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Private India

(Private #8)

James Patterson (Goodreads Author),

Ashwin Sanghi (Goodreads Author)

3.38 · Rating details · 11,221 ratings · 1,048 reviews

In Mumbai, seemingly unconnected people are dying, strangled in a chilling ritual and with strange objects carefully arranged with the corpses.

For Santosh Wagh, head of Private India, the Mumbai branch of the world's finest investigation agency, it's a race against time to stop the killer striking again.

In a city of over thirteen million, he'd have his work cut out at the ...more

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Hardcover, 476 pages

Published August 28th 2014 by Century

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Nov 16, 2014 Amanda rated it did not like it

Shelves: fiction

I don't think James Patterson even wrote this novel. It didn't read like his other ones and I couldn't keep track of all the names of the characters in this book. The book was very hard to get in to. ...more

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Jul 01, 2016 Archit rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks

The pages do turn themselves.

I started reading this at 2 in the midnight in a hostel when I stumbled into someone's collection.

The plot was captivating and held me back from wandering to the arms of sleep. The story is fabricated with neck breaking pace. The character sketches are neat and clear.

Despite having read a lot of thrillers, I can proudly say that I hadn't deciphered the end until the author decided. Thus, the backstories and the flipping of the suspicion from one character to the othe ...more

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Aug 27, 2018 Brenda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, crime, 2014-release, own-read, 5000-books

3.5★s

Once again murder is the theme of #8 in the Private series. Private India focusses on women being murdered with one common object. But head of Private India, Santosh Wagh can’t make head nor tail of the killer’s motives – there doesn’t appear to be a connection between each of the victims. When Private’s founder, Jack Morgan, was in the country and suddenly implicated in the killings, Santosh knew the race was on. The killer had seemingly set a challenge – could Santosh defeat it?

Private I ...more

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Aug 25, 2014 Aditya Parashar rated it did not like it

The written word has appealed to me since I could remember reading. But books like these disappoint in so many ways, it makes you feel lost. There is no cohesiveness in the plot, characters need not be flawed just to make them appealing and more importantly there was no take-away. But then again is this what new-age fiction supposed to be ? No less than toilet paper ?

Kindly do give the book a miss, unless of course you are on the watch list of the Mujahideen and they say life or Private India.

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Aug 21, 2014 Raksha Bhat rated it it was ok · review of another edition

A thriller novel for me is when I finish reading it I have to pinch myself to realize that I have. PRIVATE INDIA by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson was more or less one. When two writers of the same genre from different corners of the world team up to write a collaborative fiction we have a lot for a good debate. It is easy to figure out who has contributed what to which section of this story if you have read their previous works. I could guess where the mythology came from and where the pace A thriller novel for me is when I finish reading it I have to pinch myself to realize that I have. PRIVATE INDIA by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson was more or less one. When two writers of the same genre from different corners of the world team up to write a collaborative fiction we have a lot for a good debate. It is easy to figure out who has contributed what to which section of this story if you have read their previous works. I could guess where the mythology came from and where the pace came from. Comparison with their previous independent works would not be reasonable though, for this seemed to be a different experiment.

A private investigating agency headed by an ex CIA agent with branches across the world in cities like London and Berlin has a branch in India. The head makes sure that he has the best in business employed in his team, or so we readers are told. The members of this Indian team, starting right from the chief with the cane and a Johnnie Walker bottle calling him day and night (a substitute to his troubled past) well each one of them are unsettled two dimensional characters. Read the book to know about the rest, and you will agree that they are not for your memory, not one passes as an Investigation Agent. What initially seemed like a series of high profile murders in a metropolitan city turns out to be a handiwork of a ritualistic serial killer. One complicated reality about a city like Mumbai is this- even death does not shake its spirit much. The police of this city being overworked are more than happy to hand over these cases to this agency. I wonder what the Central Bureau of Investigation in the real India has to say about such situations. The story is an absolute page turner, no second thoughts, the short chapters and font size help along with the speed at which the murders happen. The gadgets and the facilities at their office, detailed description of the tests, for example the vitreous humor and eye swabs, DNA tests with hair reminded me of Dr Salunkhe’s forensic laboratory in CID for some amusing reason.

