Well it's the first time we have got an Indian fiction character equivalent to the legendary Hollywood fictional names we have heard or read about till now in various books. This Indian Crime Fiction character has been created by much acclaimed writer & director Piyush Jha. The name's Inspector Virkar. A Mumbai crime branch official who is unconventional, ruthless and angry at times to lead a riot at many places. Will Piyush Jha be able to inspire a story out of Inspector Virkar in his Mumbaistan series to keep readers on their edge of the seats? Let's find out.
Akurle is just the first to die. To find out who is next, find me first.
This book is a crime thriller, set in the by-lanes of Mumbai. One muggy afternoon, a senior police officer is found murdered at his desk. When Inspector Virkar from the Crime Branch arrives at the scene, he finds a cryptic note that spills out of a students compass box. Then begins a series of killings and in each, a telltale compass box reveals more clues.
Accompanied by the attractive, ambitious TV reporter, Raashi Hunerwal, Virkar has to race against time to catch the Compass Box Killer before the bodies pile up. As the investigation shuttles from Mumbai to Khandala to Belgaum, Virkar is taken deep into a labyrinth of backroom deals that lead to shocking revelations about the ruthless killers motives.
Slick plot twists and high-adrenaline action mark the first of the Inspector Virkar Crime Thrillers part of the Mumbaistan series. Tough, daring and relentless in his pursuit of justice, Inspector Virkar is a policeman one wishes every city had.
The cover page looks good. The title gives shudders. It's a second novel in the Mumbaistan series for Piyush Jha. Inspector Virkar is the latest edition to a long list of crime fiction characters evolved over the time in the writing industry. The names include Reacher, Knapp, Langdon, Bourne,Inspector Harry Hole etc. These are the few prominent ones which are constantly in the limelight courtesy their authors and the imagination. Piyush Jha has added one more to the list and a good one to this ever growing list of crime cleaners on the streets.
The story starts off in a police station where an Inspector has been found dead in his cabin due to spurious oil. Inspector Virkar is rushed to the crime scene immediately & he means business from the point he enters as the lead protagonist in the book. Things get suspcious when a compass box is found in the room of the dead Inspector with a note containing the name of another mysterious person. From there on, unfolds a series of events which will take Virkar from the subarbans of Mumbai to the the quiet lanes of Belgaum in order to get hold of this killer.Few characters have been tagged along too in order to keep the story alive and kicking while gathering the clues of the killer.
Inspector Virkar's sarcasm, personality and his methods to catch the killer gives an Indian feel to it but leaves an everlasting impression on the minds of the readers of an Inspector on a mission, whereas the ever nagging and the nose poking Raashi Hunerwal makes life difficult for people especially Inspector Virkar most of the times in the story. But she has her own wit and charm which works fine with the storyline.The gory details and the cold blooded murders might shake up weak hearted readers a little bit. The murders have been penned down with utmost perfection keeping in mind to create an atmosphere of suspense and eagerness as to what happens next in the story. The story is a smooth read and will keep the readers hooked till the very end. It's edgy with few surprise elements up the sleeve towards the end. Indian flavor of crime scene especially Mumbai Police crime scene spices up things in the story. It'll make the readers chuckle with some interesting conversations between police and media and senior officers of the police. The story will lose its charm a little bit and become predictable towards the end. But the author ensures to spring up a surprise in the end to make up for that predictable element in the book.
Fans of crime fiction have something to rejoice after reading a lot of foreign authors and their fiction characters which are immensely popular among readers. Some similarities can be drawn from Jo Nesbo maybe because both the authors have an Inspector as their lead protagonist. But Piyush Jha has made a very good effort to make it an interesting read for the readers.
All in all this book doesn't have too many details to look forward to but a very good attempt on part of the author to introduce a recognizable fictional character in the Indian Crime Fiction writing scene to remember for a long time. Another Inspector Virkar thriller after this one will make things more interesting in the long run.
RATINGS:
4 OUT OF 5
The book was received as part of the Reviewers Programme on "The Tales Pensieve".
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