A taut thriller that refreshingly departs from genre norms with its multilayered protagonist and South Asian setting.
A former major in the Indian Army finds himself on a terrorist’s kill list in Dhar’s (03:02, 2016, etc.) thriller, the first in a planned series.
Facilities manager Aaditya “Aadi” Ghosh’s first date in Mumbai with co-worker Zoya Khan takes a shocking turn when the two see a man shot dead by a sniper. Aadi recognizes the shot as high-caliber and tracks its likely origin but only manages to take out the man that he believes was a lookout—the sniper gets away. This makes Aadi a hero in the press but also dredges up his past as a member of the Para, an Indian Army special-forces unit. The Paras have been under investigation for the deaths of children at a cross-border raid, and Aadi has been lying low for the last three years. It turns out that the murdered man was on a terrorist kill list, which someone brazenly posted online. Aadi’s name is a later inclusion, and he fears that this fact will put his loved ones—including Zoya, who wastes little time in confessing her love—in harm’s way. Aadi is soon face to face with his would-be killers, but a surprising double cross may force him to trust a very dangerous person. Dhar masterfully captures the political tensions between India and Pakistan; for example, some Indians want to blame the initial assassination on Pakistan despite the fact that Aadi heard the lookout speak Pashto, which would likely make him Afghani. The capable Aadi is a fairly traditional literary hero—a hardened former officer who’s numb to killing. But Dhar refines his protagonist by adding a sense of vulnerability: “my heart was beating much faster than usual as I swung the door open, painfully conscious of how conspicuous a target I’d be to anyone hiding inside.” Although there are a number of action sequences, the story is more invested in plot twists, such as the reason why Aadi wound up on the list.
A taut thriller that refreshingly departs from genre norms with its multilayered protagonist and South Asian setting.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A heartfelt tale of love too stubborn to surrender to human frailties.
When Chi Chi Donatelli gave famous crooner Saverio Armandonada a manicure on a 1930s New Jersey beach, little did she know that the swanky singer would change her life.
After his childhood sweetheart married another man, Saverio left the security of his job on the factory line in Detroit, earning his father’s disapproval but opening wide the door to success as a big-band singer. Along his way to stardom, Saverio changed his name to Tony Arma and discovered a talent for romancing—but never marrying—the ladies. But once he meets Chi Chi, his bachelor days are numbered. From a large, boisterous Italian family, Chi Chi is eager to have a life like Tony’s, with the freedom to sing and travel the country. She wants no part of marriage with its shackles. Soon Chi Chi and Tony are touring together, eventually developing a profitable shtick, with Chi Chi writing bestselling songs and Tony serenading them to dreamy audiences. It’s only a matter of time before Tony proposes. After all, unlike his other girls, Chi Chi offers Tony not only beauty and charm, but also the stability of a home. The lovers’ work in the entertainment industry gives way to a marriage blessed with babies yet held apart by war. Once reunited, Chi Chi’s independence and Tony’s philandering further fracture their marriage. But as Tony’s path wends from woman to woman, Chi Chi forges a new life on her own terms. A mistress of the sweeping family saga, bestselling author Trigiani (Kiss Carlo, 2017, etc.) sets Chi Chi and Tony’s lifelong love affair against the grand stage of World War II through the postwar boom years and the women’s liberation movement, tracing a society catching up with Chi Chi’s determination to control her own financial and personal freedom.
A heartfelt tale of love too stubborn to surrender to human frailties.Pub Date: Nov. 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-231925-8
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
A little slower-paced than the typical Roberts romantic mystery (Black Hills, 2009, etc.) but every bit as steamy. It may...
A dog trainer and a wood craftsman dance around love and danger in the Pacific Northwest.
Fiona Bristow is the only victim who got away from serial killer George Perry. Now a copycat, inspired and perhaps guided by the jailed Perry, is on her trail. After Perry murdered her fiancé, Fiona rebuilt her life as a dog trainer and search-and-rescue expert on lovely Orcas Island. She’s recently met talented woodworker Simon Doyle and his misbehaving puppy Jaws, and her dormant love life is about to revive as she and the reluctant Simon slowly build a complicated relationship. Though she’s done her best to overcome her fears and make herself whole again, this new series of killings, with herself as the ultimate target, can’t help but strain her nerves. As the police and FBI track the killer, a persistent reporter makes Fiona’s life more difficult by printing information about her life and location. Through it all, Fiona keeps working. As she continues to go on rescue missions with a team that may soon include Simon and Jaws, her friends help to keep her balanced. But ultimately it will be the trust she has built up with Simon and the talents of her dogs that will change her life forever.
A little slower-paced than the typical Roberts romantic mystery (Black Hills, 2009, etc.) but every bit as steamy. It may well add dog lovers to her legion of fans.Pub Date: July 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-15657-1
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2010
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