The Times We Live In — by Madhav Thapar
Publisher: Notion Press, Inc.
Pages:220
Price: Rs. 260 INR(paperback), Rs. 160 INR(Kindle edition)
ISBN: 978–1644293584
Buy here: https://amzn.to/2XKhVwn
Religion does not breed terrorism, hatred does.
From Madhav Thapar the author of the much loved A Friend Like Karna comes his second novel The Times We Live In. This is a world of terror and treachery, but also patriotism and hope. Spanning the seven decades and more since India and Pakistan gained Independence; it cleverly juxtaposes references to true events with a tale of different generations of two families separated by the bloodiest partition ever.
At the centre of the narrative is the hunt for the dreaded terrorist, code named Cobra. As the faceless enemy spreads his tentacles of terror, the Indian RAW is in relentless pursuit, and the body count rises. The action shifts rapidly from scene to scene across three continents and multiple timelines.
Yet, this is not a thriller alone. In his trademark style, the author brings forward various aspects of human drama: love, sacrifice and family values, even as he unravels the motivation and machinations of a criminal mind.
Suspense till the very end, and twists and turns throughout.
About the author:
Madhav is a logistics professional and a corporate executive and has over three decades of senior management experience in C level positions, with leading multi-nationals in the field.
He is a seasoned traveller with a keen interest in sports and movies. Madhav is a voracious reader with a passion for writing and is an active blogger on social media. He lives in Mumbai.
A Friend Like Karna, his first novel, was published in October 2017 and won critical acclaim across the world.
The Times We Live In is his second work.
Madhav would love to interact with readers. You can reach him through the following platforms:
Email: afriendlikekarna@gmail.com
Twitter: #@madhavgmail
LinkedIn: https: //www.linkedin.com/in/madhav-thapar-84931225/
Goodreads: https: //www.goodreads.com/Madhav_Thapar
Facebook Page: fb.madhav thapar/madhavauthor
Instagram: madhav_thapar
My take on the book:
Religion does not breed terrorism, hatred does. Well, this sentence speaks for the book and the storyline in brief. Cobra, code word for a wanted international terrorist, is the master mind behind all the major terrorist activities in the Indian subcontinent who is being pursued by the Indian Intelligence Agency RAW. The head of RAW Mr. Ghai summons his close confidant and much trusted accomplish, Shashank on a mission to uncover the identity of Cobra and stop him before he executes his next mission.
Parallely goes the story of two families separated during the India-Pakistan partition across the border, of whom finally remain two individuals in the next generations. Aman Khan and Imtiaz Ali, who are seemingly unaware of their long-lost relationship and that between their families are both suspected to be the alias of Cobra or may be one of them is Cobra indeed. Thus starts the cat and mouse chase between RAW and Aman, Imtiaz only to culminate in the real Cobra being exposed.
The story keeps going back and forth in time, from partition time to a few years back to current time. Also the narration seamlessly weaves the lives of the two families from Lahore with all the people in these families finally connected to each other. The author maintains the suspense for the most part keeping things under wrap and only giving just the required details. The author smartly puts together a fictional thriller story against real backdrops, with right amount of fiction thrown into the true incidents that actually happened in these two countries over the years.
However, the book could have done better with more careful editing. Also, some facts mentioned by the author at the end regarding the identity and actions of Cobra lack logic. If these can be overlooked, the book is quite entertaining and keeps the reader guessing till the end.
My rating:
3.5/5.