Certain aspects of Indian mythology have also been drummed into the murder scenes, especially the concept of sacred feminine in Indian mythology and how the killer leaves tell tale signs. If the authors had gone beyond these surface details, particularly with regards to the nine forms of Goddess Durga and cared to tell the readers what this had to do with the mindset of this particular killer against women, bringing this part of mythology to these crime scenes in my opinion was more justified. The motive beyond the murders also remains an illusion. I now know the killer wanted to kill nine women, but to kill all of them in the same manner, nine times? So much spite? In Private India’s chief’s own words: “If you enjoy painting do you paint the same picture every time?” As a reader I am without knowledge about the killer’s intentions even after the end.

At some places, information provided about Indian history and some particular happenings could potentially misguide readers, say the Westerners. Research well done is appreciated only when well portrayed. Gangsters, godmen, celebrities, politicians, beggars, orphans, prostitutes, police, journalists, nomadic tribes, local trains, dilapidated buildings, terror attacks and millions of people- every bone of the skeleton of an Indian city has been touched upon by the authors like it is intended to be the right blend for a Bollywood project, nothing more.With suspense in each scene I bet there will be many takers. Sorry too many things in this soup for me.

The narration by the killer in between gave me goose bumps but I wasn’t impressed by the language. There are avoidable grammatical errors and irksome puns. C’mon not one but two authors for the book, one could have afforded to correct the other! I was on the edge of my seat with the turn of events but with many facepalm moments to be precise. Criminal psychology is one interesting subject. I wish it had some place in the story too, given that there was one strong character, also the issue of transsexuality is overly simplified.

Private India for me was only about major twists which kept me curious and left me so. I finished this book in two nights of bedtime reading. I am only sure of one thing now, no more yellow scarves and dupattas for the next few days for me, thanks to this thriller, one run of the mill read.
...more

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Aug 22, 2014 Jaideep Khanduja rated it really liked it

http://pebbleinthestillwaters.blogspo...

Book Review: Private India by James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi: 9th Murder

Reading Ashwin Sanghi’s is a treat to enjoy as usual. Private India is a jointly written mystery by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson, the two masters in mystery fiction. This is a 116 chapters and a little below 450 pages book. Chapters are short and crisp. Usually for a book with so large number of pages, flow of fiction story and keeping readers hooked towards the plot of mystery http://pebbleinthestillwaters.blogspo...

Book Review: Private India by James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi: 9th Murder

Reading Ashwin Sanghi’s is a treat to enjoy as usual. Private India is a jointly written mystery by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson, the two masters in mystery fiction. This is a 116 chapters and a little below 450 pages book. Chapters are short and crisp. Usually for a book with so large number of pages, flow of fiction story and keeping readers hooked towards the plot of mystery is a challenge that has been very well taken care of by Ashwin and James. I enjoyed it as good as the earlier release by Ashwin Sanghi The Krishna Key.

The story of Private India by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson has so many characters revolving around the lead character Santosh Wagh, who heads the leading private detective agency of the country. This is a global detective agency “Private” headed by Jack Morgan and its Indian part is handled by the team headed by Santosh Wagh. Hari is the guy who handles tech expertise to dig down any kind of mobile phone transactions history or the current location of a mobile and so on. Nisha is an ex-CBI who is the right hand of Wagh. And Mubeen is the medical expert in the team Private India.

The story has almost everything to keep its reader’s engaged with the fluent drive along with a number of interesting sequences. There is a series of bomb blasts, involvement of ISI and Indian Mujahedeen. There is involvement of celebrities, politicians, influential social figures, lawmakers, Godman, gangs, goons and mafias; and the police high officials. Story begins with a murder of a Thai doctor who is on her personal visit to India, found dead in mystical circumstances in her hotel room with strange articles around her dead body.

