Review of "RIP" by Mukul Deva

I received this book , "RIP" by Mukul Deva,  published by Westland in 2012, as part of the Blogadda Book Review program.

A cursory  search of  what RIP stands for, reveals 88 expansions, ranging from Rest in Peace , to  Rat Insulin Promoter.   The acronym, in this title, stands for Resurgent Indian Patriots. Possibly an 89th expansion.

The Resurgent Indian patriots , as they call themselves, are a group of army men, now retired from active service,  but very concerned about the rot, scams and scandals  in public life, and desperately wanting to do something about it.

The plot of the book , is based on the RIP's claiming credit for the killing of a corrupt  politician, and announcing the likelihood of many more within a given time frame. The subsequent  desperate processes set in motion by those in power who were supposed to do something about such things, their liaisons with redoubtable folks with even more redoubtable morals, and the complete disregard  for the common man on the road is the theme throughout the book.

Colonel Krishna Athavle, and his team of Special Forces officers, their names indicating a Pan Indian participation, and supreme motivation, plan their killings with great precision, and intercommunication.  The author introduces, another variety of ex army , Raghav Bhagat , a rogue para commando, who kills for money. In between these two are a bunch of ministers, bureaucrats, security managers and folks, who are a fine sample of how things operate at high levels. Reena Bhagat, a TV news anchor, and estranged wife of Raghav is the romantic factor in this novel. Predictably, she and Colonel Krishna Athavle  meet, and things progress, thanks to their respective sons , who are friends.

The story is replete with fast paced movements, events, precision killings, chases, and references to folks , that have different names, but remind us about folks in the current political pantheon of prominent personalities, on an all-India scale. There are also references to prominent events of the past like the hijacking of an IA plane.

A paranoid set of government folks ordering one set of officers to spy on another set of officers involved in the RIP investigations, introduces , what a cynical mind might define as a comic element and has much to do with the final outcome.

A recurring thought while reading this novel has been about how this is almost like a screen play and designed to be made into a film.  There is a hero, heroine, villain, molls, big and hefty bosses, a large amount of brilliant action chases, blowing up of cars, poisonous injections, and some human interest stuff in the form of two kids.

There is a bit of fun as you endeavour to recognize the thinly veiled characters of the book, and try to match them with who you think they are.

This is a fun read, a fast read, and at no point, does the speed of the story lag or meander.

One applauds the research and knowledge of military facts  , which is not a surprise given the military background and experiences of the author.

Just a niggling thought at the end. Reena Bhagat and Colonel Athawale get together, as they should, with their kids. She does not know about his participation in the RIP.

Leaves me wondering about her reaction, when she finds out.....  

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