Tag Archives: money

Book Review: Operation Superstar by Yamini Pustake Bhalerao

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I have been quite fortunate to get a chance to connect with and collaborate with Juggernaut.

I was given a free copy of this book, published by them in exchange for an honest review. Read on to know my thoughts.

About the Book:

(Taken from the blurb mentioned on the app)

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Bollywood superstar Junaid Kapoor is in deep trouble. Ex-wife Neha is not happy with the alimony settlement. She is threatening to release photographs of JK with his mystery lover.

Operation Superstar by Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is exclusively available on www.juggernaut.in

My Thoughts:

This book is around 60 pages and is a very quick read. The story revolves around Junaid Kapoor, a Bollywood superstar, recently divorced and trying to ensure that his wife doesn’t release some photographs that she has of him with his mystery lover. The story jumps right in with Junaid meeting our protagonist, the lady who will make all this go away and ensure that his ex-wife has nothing to threaten him with.

The story is written in the typical style of a Bollywood film, but is lacking in substance. For a short story, it is thorough, but there is not enough information anywhere about any of the characters. The author’s style of writing is good and flows well, but the characters are not developed enough. Everything just seems to happen and fall into place so easily. Quite frankly, however good you are, things are not this easy in reality. This put me off the book a little and was the reason that I did not enjoy it a lot.

Overall, this can be read while taking a break from work or having a bite to eat. It has some elements of entertainment that will keep the reader momentarily entertained.

Book Review: Granjy’s Eyes by Matt McAvoy

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About the Book:

Granjy's Eyes

Meet Ollie.
Well-educated and spoilt – a rich kid, fun-loving party-goer and brutal sociopath. Ruthlessly arrogant Ollie takes what he wants, when he wants it. But Ollie’s going to learn, the hard way, that for every action there’s a consequence, and for every bounty a price.

Because living with Granjy isn’t the bed of roses he thought it was going to be; the blind old lady sees everything – sees him – and most of all sees the monster he is becoming. It was she that made him rotten-to-the-core, and now his payment is due – Ollie will tear apart his own dark soul, and Granjy will teach him new meaning of the word ‘remorse’.

My Thoughts:

I come away with mixed feelings after reading this book. At the end, I just gave a sigh of relief that it is over. Some parts of the book had me cringing in horror and wonder at the kind of things the protagonist gets up to. More than that, it amazed me to read about his justification and rationalization of various events.

Our protagonist lives with his grandmother for a good number of years after being kicked out of his parents house. The dynamics between Ollie and his grandmother is weird enough to raise eyebrows, but is well portrayed in the book. However, it is sad that even though Granjy knew everything about Ollie, she didn’t have the mental strength to stand up to him and put him right, and in the end it cost her dearly.

Ollie is a self-absorbed, money minded and materialistic human being, used to getting his own way and not being accountable for anything he did. This is re-enforced when his grandmother always stands up for him and seems to always see the good in him. This particular relationship and Ollie’s ideas will be severely tested later on in the story. The author’s style of writing is quite different and it took me some time to get into the book. It feels abrupt and there seems to be a lack of flow between chapters. This isn’t that much of a problem since the plot seems to flow on in a clear direction.

The characters are interesting and developed to some extent, though there could have been some more depth given to Ollie. There are many incidents that are not even described enough but are mentioned quite extensively, seemingly to make the reader imagine additional details by themselves. The author maintains the pace of the story and the atmosphere quite well. The story moves at a steady pace, the destination becoming clearer and clearer as we progress, with a climactic ending that I am sure no-one will see coming.

A decent pick-me up for those who enjoy psychological thrillers which also touch upon horror.

Book Review: A Game of Greed and Deception by John Mathews

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About the Book:

A Game of Greed and Deception

She is young and beautiful, and recently married to a very wealthy middle-aged man who considers her to be the ultimate woman for him and holds her out as a model for his beloved 10-year-old daughter. They travel to a mountain hideaway to celebrate their first year together as a family when things begin to unravel. Her husband goes missing after a treacherous car accident, and the wife and daughter seem trapped and isolated, and stalked from both inside and outside the cabin.