Then there is a sequence of murders that take place, in a short span of time and every time, the victim being a woman and the pattern of some different articles found around the body created a big challenge for police. The case is soon handed over to Private India and Santosh Wagh with his sharp and intelligent mind is able to connect some lose string to arrive at some conclusions. Wagh is also able to make some connection with the sequence and series of murders that is taking place and linking in the relationship of the victims. A big shock gets revealed to him while trying to manipulating and knowing who could be the next victims when one of his team members becomes the target of murderer.

Overall Private India by Ashwin Sanghi & James Patterson is an interesting book to read. There is a bouquet of mysteries, well managed to surprise readers at various touch points of the fiction story. The tagline It’s the season for murder in Mumbai says it all what a reader is going to encounter in the story but in actual there is lot more to reveal, face and enjoy while reading the book. The surprise pack is the number of mystery deals in the story that are well packed and interestingly presented to the readers by the authors. ...more

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Jun 16, 2020 Baba rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thrills-spills-kills-oh-my

October 2015 view: Couldn't have been much of a memorable read a few months ago, as it was not until half way through it, that I realised I read it earlier this year! Yet…. Still an OK read! 6 out of 12.

June 2015 view: Private book No. 8 - Private India is composed of an eclectic group of investigators, they're on the hunt for a ritualistic 'Thugee' serial killer. Good read. 6 out of 12. ...more

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Jul 26, 2014 Ashok rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“Private India” is possibly the first (of many) story of the detective agency Private India (the Indian branch of Private, a renowned investigation company with branches around the globe run by former CIA agent Jack Morgan) with Santosh Wagh in charge. Santosh’s team consists of his assistant Nisha Gandhe, technology geek Hari and Mubeen, the forensics expert. Santosh is never at santosh (peace) with himself, blaming himself for the accident in which his wife and child were killed, and drowning “Private India” is possibly the first (of many) story of the detective agency Private India (the Indian branch of Private, a renowned investigation company with branches around the globe run by former CIA agent Jack Morgan) with Santosh Wagh in charge. Santosh’s team consists of his assistant Nisha Gandhe, technology geek Hari and Mubeen, the forensics expert. Santosh is never at santosh (peace) with himself, blaming himself for the accident in which his wife and child were killed, and drowning his despair in drink. When a lady is found strangled in a hotel room, the hotel management calls Santosh to the scene, and he starts investigating.

Like other novels by James Patterson, the body count rises and the murders are clearly by the same hand. The story develops at breathtakingly high speed in short chapters that end in cliff-hanger situations. How are the murders connected? Are the victims connected? What is the significance of the different symbols found with each body? Read the book and find out.

On getting a preview copy from Ashwin Sanghi, I thought I would savour it like a fine drink, but found myself tearing through the book, eager to know what happens next. Ashwin Sanghi has provided the right Indian background and one feels one is travelling through Mumbai’s posh area and slums, hobnobbing with the rich and poor. Pakistan’s terrorist attacks on India also find place in the plot.

Yes, there are references which give me hope there could be prequels and sequels to Private India. The protagonist Santosh even has his version of the Baker Street irregulars and he mentions thugs and thuggee in detail, the first reference I have seen in a novel after John Masters’s ‘The Deceivers’ (made as a movie in 1988).

The novel also has some quotable words, e.g. “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” But even when rushing through the rollercoaster ride called Private India, I tripped across some minor errors. While US spellings are used, “omelette” is British, the sentence construction is not pure US, and the murderer is boiling eggs the wrong way (read it to figure it out). Just as Ashwin mentioned the errata in the earlier editions of his “The Krishna Key”, I am confident he will insist on ironing out these minor wrinkles in the next edition.

