Raakshas – Book Review

Author: Piyush Jha

Paperback: 242 Pages

Publisher: Westland (December 2015)

Language: English

Genre: Crime Thriller

ISBN-10: 9385724207

ISBN-13: 9789385724206

About The Book:

What made him a serial killer?
Was he born with homicidal tendencies?
Did a harrowing childhood render him criminally insane?
The questions haunt, Additional Commissioner of Police, Maithili Prasad as she discovers the horrific murders across Mumbai. As she spearheads the greatest manhunt in Mumbai’s history, she’s determined to contain the reign of terror unleashed by the ruthless serial killer. But before that she must grapple with her personal demons that surface to plague her with self-doubt.
Just as it seems that Maithili has begun to understand the deep-rooted resentment that drives the serial killer, he turns around and makes her the object of his revenge. Will she emerge unscathed from this ordeal?
This thrilling narrative of a serial killer’s life and the unusual and challenging investigation to catch him, uncovers a chilling trail of unspeakable torment and cruelty—the tale of… Raakshas..

About The Author:

Piyush jha is an acclaimed film director, ad filmmaker and the author of bestselling crime-fiction novels.
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. Piyush’s films Chalo America, king of Bollywood and Sikandar are noted for their unconventional subject matter and for their relevance to contemporary society. Piyush’s earlier novels Mumbaistan, Compass Box Killer and Anti-social Network are page-turners that explore the gritty, noir landscape of crime in Mumbai. Currently, Piyush is developing a crime-based tv show for a leading entertainment channel and he’s also working on his next feature film as a director/writer.
Raakshas- India’s no. 1 serial killer is Piyush’s fourth crime-thriller novel.

My Take:

India doesn’t have many crime thrillers in her basket and that too a novel with the story of serial killer, describing his/her psyche and murders, is really a rare treat for the reader who loves Crime Thrillers. This book opens up a genre that’s rarely touched by Indian novelists. It also hints at the taboo our society maintains about mental health and disturbed childhood which often turns out to be the prime reason behind the origin of a serial killer. This book provides enough insight on how a broken childhood affects the pysche of a person.

The characters are real and do not sound like straight out of Bollywood movies. Any reader can relate to the dilemma of characters at a given point of time, even if it is the screwed mental state of the killer. The past of the two main protagonist clearly justifies their character and behaviour. The depiction of Maithili’s struggle with her past is one of the most authentic parts of the story.

The regular indications of the conclusion of the story doesn’t leave any room for the supense. The reader already gets to guess about the end of the story but it’s how that keeps one going on. The narrative of the book seems to be a bit shaky throughout. The book starts off with the third person narrative, soon switching between first and third person narratives and by the end of it only first person narrative remains with the exception of climax part of the story. The sudden twist baffles the reader but one can make sense where the story is headed to. The end is, however, a bit dramatic making the novel seem like more of a movie script than a book.

Bottom line: For anyone who loves Crime Thrillers, this books offers a good read with a bonus of insight of the serial killer’s mind.

My Rating:

3.5/5

And now I’ll leave you with a few quotes from the book.