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Book Review: Private India

Author- James Patterson and Ashwini Sanghi
Genre- Fiction
Pages- 470
ISBN-9780099586395
Price- Rs. 350



The famous Indian author of Chanakya Chant and The Krishna Key, Ashwin Sanghi, and the star author of Alex Cross series, James Patterson, collaborated for this book of Private Series. Private India, basically being a crime novel, has some elements of style in it. 

It begins with a murder, goes on to take reader around town in Mumbai (with stops in exotic places like Dharavi and the Parsi Tower of Silence in Malabar Hill), and ultimately tries to find a fine balance between Hindu mysticism, current affairs issues like violence against women and the grit of an all-American spy thriller. In all, it is combo of all thriller elements.

The case of the serial killings is handed over to Wagh and Co by Mumbai Police. Our one-point introduction to the city's police force is Rupesh, a cop who shares an uneasy, strained relationship with his former colleague Wagh. Patterson says characters are important in a thriller. "Santosh Wagh is one of the most memorable characters I have created. His tragic past adds to his personality," he says. The central characters are well-developed, but others are also sketched well: a vile godman, an underworld bhai and a powerful lawmaker with a penchant for gambling. In his attempt to give the series a strong Indian accent, Sanghi adds too many unnecessary details. But Patterson disagrees: "I love the fact that the book is so full of detail. Sometimes when you read a murder mystery you know where it is going. Not so in this case."

About the authors

Ashwin Sanghi- He is an Indian writer and entrepreneur. He has also written: Chanakya’s Chant and The Krishna Key. He is also known by his pseudonym: Shawn Haigins. A graduate of the Yale School of Management and St. Xavier’s College, he has since been awarded several acclaims for his work. His second book has been optioned for a movie by UTV and is expected to begin production soon. He currently lives in Mumbai with his loving family.

James Patterson- The subject of a Time magazine feature called, "The Man Who Can't Miss," James Patterson is the bestselling author of the past year, bar none, with more than 16 million books sold in North America alone. In 2007, one of every fifteen hardcover fiction books sold was a Patterson title. In the past three years, James has sold more books than any other author (according to Bookscan), and in total, James's books have sold an estimated 220 million copies worldwide. He is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on The New York Times adult and children's lists and is the only author to have five new hardcover novels debut at #1 on the list in one year—a record-breaking feat he's accomplished every year since 2005. To date, James Patterson has had nineteen consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels, and holds the New York Times record for most Hardcover Fiction bestselling titles by a single author (63 total), which is also a Guinness World Record.

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