Yes, it is a great book and worth reading again to appreciate how the plot has been knit and the reader misled into suspecting one and then another as the murderer. Complete all your tasks before you begin this book, else you may miss your flight, date, or conference
Dear Ashwin and James, may your partnership flourish and more power to your word processors! ...more

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Oct 04, 2014 Ann rated it it was ok

I love James Patterson! I rarely read a book of his that disappoints me. But Private India was an exception. One thing I like about Patterson 's books is that the perpetrator of the main plot's crime is never revealed until the author wants to. Not here. I realized the person immediately upon being introduced in the plot. Also, Patterson always has a twist at the end. Not here. The end was just a tidying up. My recommendation is not to waste your time. And to James Patterson, please never use th ...more

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Aug 20, 2014 David rated it liked it

Shelves: international-thriller

Not the best, nor the worst in the Private series of books. The plotline was adequate and provided a nice twist, but the characters were mundane and forgettable - and there was a lot of them to keep track of. From a standalone novel viewpoint, I suspect a newcomer to the series would struggle to understand the 'Private' concept from this offering. Certainly not one I would recommend as a standalone novel, but adequate as part of a broader offering the reader was familiar with. ...more

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Apr 30, 2016 Simone Perren rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Having just finished reading this book I decided to give it a four stars because it gripped me as with all of the Private series and I was interested until the end to see how it all wrapped up. However, I read this in April/May and now looking back on it, I have absolutely no idea what happened. In order to remind myself of what happened, I have read multiple spoiler reviews on Goodreads to try and bring out the storyline into my head. A lot of those reviews had the same opinion as I do, this bo Having just finished reading this book I decided to give it a four stars because it gripped me as with all of the Private series and I was interested until the end to see how it all wrapped up. However, I read this in April/May and now looking back on it, I have absolutely no idea what happened. In order to remind myself of what happened, I have read multiple spoiler reviews on Goodreads to try and bring out the storyline into my head. A lot of those reviews had the same opinion as I do, this book is very forgettable. Honestly, I have now decided to lower my rating to 2 stars.

Star Rating: 2/5

From what I can remember, I enjoyed the diversity of these books, a trait which is present throughout this series. I like the fact that diverse characters as well as diverse authors are brought in as main and supporting characters. There is a big conversation throughout Booktube at the moment involving Diversity within books and I believe James Patterson and his co-authors have achieved this.
The main character in this book though, Santosh Wagh is particularly unlikeable, in my opinion. I have noticed a trend in my reading opinions recently and I really don't like reading about alcoholic/substance dependent characters. It's just not for me, I find it irritating when the narrative constantly goes back to the character drinking and hiding his/her behaviour from his friends/family/colleagues. Not for me!
This story follows the Mumbai branch of Private racing to find a serial killer who has murdered nine women from very different walks of life, who have no obvious connections, but unusually the killer leaves behind strange objects at the murder scenes. I personally don't know a lot about Indian culture, religion or spirituality but the explanation of the killer's intentions seemed a little off to me. I wanted more in terms of the cultural connotations of the killer's though processes. I didn't get that which saddened me.
I have also mentioned before that I'm not really a fan of the killer having chapters describing what he is doing and his motives. It almost spoils the book for me because I want to find out as the investigators discover it. This was made worse in this book by the sheer obviousness of the killer's identity. I knew from the moment the character was introduced that they were the killer! NO SPOILERS I PROMISE! That irritated me also!
Overall this book didn't live up to my expectations of the Private series and I almost wish James Patterson had just left this series at the previous book. ...more

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Jul 21, 2014 Prity Malhotra rated it did not like it

With Private India, Ashwin Sanghi has finally sold his Soul to the Devil..or rather to James Patterson.The Reason why I am saying this is because this book is an exact copy of his Earlier Book Krishna Key. In Krishna Key, a Guy who considers himself Krishna's reincarnate is on a Killing spree whereas in this Book, the killer is a hater of Goddess Durga, killing women & decorating them as Durga's Nine Forms.

