Raaz Mahal - The Palace of Secrets

Raaz Mahal - The Palace of Secrets
Author: Neal Nathan
Publisher: GNOS Publishing
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2021-08-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1737264218

Agra, India - the city of the Taj Mahal. The Bureau of Archaeology (BoA) receives a bizarre petition under the Right-To-Information (RTI) Act, demanding the bureau disclose authentic historical evidence for the legend of the World Heritage monument. The bureau dumps the case on Vijay Kumar, a brilliant but maverick archaeologist, who discovers that the RTI case is not as straightforward as it sounds. Mysterious deaths and an Interpol alert make matters worse. Vijay Kumar sets off on an international pursuit to discover the truth where he can trust no one but himself. Has someone set up Vijay Kumar? Is he in danger? And above all, will he be able to unveil the truth, OR . . . will it forever remain a secret . . . Raaz? “A thrilling novel of one of the world’s wonders. Neal Nathan may well be the Dan Brown of the Indian subcontinent.” - Thierry Sagnier, author of ‘Dope’, and Pushcart Prize nominee “An absolute thriller, page-turner, memorable characters, and well researched.” - Sameer Bhide, author of ‘One Fine Day’, and Literary Titan Book Award winner “If you’re at all interested in the Taj Mahal … and who isn’t? … you will love reading this thriller and also learn its true history.” - Kenneth Korba, Richmond, Virginia

Beasts Made of Night

Beasts Made of Night
Author: Tochi Onyebuchi
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2017-10-31
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0448493926

"...The beginning of a great saga..." —NPR.org "This compelling Nigerian-influenced fantasy has a wonderfully unique premise and lush, brilliant worldbuilding that will consume you until the last page."—Buzzfeed "...Unforgettable in its darkness, inequality, and magic." —VOYA, Starred Review "...A paean to an emerging black legend."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review Black Panther meets Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch in Beasts Made of Night, the first book in an epic fantasy duology. In the walled city of Kos, corrupt mages can magically call forth sin from a sinner in the form of sin-beasts—lethal creatures spawned from feelings of guilt. Taj is the most talented of the aki, young sin-eaters indentured by the mages to slay the sin-beasts. But Taj’s livelihood comes at a terrible cost. When he kills a sin-beast, a tattoo of the beast appears on his skin while the guilt of committing the sin appears on his mind. Most aki are driven mad by the process, but Taj is cocky and desperate to provide for his family. When Taj is called to eat a sin of a member of the royal family, he’s suddenly thrust into the center of a dark conspiracy to destroy Kos. Now Taj must fight to save the princess that he loves—and his own life. Debut author Tochi Onyebuchi delivers an unforgettable series opener that powerfully explores the true meaning of justice and guilt. Packed with dark magic and thrilling action, Beasts Made of Night is a gritty Nigerian-influenced fantasy perfect for fans of Paolo Bacigalupi and Nnedi Okorafor. iBooks Most Anticipated YA Books of the Fall io9’s All the Science Fiction and Fantasy Books to Keep On Your Radar This Fall BuzzFeed’s 22 YA Novels You’ll Want To Read From Cover To Cover This Fall A 2017 BookExpo Buzz Book A Junior Library Guild Selection

The Shadow Factory

The Shadow Factory
Author: James Bamford
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2009-07-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0307279391

James Bamford has been the preeminent expert on the National Security Agency since his reporting revealed the agency’s existence in the 1980s. Now Bamford describes the transformation of the NSA since 9/11, as the agency increasingly turns its high-tech ears on the American public. The Shadow Factory reconstructs how the NSA missed a chance to thwart the 9/11 hijackers and details how this mistake has led to a heightening of domestic surveillance. In disturbing detail, Bamford describes exactly how every American’s data is being mined and what is being done with it. Any reader who thinks America’s liberties are being protected by Congress will be shocked and appalled at what is revealed here.

THE LEGACY OF TAJ – ETERNAL LOVE

THE LEGACY OF TAJ – ETERNAL LOVE
Author: AJIT PHANSE
Publisher: Notion Press
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2021-03-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1638065896

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the Taj Mahal.” The guide said very theatrically while addressing the group of tourists. “The greatest monument of love on earth; it has inspired romance across generations. Everlasting love, that’s the legacy of the Taj.” That was what Abhay had heard about the great monument while growing up in the historic city of Agra. And, that is what he believed in. Until he came across the counterclaims of the legacy of the Taj. A preposterous yet compelling view about the Indian origins of the monument. Was there even an iota of truth in these claims? Or was it just a case of ‘reductio ad absurdum’? Abhay decides to take definitive action on his own; to establish the most substantive counterfactual argument and get to the bottom of these claims. It helps that this quest of his also presents him a subject to seek a teaching assignment while being in the company of the intelligent Jasmeet and the monument, which, true to its reputation, does not fail to enkindle romance. Does Abhay succeed in disproving the claims? Or, does he yield to the confounding possibilities around the unrecorded antecedents of the monument? Join Abhay in his quest to seek the truth and rediscover The Legacy of Taj.

