The Black Orphan – S. Hussain Zaidi – Book Review
Title: The Black Orphan
Author: S. Hussain Zaidi
Publisher: HarperCollins India
No of Pages: 218
Link to Purchase: Amazon
Price: Rs 399
Synopsis:
It’s love at first sight for DIG Ajay Rajvardhan of the National Investigation Agency when he sees attractive young lawyer Asiya Khan in court, defending a young woman the NIA has arrested on charges of terrorism. They are on opposite sides – he specializes in taking down terrorists while she defends those wrongfully arrested by the authorities – but he finds he is unable to get her out of his head.
Even as Ajay and Asiya are drawn closer, a web of crime, deception and intrigue weaves itself around them and threatens to take them down. A serial killer is on the loose, murdering India’s most famous nuclear scientists one by one. And something far worse is brewing in the bylanes of Mumbai. Time is running out for Ajay and his associates, Deputy Commissioner Sagar Pratap and Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, to find the mastermind behind these incidents and stop them…
My Take:
I have read Hussain Zaidi’s cybercrime thriller Zero Day earlier and I remember enjoying it thoroughly. So I began reading his book The Black Orphan with very high expectations. And I am happy to state I was not disappointed. Zaidi has once again proved that he is a master story teller. Very soon into the book, Zaidi throws us into a potpourri of high octane action and lilting romance. As you turn the pages, the book leaves you with a sense of fascination for the kind of life spies live. I say this, because, though the book is fictional it is clearly mentioned that it is inspired by true events. I imagine much of what I read is real.
The language used in the narrative is simple and elegant. The action scenes are described in the manner of fight sequences being played out in a Matt Damon spy thriller on a 70 mm screen. I mean that as a compliment. One can almost visualize the guns blazing and the uppercuts exchanged in the hand-to-hand combat scenes. At the same time, the book is not all action by any means. There is a distinct cerebral element involved in the strategic planning of the protagonists and the antagonists.
The rivalry between the spy agencies, various arms of the police force and several other wings of law enforcement, all form a part of this cleverly written thriller. The tortuous twists and turns in the plot are vintage Zaidi. The race against time the protagonist is faced with leaves the reader with a sense of urgency. Both the beginning and the ending of the story are exciting. The beginning induces a sense of anticipation. Towards the end, the tale spins into a twisting, turning cat and mouse game between the protagonist and the antagonist.
The book explains the technical details used in the narrative with clarity. Though I am an aficionado of spy thrillers, this book introduced me to several new techniques used nowadays for identifying and catching criminals. The characters in the book are all extremely relatable. For some time I was wondering how the title of the book was related to the story, but that was made crystal clear at one point.
If at all I have a grouse against this book, it is just that at certain points the book gets a wee bit too explanatory. Perhaps this could have been avoided. But nevertheless that does not detract in any way from this exciting, adrenalin-pumping spy thriller.
Conclusion:
Hussain Zaidi’s The Black Orphan is a brilliantly written book that packs a punch. It is unputdownable and keeps you hooked till the end. Do pick it up if you like pulse-pounding action and thrills…
Rating:
I am going with a 4.5/5 for The Black Orphan.
Rating Scale:
1 Poor
2 Fair
3 Good
4 Excellent
5 Outstanding
This review is written as part of the Blogchatter Book Review Program