review, I was intrigued by the fact that whether it can be interesting enough. While it did hold my interest, the story ended abruptly and I was a tad disappointed. This might be because the story was restricted by its length. Cannot comment on the characters as there was only so much matter in the book. This being a debut, the author holds promise and would hopefully write a full length book in the future.

PS: Honest review in exchange for a free copy.

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Review: Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, the Star

Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, the Star by Aseem Chhabra
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you are expecting an in-depth research into his personal life, you will be disappointed. There is also very little mentioned about his relationships with his co-stars except for a few fleeting quotes by some of his close friends (including a few co-stars) and family members. It delves more into his relationship with James Ivory and Ismail Merchant and his career in the West rather than his personal life and his relationship with his immediate and extended family. Somewhere down the book, you get the feeling that he was aloof and not too much connected to his nephews or their family. However, it strongly brings out the fact that his world centered around his children and his wife and after her death, a part of him died.

Somewhere the author does do justice to the persona that was Shashi Kapoor. It might be due to the fact that he could not get a first hand account from the star himself due to his illness.

This book is more of a filmography than a biography. There are 7 or 8 chapters, each chapter ending with footnotes of the films mentioned in the chapter, detailing the director and the cast of the film. These footnotes constitute about 25% of the book length. The last 10 odd pages contain the list of films Shashi Kapoor acted in with various co-stars. Go ahead and read this without any expectations and you will enjoy it.

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Review: Justice Lost

Justice Lost by Scott Pratt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am liking Scott Pratt. This book again doesn't disappoint. This is my second one, the first being Justice Redeemed.

Darren Street again comes into play here. He is now out of jail. His pregnant fiancee Grace dies in the operation theater during delivery due to medical negligence by the doctor. This starts off the plot where he becomes involved in the shenanigans of corrupt officials from the sheriff to the offices of the DA and FBI. Finally, he gets an offer from Granny Tipton & family to run for the DA's office himself in order to get a foothold in Knox county of Tennessee with the backing of a powerful senator. How he plays vigilante and roots out the corruption forms the crux of the story.

Short at 250 pages, fast paced and easy writing nails the book and keeps one hooked.

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Review: Shutter Island

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book is absolutely brilliant. Having watched the movie, I could not grasp the finer nuances of the plot. The book gave me a fair idea of what was happening as far as the plot was concerned. Dennis Lehane nails it ! A brilliant narrative and plot !

The plot is about Edward Daniels (Teddy) and Chuck Aule, two US Federal Marshals out to investigate the disappearance of Rachel Solando from a mental institution Ashcliffe on Shutter Island. What turns out is out of the box, unexpected twist in the tale. Initially I could not understand the climax. After some search on the internet I understood what the hell was all this about and it was absolutely shocking. The only reason why it loses one star is because of the dream sequences of Teddy, one too may.

Dennis Lehane is fast turning out to be on top of my favourites list.

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Review: Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes by Sharmishtha Shenoy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked the book. It is refreshing to read a thriller by an Indian author which keeps you hooked throughout. The plot is about a murder of a well known film actor on a movie set and how his fiancee and her mother are the prime suspects in the case. Detective Vikram Rana is assigned to solve the case by the mother.

The climax is good and the plot keeps you guessing about the killer's identity throughout till the end.

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Review: The Lincoln Lawyer

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Simply superb book. When I first watched the movie, I couldn't understand the plot. The camera print also did not help much. So not sure if the movie is better than the book or vice-versa. Mickey Haller is an interesting character. The way he trounces the DA's attorney, Ted Minton in the court is absolutely wonderful.

Louis Roulet, a rich estate agent is arrested and charged with sexual assault and battery. He hires Mick Haller to defend him. The courtroom drama is engaging and hooks you. But there is an interesting twist in the plot, which culminates in a superb climax.

For all thriller aficionados, go for it !

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