Come Undone : The Bankster

Who knew retail banking could be so thrilling ?

Well, Ravi Subramanian in his latest writing "The Bankster" makes it so. Touted as 'John Grisham' of banking, Ravi does spin a intricate web of fraud and deceit with indian banking background. An IIM B alumnus, Ravi has spent around two decades in banks and it shows in the novel, he paints a realistic picture of indian baking in today's context which is extremely competitive (healthy & unhealthy) and most of the character employs both fair and unfair means to stay on top. Ravi has gone into detail of retail baking Greater Boston Global Bank (GB2) and explains the nuances of banking in detail for common reader to understand how things work in bank.

There are three subplots in the novel which happens in different part of the world, Angola, Kerala and Mumbai and are seemingly unrelated. How these three stories starting with trading of blood diamond in Angola , a new bank account opened at a branch of global bank in Mumbai and a nuclear power plant in Kerala and people in it cross each other's path and are part of a bigger plot is the story. The Author has kept the suspense level high till last few pages and as a reader i was trying to guess the real culprit till very end when all gets revealed (some might complain a little abruptly)

The story dealing with a global bank, NGO is real and the incidents are typical of what you would read on daily basis in newspaper. Its to authors credit that he has used simple incidents to spin a story which is intriguing and engaging.

I really liked the characterization, all character appears real, their languages and mannerism, makes it easy to visualize. The plot is tight and relevant to today's world. Ravi's research and ease of writing makes it an interesting an easy read. there are certain quirks (like looking for free wi-fi in europe:) ) and the 'hinglish' language which you and i use on daily basis helps you relate to the characters. Although some of the character could have been better developed, there are characters walking in and out of plot and are key to the storyline for a while and then simply disappear in background.

All in all an entertaining read. If i really have to nitpick, could have edited tighter (358 pages currently) and reduced 30-40 odd pages (in detail explanation of how ipad functions & syncs with other apple products is not really required) and some of the character could have been better developed or there was no need of introducing them but it really doesn't take anything away from the story. My recommendation do pick a copy it will keep you entertained for few hours.

Indian fiction has really come of age and it shows in this novel. The plot is tight and dialogues and characters are very believable. This was my first novel from Ravi Subramanian, i am definitely going to read rest of his previous work and look forward to what he writes next. Overall i would rate this book 4 / 5.

P.S. - Thank you blogadda for sending this author signed book for review, absolute pleasure being part of your book review program :)

P.P.S. - If any movie producer or writer is reading this, please pick this book, there is a 'hero' girlfriend, drama , suspense and good dose of glamour, enough twists and thrill to make it an interesting bollywood story :) :)

If you want to know more about the author, you can check him here

Website: http://www.ravisubramanian.in/index.asp

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Authorravisubramanian

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SubramanianRavi

The book is now available at flipkart @ 40% discount , grab a copy !

This review is a part of the "http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews" Book Reviews Program "http://www.blogadda.com"BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books