My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Newspapers are not made any longer by news or journalism. They are made by sheer weight of money expressed in free gift schemes. They serve not the interests of the many, but the vested interests of the few.”
----Oswald Mosley
R.V. Raman, an Indian author, has penned a gripping thriller called, Conspirator that sheds much light into the dark underbelly of new trend setting belief called fake news that are tailored as per the standards and requirements of the high-profile and elite class clients from politicians to shady business tycoons. This story surrounds around the murder of two influential journalists at a media tycoon's private party at a resort somewhere secluded in Coorg, and little did the assigned detective knew that the world of journalism would not only be cutthroat, but would also be unexpectedly dark with zero ethics and is owned by the filthy rich people of the society.
Synopsis:
When headlines are for hire, greed in inevitable. So is murder.
– A YOUNG REPORTER dies a dramatic death.
– A VETERAN JOURNALIST investigating paid news is murdered in his hotel room
– A BUSINESS TYCOON tries to seize control of a large media group
In the midst of a private party hosted by a media mogul in Coorg, murder strikes, sending shockwaves through its influential guests.
When Inspector Dhruvi Kishore arrives at the scene, she finds, to her consternation, that some of her suspects – prominent politicians, businessmen, a blackmailer and a purveyor of fake news – have fled. She pursues them to Delhi, only to find herself drawn into the bewildering world of fake news, paid news and tailored news. Fighting forces trying to shut down her investigation, Dhruvi struggles to weed out the truth from a web of well-constructed lies before time runs out.
Revealing a world where ethics are scarce and lucre is abundant, Conspirator weaves a thrilling tale about how the people who uncover others' secrets often have the most to hide.
Conspirator is the fourth novel in RV Raman’s corporate thriller series that explores white-collar crime in India.
When Inspector Dhruvi arrives at the scene of murder in private resort in Coorg where a media mogul has thrown an all-exclusive party for his friends from media, journalism field and politicians, she finds out that even though some influential and reputed dignitaries have already fled the scene leaving behind a chaos of drama, scandal and conspiracy theories. And as Dhruvi delves deeper into the underbelly of journalism and its darker sides, she realizes there is more to the story under the facades of fake and tailored news trend, that can remove and eliminate any journalist, if taken a different track. Although, initial investigation points finger to the mastermind behind fake news owner and controllers, but later the story takes an altogether different track to prove otherwise, otherwise, why would someone kill a veteran and popular journalist along with a newbie journalist?
R.V. Raman's take on the world of the white collar crimes is simply fantastic, starkly honest and is filled with enough drama to keep the readers rooted in their seats. Likewise, in his new book too, the author has achieved the same amount of tensions and suspense to keep the readers engaged and guessing till the turn of the very last page. The world of fake news is growing like a wild fire and with the support of politicians and business tycoons, fake news has become mandatory in order to survive the cutthroat world of journalism and media. And that the author has depicted brilliantly through this story.
The author's writing style is excellent and quite articulate, laced tightly with gripping tension and edgy suspense. The pacing is really fast, as the story has so many layers that will only intrigue the readers and will keep the readers turning the pages of this book frantically. The narrative is captivating and is kept very close to reality, hence the readers will find it easy to comprehend with the characters' varied perspectives. The mystery is concocted really well, and is packed tightly with unpredictable twists and turns that will keep the readers anticipating till the very climax, which I might say is a bomb that not even seasoned crime fiction readers can see it coming.
The characters in the book, though doesn't have a detailed sketch of their personalities, but still from the edge only, they looked so devious, scheming and realistic enough. Inspector Dhruvi's character has a lot of light and backstory to support her strong, bold, sharp and fearless demeanor in the eyes of the readers. The huge cast of supporting characters are kept distinct and unique that are going to leave a lasting impression in the hearts of the readers.
In a nutshell, this is a must read corporate thriller that spills a lot of beans about "behind-the-curtain" drama in the world of journalism and media and is going to keep the readers glued to the edges of their seat till the very end.
Verdict: A satisfying read!
Courtesy: Thanks to the publishers from Hachette India for giving me and opportunity to read and review this book.
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Author Info:
After a corporate career spanning three decades and four continents, I have moved away from full time roles to pursue my interest in teaching and writing. I now teach business strategy at an IIM, mentor young entrepreneurs, advise select clients and write. In an earlier avatar with global consulting firms, I advised companies, banks, regulators, stock exchanges, governments, etc. on matters of strategy and operations.
Tired of extensive physical travel, I now prefer less punishing mental excursions into fictional worlds of my own creation. Fraudster , Insider , Saboteur and Conspirator are my first four excursions. More are to follow.
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