To hold a book of the ‘Private’ series, written by the world
famous thriller writer James Patterson and co-authored by the best thriller
writer of India, Ashwin Sanghi; titled ‘Private India’ has been a very
pleasurable experience for me. Starting from the first page till the last, I
could go on giving a thesis of what I liked and what I disliked about the book.
According to the blurb of the book- In Mumbai, seemingly unconnected people are dying, strangled in a
chilling ritual and with strange objects carefully arranged with the corpses.
For Santosh Wagh, head of Private India, the Mumbai branch of the world’s
finest investigation agency, it’s a race against time to stop the killer
striking again. In a city of over thirteen million, he’d have his work cut out
at the best of times, but this case has him battling Mumbai’s biggest gang lord
and a godman who isn’t all he seems. And then he discovers there may be an even
greater danger facing Private India. Hidden in the shadows is someone who could
destroy the whole organization- along with thousands of innocent Mumbai
citizens.
To begin with, I would like to comment on the cover of the
book. With bold colors and the typical ‘Private’ series type of cover with a
sole man running and Mumbai in the backdrop enhances the feel of the book,
along with the names of the authors being the icing on the cake. The subtitle
also gives a very eerie sensation to the book with the readers brains twitching
with the thought of reading the book.
The book starts with an explosion. Not to think of the
deeper meaning of the word, I am referring to the literal meaning of it. A
planned terrorist bomb blast is all that the book starts with and that becomes
one of the best reasons why the reader is attracted to the book. I loved the way
the characters have been described in the book.
Giving precise descriptions of all- characters and
situations till to-the point layout and importance to every single scene; this
book is surely a treat to the eye. Flawless- should be the word if I want to write
about the narrating style of the authors. Given that the book is from the best
people, it was expected.
The ‘murders’, I would say were planned wonderfully and even
more wonderfully described by the authors. The readers would read around a
quarter of the book with a normal pace, waiting for special Ashwin Sanghi
effects (mythological twists I meant) to the book and just when the readers
would start to think, there are none; would come the real twist in the tale.
As for the mystery is concerned, a commendable work by the
authors in keeping the mystery alive till the very end of the book. Just as the
readers think, this is the end- a new mystery pops up and they know- there is
much more to it. I would say that it is the capability of the authors that they
have managed to keep the brains of the readers at work along with the Private
India team, making all the characters suspects at different parts of the story.
As a book, all in all; the authors have done their best to
mention all kinds of crimes and situations that Mumbai and India faces
currently, starting from forced prostitution, to corrupt politicians, to
terrorism and everything else. Appreciating the writers for having written it
so wonderfully that the readers fall in love with the book and along with it,
they feel a sense of responsibility once they finish it.
The readers also feel the adrenaline rush when the race
against time is going on. I would term it an unputdownable book. But for me, I
kind of feel that the book is a tad too stretched. Though, I truly believe the
fact that the descriptions were needed to keep the mystery intact, still I felt
that the book, if it were a bit shorter than it already is; would’ve made it a
perfect book.
When the story of Private India ends, the readers have a
smile on their faces and when they attempt to close the book, James Patterson
keeps the interest alive with an excerpt of ‘Discover where it all
began…Private’ and as the readers read the excerpt they are left wanting for
more. Such, is the charisma of the book and the authors. Just only one hitch,
for me, made it an imperfect book but still; hoping to read more and more of
the Private series and much more from the authors, I would rate the book 4.75
out of 5.
P.S.: This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!
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