Birds of Prey by Archana Sarat is a psychological crime thriller. This book is a page turner and has surprises in store for you almost at every page. The way the author has highlighted the serious issues and certain taboos just hover over your minds for a few days.
Blurb: You wake up, parched and famished, at the bottom of a deep well—dark and dingy with the foul smell of excreta and rotting scars and no seeming way to escape—what do you do?
This is the predicament that ex-ACP Anton Pinto faces when he reluctantly joins the investigation into the mysterious disappearances of men from affluent families of Mumbai. There is an inexplicable pattern behind the abductions and all suspicions point towards an old, physically-challenged, mysterious lady. Soon, Anton discovers that the seemingly unrelated men have one common link—the most popular and expensive international school in Mumbai.
Following clues that span from schools and old-age homes to illegal dingy hospitals, Anton is led through a labyrinth of incest, abuse, torture and suffering, spanning decades.
What secret does the school hide behind its gates? What was the undisclosed crime that is thirsty for justice? Will Anton be able to save the men? Will justice be served?
The title and the cover are beyond perfect. The cover of the book has some claws of a bird that are searching for their prey. The effect has its own ambiance. The title surely satisfies the purpose of the theme.
This book is a crime thriller but has some of the social issues it highlights. The child abuse is one such topic which people don’t dare to take up. This happens everywhere but nobody talks about it and the victims are so much tormatised that they don’t utter single and if by mistake they do, they are beaten up brutally. This book shows us a society where there are monsters who are ready to pounce at you and silently kill you either physically or mentally.
Whenever I read crime thrillers, I think of one question only. Why someone became a criminal? The reason is their surroundings and maybe they are more exposed this leacherous and betraying world. The minds of the people are corrupt and all these factors and injustice gives birth to a criminal who commits a crime. Basically, he takes up the law in his hands as the law abiding people also betray him. These situations makes him heartleas and merciless. This story has a valid reason like why the murders happen. The psychology plays a vital role as the authorplays withthe minds of not only her characters but also the readers. We all are astonished to read such a story.
The characters are well developed and with which the author delineates it makes it more reasonable. The way with which an ex police officer works for his department is appreciable. We kind of feel like saluting him.
The style of writing is simple, lucid and clear. The story runs in flashbacks as well as in point of views. The descriptions are attractive and one can surely visualise the incidents that happen in the story. The author has carefully chosen the events and used them at a correct place. The editing part seemed ditched the flow of the story and could have been better. Further, the lack of proper crime related language makes it look bit fake. Otherwise, the gripping plot keeps us hooked till the end. I shed numerous tears while reading and finished it in just one hour. Kuddos to the author for bringing up such critical issues and giving us the reality check.
Grab your copies from : http://www.amazon.in/dp/9385854208/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480579637&sr=1-2&keywords=birds+of+prey
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