SACRED GAMES

SACRED GAMES is not just a novel. It's an intricate tapestry of personalities and a contemporary account of subcontinent history, politics, social issues, and the Indian film industry, Bollywood. Anil Margsahayam rises to the challenge of reading as the third-person narrator as well as in the voice of self-absorbed gangster Ganesh Gaitonde—boss, killer, star-maker, and guru-follower. Margsahayam also paints a sympathetic picture of the novel's anchor, Sartaj Singh, the Bombay policeman who is investigating Gaitonde's inexplicable demise. While it would be impossible to differentiate each of the hundreds of characters who pass through the story, Margsahayam is particularly empathetic to the story's many females—from government agents to mob tipsters. This is a long listen, but India deserves nothing less. R.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]