Thrillers have been part and parcel of the writing industry for a very long time now. Many all time greats like John Grisham and others have produced marvels in this genre and continue to do so. Author Ravi Subramanian in his book "The Bankster" takes the world for a spin with a banking thriller on offering. How far is he successful in spinning a web around the readers? Let's find out.
Bankers build their careers on trust, or so everyone thinks, till a series of murders threaten to destroy the reputation that the Greater Boston Global Bank (GB2) has built over the years. Who is behind these killings, and what is their motive?
When Karan Panjabi, press reporter and ex-banker, digs deeper, he realizes that he has stumbled upon a global conspiracy with far reaching ramifications a secret that could not only destroy the bank but also cast a shadow on the entire nation. With only thirty-six hours at his disposal, he must fight the clock and trust no one if he is to stay alive and uncover the truth.
First look at the title and the cover and the feel of a thriller being on the cards can be experienced by the readers. The man in a black coat with a gun and a hardened stance is a proof and an alibi to the title. The blurb talks about a conspiracy happening in a bank which has a lot more to it than it looks. The blurb is very good not giving out secrets of a story and leaving readers in a frenzy.
The story starts off from Angola where a secret agent is involved in some heavy exchanges and then the story shifts to GB2 bank in Mumbai where a lot of activity has been happening under the pretext of hiring and new accounts being opened in their branches. There is a parallel plot running with the story where an old man Krishna Menon is fighting against government's new project of a nuclear power plant in Devikulam, Kerala which can spell doom for the inhabitants of the place. Amidst all this somewhere some murders in GB2 bank are left unnoticed until the murder of Raymond intrigues Karan an ex employee of the bank and now with a media corporation. His quest to uncover the whole mystery behind these murders/suicides leads him on a trail which will life curtains off a larger picture which will not only shake the roots of GB2 but also some international organisations too. So who's behind all this? Who is innocent and who is a criminal? All will unfold one by one as this is the dirtiest game ever played in the history of banking industry which will shake the roots of entire organisation.
The story is a brilliantly crafted thriller set on the banking frames. The mesmerizing narration and the hidden secrets of characters in the book is the thing to watch out for. Readers mind will go for a walk as the story sometimes takes you on a long trail and then gets you back to the square one which is a plus point of the whole book. There's a lot of masala what an Indian reader desires for in the book.
The downside of the book is the Devikulam part which in the end turns out to be a weak link of the book. It's existence in the plot just stretches the whole story too much. The end felt a little loose in the book which could have been tightened up more.
The pace of the story and the narration of the events set the tone as it's a ride from Angola to Mumbai and the deceptive nature of the plot and the characters. The tone of the book is edgy and thrills a lot covering all the aspects of a thriller. Readers can enjoy a book which will make you run round and round in circles and then suddenly it'll be a realization that things were happening just before the eyes but nobody could sense it. It's a master thriller.
RATINGS:
4 OUT OF 5
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