Ashok recommends the best in print editions.
Click on the book covers to visit Indian or international online bookstores to purchase the same. (Please note that AKB eBOOKS has no affiliation with the bookstores–the links are only for your convenience.)
FOOTPRINTS IN THE BAJRA, Nabina Das
Ashok says: “A heart-felt carefully observed novel about Maoism in rural India viewed from the perspective of a city dweller protagonist. I loved this book. Wish there were many more like this rather than the overblown overhyped metropolitan bestseller tripe that passes for Indian fiction.”
Ashok says: “The newest entry in Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series is a terrific outdoorsy mystery thriller with a special bonus: Instead of continuing the series, this one takes us back to the beginning, 1995 when Anna first left NYC in the wake of her husband Zack’s death and became a park ranger in the hope that the change of lifestyle would help her get over the loss. The Rope opens with a chapter about another character Regis, who plays a crucial part in the story, but it’s the second chapter that plunges us into a truly terrifying story: Anna wakes, groggy and only half-conscious, to find herself stark naked at the bottom of a pit in the desert, without clothing, food, water or anyone else in sight. This is Anna in 1995, with zero experience or training as a ranger, no exposure to killers and eco-terrorists or all the other shit that will come her way over the next two decades, and only the will to survive. And yet, how she survives, tracks down and deals with her killer (and his accomplices) is what makes this a terrific mystery thriller. One of the best in the series and a great starting point. Read this one and then go back to the first in the series, Track of The Cat.
“Note on the Audio Edition: I chose to try out the Audible Audiobook edition for this one instead of the print edition and what a great choice it turned out to be! Narrator Joyce Bean’s voice and narrative style lent the story so much more depth, range and nuance that I enjoyed it far more than I would have the book. She does voices brilliantly, maintains a perfect pace, picks up when needed, handles action set pieces and dialogue equally well…this is a truly exceptional audio rendering of an already smashing book. I actually rated the book itself as 4/5 stars but the audiobook as 5/5 stars! Check out the sample for yourself. Highly recommended. :~)”