What makes this Book a snooze-fest are the numerous Cliches this book is so filled with : ...more

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Jul 24, 2014 Indiabookstore rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Move aside all you small time Indian detectives! India has got its own hi-tech detective agency. Private India is the Indian chapter of one of the world’s finest PI agencies, headed by Jack Morgan. Santosh Wagh is its Indian head. With a rather Dr. House-like character and a love for his drink, Mr. Wagh is a brilliant PI with a murky past. His aides are Nisha Gandhe – an Ex-cop turned PI and the attractive lass that every PI team needs, Mubeen the medical expert and Hari the unusual techie with ...more

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Nov 14, 2014 Wendy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Private India

When I first started this book it took at least a quarter of the way through to really get into it or really understand what was going on. I feel like the book started in the middle. Although I wasn't thrilled with it at first it ended better than it started so for that reason I gave it three stars. ...more

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Oct 23, 2016 Avanthika rated it did not like it

James Patterson wrote this novel? Should I believe Ashwini Sanghi wrote this novel?
"Thriller" from renowned crime-thriller writers, really?
Honestly, I feel too generous to rate it with a star. Prostitution, smuggling, ties with Pakisthan, is that all you have in mind to say about Mumbai? Sheer disappointment. :/ ...more

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Dec 20, 2017 Benjamin Stahl rated it it was ok

Shelves: audiobooks

I am well aware of the James Patterson controversy. While I admit I genuinely enjoyed his earlier thriller Along Came a Spider, I have little respect for him these days: what with his mass-produced, ultra-commercialized collaborations which very well may have brought the term "airport lit" into existence. What on earth possessed me to read this then? I mean, just looking at it, just reading the back synopsis, it not only sounds dreadfully cliched (alcoholic detective? Check! Catch the killer bef ...more

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Sep 16, 2014 Parwati Singari rated it it was ok

Shelves: indian-authors, comfort-reading, ashwin-sanghi, churchgate-virar, random-house

Finally last evening it reached my hands. Private India by Ashwin Sanghi, I then find out with this being the narrative of the India operations of Private Inc. The cover appeared very tourist Bombayish unlike the usual, vibrant mysterious covers of Ashwin Sanghi’s book.
Title Private India
Authors Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson.
ISBN 978-0-099-58639-5
Publisher Random House India.
The story opens with the death of a Thai Surgeon, and is followed by nine seemingly unrelated murders. The onus o Finally last evening it reached my hands. Private India by Ashwin Sanghi, I then find out with this being the narrative of the India operations of Private Inc. The cover appeared very tourist Bombayish unlike the usual, vibrant mysterious covers of Ashwin Sanghi’s book.
Title Private India
Authors Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson.
ISBN 978-0-099-58639-5
Publisher Random House India.
The story opens with the death of a Thai Surgeon, and is followed by nine seemingly unrelated murders. The onus of solving this rests on Private India’s chief Santosh Wagh a man whose loyalty oscillates between Jack Morgan the boss of Private international and Johnnie Walker.
Santosh Wagh’s team is made up of Hari Padhi a cyber forensic expert, Muben Yusuf a medical forensic man, and Nisha an ex-cop and on field investigating personal.
One interesting take was that the musing of the murderer is in first person. Ashwin Sanghi does make a faint presence felt with the underlying theme of the Navadurga—not the standard form but the Tantric version. Though an incomplete reference to the Thugee cult is used as a red herring.
Somewhere in the 13th chapter is a blatant clue, and in the 20th chapter a blatant red herring. The killer leaving behind clues that tie up to the navaratri navadurga is very shallow and not really convincing.
The plot and characters are pretty predictable. The shady politician manifests as Nalin D’Souza. The cop and underworld nexus, the busy husband whose wife has an affair with his best friend. Of course a Don who is patriotic.
There is also a very insipid attempt to look into the psyche of the killer, abandoned child, abused childhood and revenge motif that is not very convincing either.
There were some interesting quotes like “one woman’s hobby could be another woman’s hubby.” And “there are always second chances—both for metal and men”
The book lacks the usual depth of Ashwin Sanghi’s knowledge of Indian history and rituals or the raciness of his writing or even the rawness of his language. The climax was bit of a letdown and too many loose ends were left unattended to.
Thankfully graphic sex scenes are not present. However does make a good read.
A great book to take along on a long journey.
I have just one question... Where Are You Ashwin Sanghi? I Don’t Feel Your Presence In The Book!
About The Authors.
Ashwin Sanghi is a Mumbai based entrepreneur by profession but writes historical fiction in the thriller genre. He has had his education in Mumbai and holds a master’s degree from Yale. He is currently working on his PhD. Website.http://www.sanghi.in.
James Patterson-- http://www.jamespatterson.co.uk/
This book was a complimentary copy sent for reviewing by blogadda.com

