A great read, do try it. The playboy son of a cabinet minister is murdered at his own party. Six guests could, and indeed had reason to do it. We follow the background, in first persons, to all six, culminating in the unravelling of a complicated plot. The suspects range from Bollywood superstar to street urchin and each presents a fascinating slice of Indian life. I loved this book. Intelligent, full of political corruption, dirty dealing, innocent folk caught up in extraordinary circumstances, it is exciting, witty, satirical, pensive and the most enormous fun. The author’s first novel, Q & A, is filmed as Slumdog Millionaire. I’ve not seen the film but do highly recommend the book. It’s wonderful.
Seven years ago, Vivek 'Vicky' Rai, the playboy son of the Home Minister of Uttar Pradesh, murdered Ruby Gill at a trendy restaurant in New Delhi simply because she refused to serve him a drink. Now Vicky Rai is dead, killed at his farmhouse at a party he had thrown to celebrate his acquittal. The police cordon off the venue and search each and every guest. Six of them are discovered with guns in their possession and are taken in for questioning. Who are these six suspects? And what were they doing in the farmhouse that night? In this elaborate murder mystery we join Arun Advani, India's best-known investigative journalist, as the lives of these six suspects unravel before our eyes: a corrupt bureaucrat; an American tourist; a stone-age tribesman; a Bollywood sex symbol; a mobile phone thief; and an ambitious politician. Each is equally likely to have pulled the trigger. Inspired by actual events, Vikas Swarup's eagerly awaited second novel is both a riveting page-turner and an insightful peek into the heart and soul of contemporary India.
