Book Review: The Hunt for Kohinoor by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

Art historian Mehrunisa is back. This time, the fight is more personal – finding the Kohinoor (a set of documents that will help India to avert a major terrorist attack) is the only way she can be reunited with her father, a man she thought was dead. Thrust into the high pressure world of espionage, where no one is as they seem, Mehrunisa finds herself in Pakistan, trying to hunt down the Kohinoor.

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, Babur Khan – a hard-lined jihadi who enforces strict Sharia laws and promises to get rid of the Poppy pashas and infidel Americans –is also hunting for the Kohinoor to ensure that India doesn’t get its hands on the document.

Also thrown into the mix is the CIA, who are also after the Kohinoor as it could help them in the war against terror.

Against these formidable opponents, will Mehrunisa be able to find the Kohinoor in time? And if she does, will she be able to get it to the RAW commanders in time?

Someshwar delivers another fast-paced, edge-of-the-seat thriller with some interesting history, Pashtun culture, and a bit of geo-politics thrown in. I have only one complaint with the book – the American side of the story wasn’t developed at all. The agonizing of the American station chief and the tension she built up as the American spy was to fly out from Afghanistan wasn’t followed up in the rest of the novel. The American spy makes a fleeting appearance in Pakistan – and the station chief gets a passing mention towards the middle of the novel. In an otherwise well-plotted story, this was the biggest lose end. Despite this, it is an interesting read, and I will be looking forward to Mehrunisa’s next adventure!

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