Lead Review, plus Talking Location with Ankush Saikia

• Book: Remember Death
• Location: Delhi, Luknow, Manali, Mumbai (Bombay)
• Author: Ankush Saikia

Review Author: tripfiction

Remember Death is the second in the Arjun Arora private detective series (the first was Dead Meat – click here for our review…). Arjun is hired to track down Agnes Pereira, an air hostess who is quite possibly involved in murder and theft of a large sum of money. But he soon discovers that the businessman who hired him may well have his own, less than honourable, motives for trying to track her down. Motives that go back years to the disappearance of Munni, an early Bollywood star, in pretty suspicious circumstances.

As with Dead Meat, Arjun’s investigations lead him into the upper echelons of Indian society, and into the murky world of gangsters and other undesirables. The book moves apace to a final, and very frightening, denouement. No more for fear of a spoiler. It is a great and exciting read.

It is, though, for me considerably more than that… It absolutely captures the spirit of India, from the chaotic traffic jams of Delhi to the corrupt police of Manali in the foothills of the Himalayas. The people and places that Ankush describes are vivid and they are real. Arjun is Delhi based, and Delhi is where the story begins. But it soon moves down to Mumbai (still known as Bombay to those who live there), and on to Gorkarna – a resort on the West Coast south of Goa, before heading back up to Manali and over to Lucknow – and finally returning to Delhi. In TripFiction terms it is a tour de force of exotic locations that capture India wonderfully well. And food is not to be left out! Arjun is an excellent cook (he once thought of opening a restaurant) and we can pick up all sorts of recipe hints from the dishes he prepares for himself. Ankush also describes the eating specialities of the areas that Arjun visits on his travels. All mouth watering stuff, that makes me want to return to the country I was privileged to visit last year!

To a Western reader, Remember Death offers a great read. Yes, it is a really well written and exciting thriller, but it is also an insight into the culture and places of a wonderful country. It is highly recommended.

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