Shaunak Agarkhedkar

I am happy to have received a free copy of this book from the author / publisher through goodreads in exchange for my honest review.
Let Bhutto Eat Grass is a novel that exudes high quality on all its aspects. The author has gone beyond the glittery world of James Bond-ish spy thrillers to put together a gritty, realistic tale of espionage set in the Nineteen Seventies. Based on some true events from the times of Pakistan's race against India to achieve nuclear parity, the story plays out in the Indian intelligence headquarters in Delhi and the streets of The Hague in Netherlands. Espionage has a lot more to do with painstaking, mind-numbing research and mountainous paperwork than exciting chases and gunfights. The author has built a crisp story by incorporating all these dull elements cleverly.
The lead characters are well etched, especially those of Captain Sablok and Jugs Arora; would have liked to know more about Malathi though. The only gripe I have is with the book's length; it is so short that it leaves the reader thirsty for more.
This gripping tale promises a lot more from the author and I'm eagerly waiting for the sequel, slated for release in early 2018.… (mehr)

I had enjoyed [b:Let Bhutto Eat Grass|36056028|Let Bhutto Eat Grass|Shaunak Agarkhedkar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1502955009l/36056028._SY75_.jpg|57607857] a lot, my only complaint being about the slimness of the book; I wanted more. Now, Part Two is here, and it is a lot heftier than its predecessor, and I am happy!
This one has all the good things I had liked about the previous one - realistic plot with no embellishment and some high-quality writing. The pace is not frantic; the author takes his time narrating the nuts-and-bolts of espionage and counter-espionage in an engaging manner. The familiar characters of Part One are joined by new, equally intriguing characters. The action shifts from Europe in the early stages to inside the Pakistani border in the latter half, and is quite gripping in spite of the relaxed narrative. I had some minor issues with certain technical details about the transmission of electricity - me being a technical person. But, that does not affect the fun of the story in any way. The ending, though very likely to pan out this way in the real world, is a bit disheartening.
I liked this one a lot and look forward to more from this promising author's fountain pen!… (mehr)