Blur
A young, female CIA agent is this international thriller’s greatest strength.
Blur, by Vijay S. Shertukde, is an international spy novel set in the Middle East, India, and the United States. It pulls in aspects of technology and terrorism to create a story that highlights the fact that international issues are not always what they appear to be.
Because of her youth and inexperience, Kiran Hopkins has to rely on her wits to get her through the situations she finds herself involved in as a CIA operative. When people are killed in a mysterious fashion at popular tourist attractions in India, Britain, and the United States, Kiran’s team must move quickly to neutralize the threat and stop the deaths.
Kiran is both the strongest part of this book and the strongest part of her government team. She is gutsy, smart, and capable, and as the stakes are raised, she becomes more and more impressive. “At 1924 hours, the low level-flying drone started dropping bombs. Barkat and Hadis threw their grenades at the launcher and Kiran and Malini threw grenades outside the house. All hell broke loose; no one suspected two females running for the cover near the house.” This is just one example of Kiran’s bravery and drive throughout the book.
Despite all of the action and intrigue, this book is very long at 442 pages. Several chapters read more like a textbook than an international thriller. Tighter editing would improve the pace. There are also a number of grammatical and syntax errors that slow down the story.
As a native of India, Shertukde knows a great deal about the Indian government and freely imparts this knowledge. This provides the story with some interesting color. “The nation as a whole becoming crazy after music, dance, wretched soap operas, and the actors and actresses. These temptations are luring the nation. Bollywood addiction, like drug addiction, is on the rise in the younger generation.”
This book will be of interest to those who enjoy international intrigue.
Reviewed by
Lynn Evarts
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
