Saturday, April 8, 2017

The Girl Who Loved A Spy



        For last three or four years, I have been trying to read all kinds of books, expanding my world beyond the horizon of literary books.  And to my surprise, the spy novels and thrillers have surreptitiously but very beautifully made a niche for themselves in my heart. A little credit for this goes to my first failed attempt to write a thriller.  Without being a good reader, one cannot be a good writer. Better the book, greater the chances of improvement.

      The Girl Who Loved A Spy by Kulpreet Yadav is one such book. This is the third book in the Andy Karan series and I have been waiting eagerly for this after reading the second book in the series, The Girl Who Love a Pirate, in early 2016.

     Set in Delhi NCR, Rewari and Mumbai, it is certainly a gem for the lovers of spy novels. The story begins with the murder of a drunkard in a village in Rewari and it immediately sets the pace to the story as the murder raises a question why someone would kill a poor drunkard man.

     As Andy sets out on the mission, his boss Monica seems too concerned for him, hinting a brewing love in her heart for the smart and dashing spy and adding another twist to the story. Andy has an insurmountable challenge because his gut feeling is that a sinister plan is being hatched against the country and soon he discovers it.
A more determined Andy continues on the mission despite several warnings, dangers, murders and withdrawal of permission to investigate the matter. Monica doesn’t want to put his life in danger. But Andy is an Army man to the core and he cannot leave the nation in danger.
         Kulpreet Yadav moves with his story in a very immaculate manner and his style is so flawless that it keeps readers hooked to the end of the story. He keeps his language simple and his sentences are short and neat not leaving any space for the ambiguity.
        The Girl Who Loved a Spy is a treat for those who love thrill and suspense. 

About the book:
Title: The Girl Who Loved a Spy
Publisher:  Rumour Books India
Author:  Kulpreet Yadav
First Edition:  2016
Price: Varies from seller to seller (originally priced Rs.199)


Wednesday, April 5, 2017

The First Step

Ten years ago, I selected 50 poems that I considered were good ones from my coffer of published or unpublished poems and made a collection and named it 'The First Step'. It was entitled so, simply because of two reasons. First, it was going to be my first published book and second, it had a poem, The First Step, which was written when my daughter started to walk. Now, finally after lying in shelf for 10 years, it is going to be published.  So the first poem of the collection is: