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Intersections
It’s been five years since the deadly Shivaji Park attack took five lives and changed those of countless others in Mumbai—among them, Assistant Police Inspector Uday Mhatre. In the thick of things that day, he is now battling depression and alcoholism. When a fire breaks out in a south Mumbai hotel, Mhatre—posted with a special squad—is the first to notice that a woman who was on the guest register is missing from the scene. Mhatre doggedly searches for her, but she appears to have vanished into thin air. Meanwhile, the woman, known in her murky circles as only Chhaya, is planning an attack even more devastating than the Shivaji Park strike. In another part of the city, Rohit, a teenager recovering from his mother’s violent suicide, gets more and more consumed by his forbidden romance with a junior college teacher. Mhatre, Chhaya and Rohit head inexorably towards their intertwined destinies, as the special squad races against time to unravel Chhaya’s deadly plan. Intersections is the story of three broken souls walking constantly intersecting paths—and none of them will end up where they want to be.
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Published October 12, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 3, 2020
Imagine the frenetic pace of Lee Child or Dan Brown, in a narrative that’s steeped in the real world a la Le Carré, add a touch of the noire from the likes of Lawrence Block, and set the whole thing in modern Mumbai’s semi-manic madness. Such a book would be a rare achievement indeed, but it’s one that debutante novelist Gautam Mengle achieves almost effortlessly in Intersections.
Everyone who’s anyone will know Gautam’s decade-long work as a crime journalist. I’ve also followed his blog for years, which has a few really mind-bending noire shorts. If there’s one thing that sets Gautam apart from other journos, it is his ability to weave a compelling narrative while maintaining the beauty of the language (most other Indians writing in English unfortunately massacre the language in an effort to make it relatable). However, those were short stories, and Intersections is long form. I’ll be honest: I was a little apprehensive when I picked it up. And I’ve never been happier to be proven wrong – proof of which is that I started the book at around 9:30 at night, and couldn’t put it down until I saw it through to the end, sometime around 3:30!
The book follows a middle-ranked cop who stumbles onto a crime that seems inexplicable but insignificant, but which grows to fill his mind as he follows lead upon tedious lead. This is not made easier by his struggle to come to terms with some of his past actions as a police officer. Gautam brings out this duality masterfully, in descriptions that are vivid, relatable, and above all, real. And that is what makes this debut novel different from all the other crime stories by Indians – not the ingenious interweaving of three different narratives (our cop, a woman who’s seen the worst of society, and a boy trying to cope with love and loss), not the perfect tying up of loose ends, not even the perfect pacing of the story (which is a difficult feat for any debutante author) – but the unflinchingly and unequivocally real depiction of the police force and how it works. If you’re tired of the melodrama and magic-like crime fighting that plagues pretty much all other Indian crime fiction, pick up Intersections. I can promise you that it won’t disappoint.
If you held a gun to my head and asked me for a criticism, I’d answer with a quibble: the vernacular that makes the narrative highly relatable may alienate a non-Indian. And that’s my single earnest request to both Gautam Mengle as well as the editors and publishers of Intersections – not many Indians’ written works in English can be taken out into the world, precisely because they’re too, well, Indian. In a world of blurred boundaries that’s witnessing an ever-increasing thirst for great content, it would be a crime to let Intersections remain limited to us.
Kudos, Mr Mengle, for the awesome start. I, for one, want to read more, so you’d better write something else before I go completely Loco.
Everyone who’s anyone will know Gautam’s decade-long work as a crime journalist. I’ve also followed his blog for years, which has a few really mind-bending noire shorts. If there’s one thing that sets Gautam apart from other journos, it is his ability to weave a compelling narrative while maintaining the beauty of the language (most other Indians writing in English unfortunately massacre the language in an effort to make it relatable). However, those were short stories, and Intersections is long form. I’ll be honest: I was a little apprehensive when I picked it up. And I’ve never been happier to be proven wrong – proof of which is that I started the book at around 9:30 at night, and couldn’t put it down until I saw it through to the end, sometime around 3:30!
The book follows a middle-ranked cop who stumbles onto a crime that seems inexplicable but insignificant, but which grows to fill his mind as he follows lead upon tedious lead. This is not made easier by his struggle to come to terms with some of his past actions as a police officer. Gautam brings out this duality masterfully, in descriptions that are vivid, relatable, and above all, real. And that is what makes this debut novel different from all the other crime stories by Indians – not the ingenious interweaving of three different narratives (our cop, a woman who’s seen the worst of society, and a boy trying to cope with love and loss), not the perfect tying up of loose ends, not even the perfect pacing of the story (which is a difficult feat for any debutante author) – but the unflinchingly and unequivocally real depiction of the police force and how it works. If you’re tired of the melodrama and magic-like crime fighting that plagues pretty much all other Indian crime fiction, pick up Intersections. I can promise you that it won’t disappoint.
If you held a gun to my head and asked me for a criticism, I’d answer with a quibble: the vernacular that makes the narrative highly relatable may alienate a non-Indian. And that’s my single earnest request to both Gautam Mengle as well as the editors and publishers of Intersections – not many Indians’ written works in English can be taken out into the world, precisely because they’re too, well, Indian. In a world of blurred boundaries that’s witnessing an ever-increasing thirst for great content, it would be a crime to let Intersections remain limited to us.
Kudos, Mr Mengle, for the awesome start. I, for one, want to read more, so you’d better write something else before I go completely Loco.
December 2, 2020
'Life is about damage, Uday,' Patankar said, taking a last drag at his cigarette. 'But more importantly, it is about how we deal with it. Our bodies start to decay almost from the moment we're born, but we produce new cells to replace the ones that are dead. That's how we need to approach life as well.'
This is a fast paced crime thriller based in the streets of Mumbai and how there is a looming threat in the city which the police have to face.
API Uday Mhatre is a disturbed man, suffering alcohol addiction and PTSD because of an incident at Shivaji Park a few years ago. But when one of the hotels in South Mumbai gets engulfed in flames, he comes face to face with what he left off years ago.
I really liked this book as it talks about real-time methods that the police use to fight crime. The methodologies are simple, yet complex and well explained. A great book and a super quick read.
A great debut indeed!
This is a fast paced crime thriller based in the streets of Mumbai and how there is a looming threat in the city which the police have to face.
API Uday Mhatre is a disturbed man, suffering alcohol addiction and PTSD because of an incident at Shivaji Park a few years ago. But when one of the hotels in South Mumbai gets engulfed in flames, he comes face to face with what he left off years ago.
I really liked this book as it talks about real-time methods that the police use to fight crime. The methodologies are simple, yet complex and well explained. A great book and a super quick read.
A great debut indeed!
March 29, 2023
Intersections by Gautam S Mengle is a fast paced crime thriller set in contemporary Mumbai.It follows the life stories of Uday Mhatre a police officer, Chhaya a mysterious and deadly criminal and Rohit a traumatised teenager as they deal with their life challenges. Their actions and their repercussions intersect and interact with each other in unexpected ways to provide a rich tapestry as the backdrop of the story.
Mengle brings to life all his charecters by not shying from adding a touch of vulnerability to them. Whether it is the troubled police officer Mhate or the lovelorn Rohit their sensitive portrayal endears them to you as a reader.As the story progresses you experience several twists and turns that you come to expect of this genre, there is never a dull moment and the story very successfully keeps you hooked and tuning pages till the very end.
The climax of the book unfolds in an unexpected manner, but it still manages to give the reader a sense of closure by explaining the motivations of each of the protagonists.
Overall the book is a total entertainer and I would highly recommend it to general readers as well as connoisseurs of this genre.
While staying truthful to the genre in general, you find the author taking pains to demistify policing to his readers. He not only goes into the details of how things are done but also tries to dispel several myths one may come to hold about policing based on pop culture references.
Weather it is through the traumatised character of Mhate or the lively lyrics murdering inspector Patankar or the diligent Kadam, the author manges to give a very human face to the men and women in Khaki and compells you to empathise with their struggles.
Read the book, not only because its a good book in its genre but also because it has its heart in the right place.
Mengle brings to life all his charecters by not shying from adding a touch of vulnerability to them. Whether it is the troubled police officer Mhate or the lovelorn Rohit their sensitive portrayal endears them to you as a reader.As the story progresses you experience several twists and turns that you come to expect of this genre, there is never a dull moment and the story very successfully keeps you hooked and tuning pages till the very end.
The climax of the book unfolds in an unexpected manner, but it still manages to give the reader a sense of closure by explaining the motivations of each of the protagonists.
Overall the book is a total entertainer and I would highly recommend it to general readers as well as connoisseurs of this genre.
While staying truthful to the genre in general, you find the author taking pains to demistify policing to his readers. He not only goes into the details of how things are done but also tries to dispel several myths one may come to hold about policing based on pop culture references.
Weather it is through the traumatised character of Mhate or the lively lyrics murdering inspector Patankar or the diligent Kadam, the author manges to give a very human face to the men and women in Khaki and compells you to empathise with their struggles.
Read the book, not only because its a good book in its genre but also because it has its heart in the right place.
October 17, 2020
Week 42 Book 70
Intersections, by Gautam Mengle
Rating 4/5
Intersections, named aptly, is a crime thriller based in Mumbai, revolving around the Mumbai police force and criminals and ordinary people in the city.
A cop struggling with guilt. An evil man who will do whatever it takes for money. A woman who has borne so much in her short life, hee emotions are dead. A young boy, experiencing loss and love at the same time.
The language is impeccable, the writing style gripping and fast paced, the story line is interesting. The fact that the author has spent years as a crime reporter for a national daily shows in the realistic description of how things work in the police department and handling of crime and criminals.
I enjoyed the book. Would definitely recommend reading it. Great debut novel.
Intersections, by Gautam Mengle
Rating 4/5
Intersections, named aptly, is a crime thriller based in Mumbai, revolving around the Mumbai police force and criminals and ordinary people in the city.
A cop struggling with guilt. An evil man who will do whatever it takes for money. A woman who has borne so much in her short life, hee emotions are dead. A young boy, experiencing loss and love at the same time.
The language is impeccable, the writing style gripping and fast paced, the story line is interesting. The fact that the author has spent years as a crime reporter for a national daily shows in the realistic description of how things work in the police department and handling of crime and criminals.
I enjoyed the book. Would definitely recommend reading it. Great debut novel.
October 22, 2020
Although being a fiction, this novel is filled with facts about the police force and policing which makes it an informative read. The variety of characters across all the sub plots are so finely connected with the main plot that the title 'Intersections' is the most suitable for the story. For those interested in crime fiction and thrillers, it is a must read and it's a fascinating treat for those who have lived in Mumbai and seen the city and its police force.
March 1, 2021
Got it on the 1st. Finished it just after midnight. The characters are a treat, and the plot is adequately intriguing. These, for me however, come second to what I found the book to really mean: and ode to the process and procedure of policing. The years the author has spent in the company of policemen and their world of greys brought out, for me, a marvellous police drama. Uday Mhatre reminded me a lot of Heironymus Bosch; the detective, not the painter.
June 20, 2023
Finally read this after 3 years of launch. Also after a long time, read fiction. This one is a page turner, there are cliche like a cop with haunting past, corrupt businessman and so on. I felt the entire track of Rohit was just for making a plot point more convincing.. Despite the flaws, this one is what they call a page turner.
May 9, 2021
Rating: 4.5. But definitely not 4.
June 21, 2021
Easy and quick read. Thriller with twists.
December 16, 2022
Awesome fiction.
One of the best fiction, I have read.
One of the best fiction, I have read.
July 9, 2021
The story is super fast paced and yet very intriguing. It follows the lives of several characters and one tragic incident that ties them together.
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The book will acquaint you about the workings of the police force. And trust me what you see in movies is nowhere close to reality.
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After reading this book I have gained a completely different perspective about the lives of police and how they deal with the immense pressure of keeping us safe.
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This is a super quick yet very interesting read.
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The book will acquaint you about the workings of the police force. And trust me what you see in movies is nowhere close to reality.
.
After reading this book I have gained a completely different perspective about the lives of police and how they deal with the immense pressure of keeping us safe.
.
This is a super quick yet very interesting read.
August 21, 2021
The book was fast paced and had some interesting twists (and maybe one that I saw coming). The one that got me was totally unexpected.
Like the name suggests, the plot shows how strangers can cross each others' path and have a cascading effect on small and big things both.
Like the name suggests, the plot shows how strangers can cross each others' path and have a cascading effect on small and big things both.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews