The Rishi

Santha Wrench #1

by Leo Giroux, Jr.

When the Thuggee, an ancient Indian cult of murderous thieves, reappears in the United States Santha Wrench, a half-Indian woman living in Boston, becomes their first target

Genres: Horror, Fiction

355 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd, but a neat book by Giroux, and the third book in just a month that I read which employed Hinduism and Kali as the main trope. This is a very difficult book to review given its subject matter and presentation, but basically, the story centers on a revival of 'thuggie' in India in the 1970s. 'Thugs' were a mysterious Kali cult in India who killed and robbed their victims and then buried the remains. Thugs would only kill via strangulation with a particular silk scarf; shedding blood during the kill was seen to potentially bring on the wrath of Kali. While the thugs were stamped out under the Raj, a new leader has arisen/been chosen and the thugs are active once again.

The Rishi has an interesting set of characters, with the lead being an aging police inspector in India (Rama) who works on special cases. Through tips and luck, he manages to capture some thugs and via a spy among them, learns about the new spiritual leader of them. The thing is, the thugs are relocating to the USA to start their mayhem afresh. The police inspector has an old friend in Boston, a fellow Indian who worked in the OSS in India during WWII and now works in some unspecified position for spooks in D.C. Rama is forced to flee India to get away from Indira Gandhi's crack-downs and arrives in Boston only to find out that the thugs preceded him!

This is a long and complicated story, but Rama's old buddy has a daughter who is gradually being possessed by Kali. There is a lot of Hindu spiritualism in this book, somewhat heavy handed at times, but it fits with the fascination of the Indian mystique so prevalent in the 1970s, even though the book was written it the 1980s. After a rather slow start, the book picks up speed and keeps going right to the end. Can Rama and his buddy save his daughter? Maybe with some help from a swami that just happens to be in Boston as well. 3 stars.

[Leticia Mooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a relaxing sort of fun read, until it gets into the final part. In the final part of the book, it takes off and hammers relentlessly right up to the last page. It’s not a terrifying book by any stretch, but it does sustain its suspense and vigour admirably throughout the book.

Excellent read, great for your holidays. 👍

[Melina]

The author was my grandfather absolutely fantastic interesting man. Really did a lot of research for this book went to India a hand full of times. I'm so happy the book is still being read! Miss him like crazy he passed away a long time ago..

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another random thrift store purchase that turned out to be quite an adventure!

I was going back and forth while reading on if I liked this book. The first two parts are a very slow burn.

Taking place between India and Boston, I just didn't know is this was my type of story. But then I got interested in what I was learning about Indian spiritualism. Fully steeped in Indian culture and the beauty of it's people. The visuals the author was able to bring to life were just amazing.

Part three is where the story really gains momentum as the Thugee (Too-gee) cult comes to Boston. This is when the evil really shows it's true colors. From a mass killing of an entire church congregation to the manifestation of Kali trying to thwart the heroes I was equally appalled and fascinated.

Santha's hallucinations were so well written you'd think that it was actually happening to her. And her gradual personality change as she was slowly possessed by Kali made me not like her. Even though it wasn't her fault.

My two favorite characters were Swami Hanuman who was described as looking similar to a monkey. He was wise, the calm voice of reason while he prepared the heroes to battle Kali and the Thuggee. And he was almost a bit comical in how he could scale buildings. The second was Gauri Bala, the first vessel of Kali. Her transformations between being herself and then Kali were frightening. I had the most empathy for her, especially when she realized that being Kali's vessel wasn't going to end well for her.

I did see the twist coming on who the Huzoor was going to end up being, but it didn't ruin the story for me.

I highly recommend this book if you not only want you read a good story, but also learn about an aspect of a different culture. And I'm thankful the author included a glossary!

[Aimee Jewell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty thrilling read, I enjoyed it a lot

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

More predictable than the author intended... or maybe it's just me. Still, I found it very interesting.

[Judy Brunner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hated it. Only read a few chapters and then gave it away. Very rare that I don't finish a book.

[Tobi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just can't stand the corny lines. I had to put it down.