The Rough Guide To Conspiracy Theories

The Rough Guide To Conspiracy Theories
Author: James McConnachie
Publisher: Rough Guides UK
Total Pages: 1388
Release: 2008-09-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1409360156

Everything you think you know is a lie. Or is it? The Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories is the definitive guide to the world's most controversial theories. With updated information on all the most infamous conspiracies, from phony crucifixions to who really did kill JFK, this fully up-dated guide also covers the murders of Alexander Litvinenko and Benasir Bhutto, the London bombings and the Iraq War, as well as the inquest into Princess Diana's death. The guide is a thoroughly researched exploration into this fascinating and, at times, amusing phenomenon, with fascinating discourse and a keen sense of the satirical. For both the believers and the cynics, The Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories sorts the myths from the realities.

A State of Freedom

A State of Freedom
Author: Neel Mukherjee
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2017-07-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1473523109

Longlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature What happens when we attempt to exchange the life we are given for something better? Five people, in very different circumstances, from a domestic cook in Mumbai, to a vagrant and his dancing bear, and a girl who escapes terror in her home village for a new life in the city, find out the meanings of dislocation, and the desire for more. Set in contemporary India and moving between the reality of this world and the shadow of another, this novel delivers a devastating and haunting exploration of the unquenchable human urge to strive for a different life.

Seven Wonders

Seven Wonders
Author: Ben Mezrich
Publisher: Running Press Adult
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2014-09-02
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0762453834

When the reclusive mathematician Jeremy Grady is murdered, it's up to his estranged brother Jack to find out why. Jack's search leads him on a far-flung journey -- from Brazil, India, Peru, and beyond -- as he unravels the mystery that links the Seven Wonders of the World, and discovers that Jeremy may have hit upon something that's been concealed for centuries. With the help of scientist Sloane Costa, they discover a conspiracy to hide a roadmap to the Garden of Eden -- and the truth behind a mythological ancient culture. With a heart-pounding pace and panoramic backdrops, Seven Wonders is an electrifying read, and will be the first in a trilogy.

THE RADIANCE OF A THOUSAND SUNS

THE RADIANCE OF A THOUSAND SUNS
Author: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2019-06-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 935302966X

Winner of the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity and the PFC-VoW Book Award for Gender Sensitivity 2020 Niki's determination to complete her dead father's unfinished book, his life's work, takes her from India to New York City where her pursuit of a mysterious immigrant woman turns into an obsession that begins to imperil her daughter, her marriage, and, eventually, Niki herself. When a blizzard blankets NYC, Niki finds herself on a path where the present and past collide violently. Propulsive and poetic, this elegant literary thriller melds the fervour of Punjab with the frenzy of New York. Spanning the cataclysms of Partition and 9/11, via the brutality of Emergency and the pogrom of 1984, the novel explores the impossible choices women are forced to make in the face of violence, the ties that connect them across ages, and the secrets they store. Interweaving the epic Mahabharata, the poetry of Bulleh Shah, and the legend of Heer, The Radiance of a Thousand Suns is a novel about the mythic and the intimate, about stories on tapestry and mobs that recur, about home and love and history and those heartbreaking moments when they all come crashing together.

Lahore

Lahore
Author: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2021-09-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9354890695

In the months leading up to Independence, in Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel are engaged in deliberations with British Viceroy Dickie Mountbatten over the fate of the country. In Lahore, Sepoy Malik returns home from the Great War hoping to win his sweetheart Tara's hand in marriage, only to find divide-and-rule holding sway, and love, friendships, and familial bonds being tested. Set in parallel threads across these two cities, Lahore is a behind-the-scenes look into the negotiations and the political skulduggery that gave India its freedom, the price for which was batwara. As the men make the decisions and wield the swords, the women bear the brunt of the carnage that tears through India in the sticky hot months of its cruellest summer ever. Backed by astute research, The Partition Trilogy captures the frenzy of Indian independence, the Partition and the accession of the states, and takes readers back to a time of great upheaval and churn.