...more

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Nov 04, 2014 Sandeep Sharma rated it it was amazing

Well, it was truly unexpected to see the collaboration of such great talents in the same genre, James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi. It was truly a pleasure to see the ‘Private’ series getting expanded to India as well. Like everyone else, I too had great expectation from this collaboration and finally here’s what I feel.

First look towards the cover is enough to give you goosebumps. Gateway of India and Taj Hotel explaining that the main theme is based on Mumbai and that regular frame for ‘Private ...more

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Jul 27, 2014 Dhwani Swadia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2014, i-own

full review here: http://thereandtheir.wordpress.com/20...

It has been a while since I picked up a good murder mystery, so when Blogadda sent this book over for a review I was ecstatic. Also the copy is Author signed! :)

The book is fast paced and the chapters are just two or three pages long, which means every time you feel like putting the book down a little voice says: But the next chapter is just 3 pages! And so you continue and it takes immense self disciple to put down the book as you need t ...more

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Apr 22, 2017 Aravind rated it liked it

This book, though has the names of both James Patterson & Ashwin Sanghi on the cover, feels to be entirely written by Ashwin Sanghi and promoted using Patterson's name. This is a trademark Ashwin Sanghi thriller with a series of killings with symbols connected to Hindu mythology. There is nothing refreshingly new in this novel. The only thing working in its favour is that the chapters are short and the action is fast enough to hold the reader's attention. ...more

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Feb 16, 2018 Suzanne rated it liked it

This book was almost a 2.5* for me but the twist at the end brought it to 3*. Have you ever read a series and just couldn’t wait to get your way through one of the books just so you can move on to a better book in the series? The Private series has a couple books like that: the two being Private London and Private India. However, as I said the first ¾ of this book was meh but the twist in the last quarter made it better.

My quick and simple overall: the ending saved this book.

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Nov 25, 2014 Tim rated it did not like it

A "Private" continuation of the severe downward spiral of this franchise since "Down Under." 0 of 10 stars ...more

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Mar 17, 2017 Vikas Singh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned-book

Racy and Saucy this is Perry Mason, Agatha Christie and Nick Cater rolled into one book. The murder idea is interesting and original. This book is best savored if you read the end first

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Oct 10, 2016 Faizan rated it it was ok

I did not buy this book. This one was picked up by my brother, to whom I said to not to buy anything else I tell. But he wanted to buy at least one kg to round off the money figures. So this come to my house, and the first reaction of mine was

.

Read complete review on my blog : http://www.bookaapi.com/book-review/p... ...more

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Sep 13, 2014 Inderpreet Uppal rated it it was amazing

I had almost given up on reading this book and reviewing it for Blogadda! Yes, I live in one of the more obscure parts of this country and the mail gods rarely smile there! The book was not delivered once and later I had to pick it form the courier office but the extra effort was all very worth it. The persistence of Blogadda finally made it possible for me to read this bestseller.

This is my first book by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson and they make a formidable team together. The book is set I had almost given up on reading this book and reviewing it for Blogadda! Yes, I live in one of the more obscure parts of this country and the mail gods rarely smile there! The book was not delivered once and later I had to pick it form the courier office but the extra effort was all very worth it. The persistence of Blogadda finally made it possible for me to read this bestseller.

This is my first book by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson and they make a formidable team together. The book is set in Mumbai as is evident from the cover and the book blurb also pulls you into the labyrinths of Mumbai. Just the fact that a collaborative novel is on India and that as a part of a famous series I was really keen on reading this one. It does not disappoint, in fact it takes you on a journey that makes you realize that nothing is as it seems. The plot seems straight forward enough but the keepers of justice and the violators come together in a nail biting finish and it leaves the lines of justice muddled.

I have not been able to find a writer that kept me hooked to the suspense and mystery like a master story teller without the unnecessary blood and gore and mindless killings for quite some time now. This book had me hooked from the beginning and I think I will be reading a whole lot more from these two authors. The language is beautiful, crisp, precise and the India in Private India was perfect.

The very flawed hero Santosh who has his own personal demons chasing him and the murders planned so perfectly that they got you worried and scanning newspapers looking for similar news. All the characters have so much depth and layers to their characters, each one different and with their own failings and flaws; utterly human and totally believable. The pain, hurt and loss makes them so human and soon you are rooting for them, not knowing which one of them is the killer.

The villains are etched with a slice of pizzazz and style yet it does not glamorize the dark, negative and filthy actions and you are happy to see them suffer. The crime here is grey just like it is in real life. What a tale it made with all the mythological twist added to it; are they mysterious artefacts or cheap diversions? The story is well spun and has no loose ends. All the characters whether they are in the book for a single page or a single chapter, tell their story with a lot of depth.

I could go in detail about them but then it would take away the suspense, enough to say that the real culprit is suffering but what unfolds makes you wish for more accountability for the crimes. Such a twisted mind or a tortured soul; hard to say? The only think I felt was that the villain got off easy but then the history was quite unkind to the villain.

Overall an absolutely nail-biting finish. I thoroughly enjoyed it, so will you. So hurry up and buy your copy today or else you will miss a best seller. ...more

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Feb 13, 2017 Aniruddh Janardhan rated it it was ok

Ashwin Sanghi is supposed to be India's Dan Brown. Quite clearly, he is not. Whatever you may say about Dan Brown, his books don't read as though fourth graders have written them, with frequent peppering of new words learnt that day.

My brother gave me this book, primarily because it is set in Mumbai. Having lived there all my life - the premise was exciting: crime thriller through the shady areas of Bombay. Sadly, I was disappointed within the first chapter itself. The writing was an extraordin ...more

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Dec 12, 2020 Paula Dembeck rated it it was ok

This installment of Private takes readers across the world to Mumbai India, once known as Bombay. It is a city with thirteen million people and a different culture, which this time presents Private with a crime wrapped in historical detail, myth, violence and corruption.

Fifty-one year old Santosh Wagh is in charge of Private’s branch in India. He is a man who has suffered a personal loss, one filled with guilt and shame so deep it has driven him to seek solace in alcohol but he is an expert inv ...more

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Oct 04, 2018 Vandana Choudhary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book is about the murders taking place in Mumbai mysteriously.In Mumbai,people were dying strangled in almost the same manner and with really strange objects.And then they come to know that there may be an even greater danger facing Private India.Hidden in the shadow is someone who could destroy the whole organisation-along with thousands of innocent Mumbai citizens.
Mr.Santosh Wagh,head of Private India,the Mumbai branch of the world's finest investigation agency and his team members includ ...more

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May 01, 2015 Ambs ❤❤ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-challenges, library-read

Sadly, at first, I was really bored. However, I stuck with it, and things picked up quite a bit. The end had a whirlwind conclusion. I have noticed I tend to struggle when many of the names and/or locations are so similar sounding (i.e. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) - don't get me wrong, I love the stories, I just get confused sometimes).

What I really like about some of the books in the Private series is the diversity. Many are set in a different country, and James Patterson see ...more

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Oct 05, 2016 Mahoghani 23 added it

Shelves: series-books, crime, books-read-in-2016

In order for a series to be good, one thing is needed to keep it fresh....any ideas? I don't think that James Patterson was on the right track with this one. There is so much going on, you kind of lose track of whose working with whom, trying to understand the cultural celebrations as well as religious beliefs, drugs, crooked cops, prostitution.....

The author attempts to instill multiple scenarios within the story so that the end will tie up the beginning. You first have to make it through the b ...more

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Goodreads Librari...: Please add cover to this ebook : Private India	3	15	May 21, 2018 10:44AM
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About James Patterson

James Patterson

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James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller. He has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today, with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. He has sold over 380 million books wo ...more