The Anza Deception - P.R. Ganapathy

THE ANZA DECEPTION

ISBN - 978-93-5009-510-2
FIRST PUBLISHED - 2012
PUBLISHERS - Hachette
PAGES - 378
GENRE - Socio-Political Thriller
BINDING - Mass Paperback
SOURCE - Publishers

AUTHOR - P.R. Ganapathy

SYNOPSIS - [From the back cover]

It is 2015, and India and Pakistan are enjoying peace as never before. But not everyone is happy with this state of dtente...

Kargil hero Major Anwar Islam, newly inducted into the RAW, lands a big catch in his net an ISI shipment of Anza Mark III shoulder-fired missiles meant for the Taliban which the mandarins of South Block use to play an audacious game between Pakistan and China. Anwar then discovers a secret cabal hatching a sinister conspiracy that could lead to thousands of innocent deaths. With a master puppeteer playing a most dangerous game behind the scenes, Anwar can trust no one except crack policeman Vishal Karandikar. Together, they must race against time to prevent Indias own 9/11.

A fast-paced action thriller that shifts from the high passes of the Karakoram to the slums of Mumbai, The Anza Deception is a tale of rogue commanders, double dealers and high-stakes geo-political poker played out in the murky world of South Asian intrigue.

FL Speak - Why don't we have more Indian authors writing stuff like this? Simple, because its not so easy to write awesomeness. Yes, this book is awesome.

What starts as a peace initiative spirals to a behind-the-scenes war between India and Pakistan. 

Peace has finally prevailed. And with peace, comes budget cuts. Why maintain such a heavy army at the border when there is peace? So defence contracts gets canned, and infrastructure gets a nod by the Government. But within the Indian government, there are a bunch of top brass who's motive is to stay alert. They call themselves, the Baaz [hawk]. Their agenda is simple. Don't get carried away by the illusion of peace.

When Anza missiles fall into the hands of a RAW agent, Anwar, in Pakistan, his superiors feel that the time has come to take their plan one notch higher. The plan is to sell the missiles to the Uighurs in China occupied Kashmir in the hopes that China blames Pakistan for attacks against them and thus their relationship sour playing right into the hands of India's puppeteers. But things have a morbid tendency to go awry in books and movies. Half the missiles end up in Mumbai, India.

This is where Vishal Karandikar comes to the fore. Once a part of NATCO [National Anti-Terrorism Command], Vishal now oversees the OCW [Organised Crime Wing] division in Mumbai. As the peace initiative has reduced terrorist attacks from across the border, Vishal has been transferred to Mumbai to concentrate on the underworld business. 

With RAW being aware of the missiles in India, Anwar knows that the country he swore to defend is under a very dangerous threat. A threat so devastating that certain people are ready to look the other way should the attacks happen. When Mumbai police officer Vishal Karandikar stumbles upon the terrorsist's plan, he has no one to go to. Anwar and Vishal must now co-ordinate their search for the missiles all over India. With a ticking time bomb over the heads on thousands of innocent lives, Anwar and Vishal must pour over every single detail.

What they find, may shake the nation forever. What they don't, will destroy it.

And one man in the shadows is pulling the strings all along.

My Rating - 4/5 stars

PRICE - INR 350/-