What would you do if you were embroiled in a murder most foul that could not only ruffle a few feathers of the high and mighty but also have international connotations or then should I say ramifications of epic proportions.......
This is the conundrum or then should I say intricate web of intrigue that confronts or stares down the two principal protagonist's of Mahendra Jakhar's dark, brooding and diabolic whodunit "The Butcher of Benares"..........
What is it off late with Benares or then Varanasi as it has come to be beter known, it has been in the limelight off late thanks to a high pitched and vitriolic political campaign and everything else associated with the same and this thrill a minute ride starring Delhi Crime Branch Senior Inspector Hawa Singh and FBI agent Ruby Malik gives Benares more than it's fair share of notoriety as well as it's fifteen minutes of fame........
It all begins with the diabolic and horrendous murder of a young American woman that threatens to tear the peace and age old tranquility of one of the most ancient cities in the world asunder; not only that but the murder is simply just not what it seems with a few radical or unsavoury elements from the Vatican being involved in seeking or unravelling the deepest and darkest secrets of Hindu astrology and mythology and even willing to go to any extent in quest of the same.......
An eternal conflict between science and deep rooted faith, the whirlwind worlds of astronomy and astrology and bloods that is constantly being spilled on the streets of this age old city steeped in religiosity and mysticism only adds to the puzzle that needs to be unravelled at breakneck speed in order to avoid a catastrophe so devastating that it could throw the entire religious order into chaos and confusion..........
Despite having a bullet lodged perilously close to his brain as a result of a previous gunfight between the forces of good and evil; Hawa Singh and Ruby Malik minutely scrutinise the innermost recesses of opium dens, domains of Naga Sadhus, city's cremation grounds and burning ghats that are frequented by Aghoris and Doms and last but not the least confront the uncrowned King of Benares one Kashi Naresh Maharaj Abhay Narayan SIngh as the killer could be one among them or then of the other characters who constantly make an appearance as you flip the pages in double quick time........
Moving along with breakneck speed and holding your attention till the very last comma and exclamation mark, the Butcher of Benares is guaranteed to keep you awake till the wee hours of the night and may not even let you sleep as the climax of this macabre tale is sure to give you a few horrors and send many a chill down your spine.........
A murderer who puts many a Frankenstein monster in the shade with his indescribable acts of demonic cruelty and an intrepid couple of investigators who are heel bent on unravelling the mystery even if the same leads to their personal ruination and ultimate doom, "The Butcher Of Benares" is 314 pages of sheer magic that had me hooked till I put it down at around 3 am on this Saturday morning........
So do go ahead and become fellow travellers on this spiralling journey of murder, violence, intrigue, mysticism, science, religious beliefs, astronomy, astrology and a villain so diabolic and sinister that he makes Mogambo look like nothing more than a comic character, the "Butcher Of Benares" is easily the best murder mystery to have tumbled of the shelves in the last five years or so........
Though the same is priced at a rather steep Rs. 350/- you can lessen the burden on your pocket by buying the same from Flipkart or Amazon India as the same is available at a whopping 30% discount of it's cover price if brought from them right now.........
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mahendra Jakhar is an ex-journalist who is currently employed as a scriptwriter for feature films and television shows. His first film script was Mahesh Bhatt's "The Killer" co starring Irrfan Khan and Emraan Hashmi and also boasts of having written the scripts of popular television shows like CID, Mano Ya Na Mano as well as Seeta Aur Geeta.........
This is the conundrum or then should I say intricate web of intrigue that confronts or stares down the two principal protagonist's of Mahendra Jakhar's dark, brooding and diabolic whodunit "The Butcher of Benares"..........
What is it off late with Benares or then Varanasi as it has come to be beter known, it has been in the limelight off late thanks to a high pitched and vitriolic political campaign and everything else associated with the same and this thrill a minute ride starring Delhi Crime Branch Senior Inspector Hawa Singh and FBI agent Ruby Malik gives Benares more than it's fair share of notoriety as well as it's fifteen minutes of fame........
It all begins with the diabolic and horrendous murder of a young American woman that threatens to tear the peace and age old tranquility of one of the most ancient cities in the world asunder; not only that but the murder is simply just not what it seems with a few radical or unsavoury elements from the Vatican being involved in seeking or unravelling the deepest and darkest secrets of Hindu astrology and mythology and even willing to go to any extent in quest of the same.......
An eternal conflict between science and deep rooted faith, the whirlwind worlds of astronomy and astrology and bloods that is constantly being spilled on the streets of this age old city steeped in religiosity and mysticism only adds to the puzzle that needs to be unravelled at breakneck speed in order to avoid a catastrophe so devastating that it could throw the entire religious order into chaos and confusion..........
Despite having a bullet lodged perilously close to his brain as a result of a previous gunfight between the forces of good and evil; Hawa Singh and Ruby Malik minutely scrutinise the innermost recesses of opium dens, domains of Naga Sadhus, city's cremation grounds and burning ghats that are frequented by Aghoris and Doms and last but not the least confront the uncrowned King of Benares one Kashi Naresh Maharaj Abhay Narayan SIngh as the killer could be one among them or then of the other characters who constantly make an appearance as you flip the pages in double quick time........
Moving along with breakneck speed and holding your attention till the very last comma and exclamation mark, the Butcher of Benares is guaranteed to keep you awake till the wee hours of the night and may not even let you sleep as the climax of this macabre tale is sure to give you a few horrors and send many a chill down your spine.........
A murderer who puts many a Frankenstein monster in the shade with his indescribable acts of demonic cruelty and an intrepid couple of investigators who are heel bent on unravelling the mystery even if the same leads to their personal ruination and ultimate doom, "The Butcher Of Benares" is 314 pages of sheer magic that had me hooked till I put it down at around 3 am on this Saturday morning........
So do go ahead and become fellow travellers on this spiralling journey of murder, violence, intrigue, mysticism, science, religious beliefs, astronomy, astrology and a villain so diabolic and sinister that he makes Mogambo look like nothing more than a comic character, the "Butcher Of Benares" is easily the best murder mystery to have tumbled of the shelves in the last five years or so........
Though the same is priced at a rather steep Rs. 350/- you can lessen the burden on your pocket by buying the same from Flipkart or Amazon India as the same is available at a whopping 30% discount of it's cover price if brought from them right now.........
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mahendra Jakhar is an ex-journalist who is currently employed as a scriptwriter for feature films and television shows. His first film script was Mahesh Bhatt's "The Killer" co starring Irrfan Khan and Emraan Hashmi and also boasts of having written the scripts of popular television shows like CID, Mano Ya Na Mano as well as Seeta Aur Geeta.........
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