What ensues is the story of a woman driven by her soulless greed and self entitlement, and a man who is wronged and apparently out to get revenge. This deadly game of cat and mouse will keep you on the edge of your seat. The macabre scenes include deadly traps and medieval torture devices, hidden doors, secret rooms, and an underground labyrinth of torture chambers. Add in the legend of a hoard of pure gold bars, and it becomes clear that someone has a much bigger plan in mind and will let nothing get in their way. But who? This is the story of a plot so devious that it is set up to fool the State police investigation. But can it fool you? Keep guessing until the final scene as to what is really going on and let your intuition guide you.

My Thoughts:

An unexpected story with lots of twists and turns, this book will have the reader craving for more. Tammy marries an older man, mainly for his money. As the story unfolds, she plans a romantic getaway to a remote, isolated place with her husband and his 10 year old daughter. Little does she know that there are unexpected troubles in store. When Stephen ends up in a car crash, Tammy expects that she will now get the money that she was eyeing. However, a snow storm, a crazy cabin in the snow covered mountain and someone stalking her adds suspense to the plot.

The authors has written the story well with narration mostly from Tammy’s POV. There is a lot of inner dialogue that she has with herself and through this we come to know of her past. I am not sure whether this helps justify her behavior but it sure does give the reader perspective. A fast paced thriller, this will have you on the edge of your seat. Every character we are introduced to, including the daughter, has a hidden agenda of their own. This adds to the mix and thus ensue a series of events that take the reader on a roller-coaster ride of murder, mystery and mayhem. We come to realize that the author has a bigger plan and everyone is just a pawn in his game with everyone being a master of greed and deception.

What will happen at the end? Read on to find out! A wonderful gift for fans of mystery and thrillers! Pick this book up and enjoy!

Book Review: Twisted by Lola Smirnova

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About the Book:

 TWISTED_Cover_full_size

Back in the 90’s, the corrupt post-Soviet Ukraine with its faltering economy, is thrown into a devastating depression. Times are hard. Opportunities are scarce.

Three eager young sisters – Natalia, Lena and Julia – dream of a better life and weigh their options: do they stay and struggle like their parents, or join scores of their compatriots in the sex trade in glittering western European cities, who earn in a night what they’d take several months to earn at home? Naive and tempted by the allure of ‘quick’ money, the girls set off on an adventure that changes their lives forever…

Can they stay out of trouble enough to fulfill their ambitions?
Can they hold on to their idealism in a world where depravity and danger are constant companions?
How far are they willing to go to make a buck?

My Thoughts:

I was contacted by Book Publicity Services to review this book. This is usually not the kind of book I read but I decided to take a chance. I must admit I was intrigued by the way the author has written this story and the issues brought out through this. At a few points in the story I did wonder at the relevance of some of the situations but on the whole the story comes together pretty well.

It is indeed a shocker to read about how the protagonists of the story enter into the sex trade with the notion that that is their way out. Through this they get to see several places and earn more money than they could at home over some months. The author brings out the allure that money has and how it draws people into it’s depths keeping them captive and wanting for more. The author also explores the power drugs have over the psych of people.

There is a message I found while reading a book which is along the lines of how we are a product of the choices we make. Most of the things that happen to us in life are a result of our decisions. It is up to us whether we take the easy way out or take the harder path but perhaps lead a better life. There are no guarantees in life but we can try.

There is a lot that the  reader is made aware of through this story and some revelations are quite shocking. All this will indeed set the reader thinking and reflecting on life and how theirs would compare to that of the protagonists. The author’s style of writing is a little different if not crude and it’s nice how she has not tried to sugar coat anything. She has described things as they are in a clear manner for us to understand. This story is informative in its own way and is worth the read.