Intrigue begets further intrigue, and the reader struggles to keep up with a swirl of subplots ... Yet Mr. Mukherjee, who folds in a darker layer of sexual violence in the film industry, is a sure-footed storyteller. His depiction of sordid behavior—like his rich portrait of Mumbai—adds the required texture to this frothy caper.
Abir packs in everything in the book — blackmail, organised crime, a politician from a party with a polarising agenda and the grittiness of Mumbai. He spins what is essentially a classic crime story into a spectacle ... This may not be the cup of chai for true-blue Wyndham and Banerjee readers, but it will bring Abir a bigger new audience.
The narrative builds to a tense, surprising climax that smooths over some of the clumsier attempts at social critique that Mukherjee folds into the action. It’s an immersive mystery rich in place and character.
