BOOK
TITLE: Anti- Social Network
ISBN:
9788129131171
AUTHOR:
Piyush
Jha
GENRE:
Fiction/
Crime Thriller
NUMBER
OF PAGES: 192
FORMAT:
Paperback
SERIES
/ STANDALONE: Mumbaistan series #3
REVIEW
BY: Dhivya
Balaji
HOW
I GOT THIS BOOK: I thank THE TALES PENSIEVE for the
review copy!
SUMMARY:
When college students across Mumbai
are murdered one after another in gruesome ways, inspector Virkar from the
crime branch is called in. As Virkar investigates, he stumbles upon a ruthless
gang of young, tech-savvy miscreants who use social networking sites and the
Internet for blackmail and sextortion. But how are the two cases linked? And
who is the mastermind behind these killings?
As the case grows murkier, the computer-challenged Virkar finds himself greatly out of his depth, chasing a killer who always seems to be one step ahead and a group that soon trains its sights on him. He must race against time to unmask the gang and to find the murderer before his reputation is ruined forever. Thick with suspense and layered with grit, anti-social network brings to you inspector Virkars toughest case yet.
As the case grows murkier, the computer-challenged Virkar finds himself greatly out of his depth, chasing a killer who always seems to be one step ahead and a group that soon trains its sights on him. He must race against time to unmask the gang and to find the murderer before his reputation is ruined forever. Thick with suspense and layered with grit, anti-social network brings to you inspector Virkars toughest case yet.
REVIEW:
A
crime thriller with a computer angle! What more could I ask for in a book?
Anti- Social Network- the name itself speaks volumes about what the book will
be like. A group of youngsters are gruesomely murdered all over Mumbai. The
only common factors are they are all students in various colleges and tech
savvy. Each corpse found is mutilated, with one body part cut off. Inspector
Virkar is called to investigate the murders.
Side
by side, he learns about a group of youngsters who call themselves ‘Anti-Social
Network’. The ASN specialises in filming people’s private moments and then
threatening to publish them all over the internet. Virkar does not understand
computers in depth and finds himself chasing people with no idea what is going
on and what can be done to catch the culprits.
To
aid him, he requests the help of Naina, a young professor and Richard, a drug
addict student who knows computers well. In a confounding race against time, he
follows the bloody trail of gruesome murders and simultaneously tries to make
sense of new technical terms like ‘cloud’, ‘routing’ etc.
As
the culprit of the murders is apparently caught, the police force closes the
case and considers it over. But demanding answers to open questions, Virkar
goes forward and tries to track the criminals on his own. He hits a roadblock
when the anonymous mastermind threatens to disclose Virkar’s personal life. The
set of events after that is what gives the book its juicy half.
The
plot is well organised. There are some holes but they are covered with
explanations in the last chapters. The characters are clear and whodunit style
of mystery makes sure the book is a page turner. The story line itself does not
contain any unnecessary descriptions or extra scenes. The editing is tight and
though there are a few obvious, predictable twists. The book is a good read and
it talks about the ‘in-thing’ with youngsters today and the need to be safe and
guarded with technology.
WHAT
I LIKED:
The story
itself, the character of Virkar, the description of technology and youngsters
WHAT
COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
The plot
could have been worked more upon. The clay was there, and it could have been
moulded into something even more intricate. There is a feeling of the story
being ‘hurriedly finished’.
VERDICT:
Go
for this. A fast read.
RATING:
4/5
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
Piyush
Jha is an acclaimed film director, ad filmmaker and the author of the
bestselling novel, Mumbaistan and Compass Box Killer.
A student political leader at university, he pursued a career in advertising management after acquiring an MBA degree. Later, he switched tracks, first to make commercials for some of the country’s largest brands, and then to write and direct feature films. His films include Chalo America, King of Bollywood and Sikandar.
He lives in his beloved Mumbai, where he can often be found walking the streets that inspire his stories.
A student political leader at university, he pursued a career in advertising management after acquiring an MBA degree. Later, he switched tracks, first to make commercials for some of the country’s largest brands, and then to write and direct feature films. His films include Chalo America, King of Bollywood and Sikandar.
He lives in his beloved Mumbai, where he can often be found walking the streets that inspire his stories.
EDITIONS
AVAILABLE: Paperback.
PRICE:
Rs
195 for paperback
BOOK
LINKS:
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