Private India – Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson – Book Review

Goodreads blurb: When Santosh Wagh isn’t struggling out of a bottle of whisky he’s head of Private India, the Mumbai branch of the world’s finest PI agency.

In a city of over thirteen million he has his work cut out at the best of times. But now someone is killing women – seemingly unconnected women murdered in a chilling ritual, with strange objects placed carefully at their death scenes.

As Santosh and his team race to find the killer, an even greater danger faces Private India – a danger that could threaten the lives of thousands of innocent Mumbai citizens.

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While the blurb doesn’t give away too much about the book and is just about enough to pique any potential readers’ interest, the fact remains that Private India remains one of the most anticipated book of the year for almost over six odd months now. It was around that time that Ashwin Sanghi of The Krishna Key [Link to my review] and Chanakya’s Chant [Link to my review] fame announced that he was collaborating with James Patterson, world renowned author of multiple bestsellers and was co-authoring an India based book with him and this announcement has caused quite a flutter in the online world.

This led to me reading up quite a bit about James Patterson and as luck would have it, he turned out to be a specialist in the crime action thriller genre of books with his Private series of which Private India would form the latest installment. Along with the Alex Cross series and the Women’s Murder Club series, the Private series of books formed quite the formidable portfolio of this wonderful author. And given that I had immensely enjoyed Ashwin Sanghi’s earlier books as well, it was a no-brainer that this book belonged to the ‘must-read’ category as far as I was concerned.

But surprise, surprise, even before I could lay my hands on the book, Sid B (of iwrotethose.com fame), a blogger and more importantly a dear friend surprised me by ordering the book online for me and having it delivered to me just two days after its official release. Only true friends realize what you want without even waiting for it to be stated. Thanks Sid, owe you one for the book and many more for your thoughtfulness.

The plot itself deals with a series of seemingly unconnected serial killings across Mumbai where women are found strangulated by a mysterious murderer who leaves harmless little everyday objects behind as clues to the cops. Private India, a team of super exclusive private investigators is brought into action and headed by Santosh Wagh, ex RAW, the team of Nisha Gandhe (ex Mumbai CID), Hari Padhi (tech wizard) and Mubeen (forensic expert) take it upon themselves to try and find the killer before he strikes again.

What starts off as a murder investigation gets murkier and murkier as the team starts unravelling a plot much more complex and bigger than they ever anticipated. For Santosh who is already dealing with ‘ghosts from his past’ and has resorted to alcoholism to overcome them, this case is a nightmare in the sense that it tests his patience, his intuition, his skills of detection and his analytical skills to the core. With the loyal, smart and committed team by his side, the investigation takes up on a whirlwind journey where the killer, his story, his motives are finally brought to light. But the fun part about the book is the riveting roller-coaster ride it takes us through in the course of its journey.

What really worked well for me in the book was the fact that the pacing was pitch perfect. Not once did I feel that the book slacked or lagged with its momentum. It kept me going on and on till I reached the very end. The main protagonist Santosh Wagh was also quite well written, although I must admit that at some level I am tired of the alcoholic ex-cop who is constantly trying to deal with the demons of his past. I guess having seen quite a few movies in the recent past with this character, it struck me as somewhat clichéd. But otherwise, Santosh comes across as someone who you can relate to and like a little bit as well. The supporting cast in the form of his team also comes across as quite memorable.

What didn’t quite work for me was how the murderer was portrayed right at the end of the book, especially his motives for the last planned victim. That portion of the plot seemed a little contrived, just to make the plot a little more personal, and in my opinion could probably have been re-written. But then, who am I to question narrative geniuses like Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson.

In summary, this book is surely a must read for all fans of the crime action thriller genre. It is a page-turner which will keep your mind ticking during the entire time that you read the book.

So, what are you waiting for, please click here to purchase the book from Flipkart [Link], or here to purchase the book from Amazon [Link]

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Disclaimer: Yes, I will make some money as commission if you purchase the books by clicking on either of the links above, but rest assured that it will not increase your purchase price of the book.

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Name	Private India
Author/s	Ashwin Sanghi, James Patterson
Publisher	Arrow Books
Year published	2014
ISBN 13	9780099586395
Goodreads link	Link
Flipkart link	Flipkart
Amazon link	Amazon