Mainak Dhar : Sniper`s Eye

“ Shots fired…shots fired” ..this is what your mind starts screaming the moment the first few lines of Sniper`s Eye go by. 

This book is the perfect pace in itself when you compare it with the more pacy action thriller Line of control or the a bit slow setting 03:02 by Mainak Dhar. 

A man is killed infront of Aditya in a busy mall when he is there with his girlfriend Zoya and given his past as an ex Indian Army Paratrooper Special Forces, he begins the hunt and kills the spotter out of the sniper team of two while the sniper gets away. What follows is a simple yet deadly game of cat and mouse where the hunter becomes the hunted when your adversary is a well trained sniper. The storyline might seem to be out of some yesteryears` movie plot to some but it has its elements of things happening in today`s times. You have the jihadis, ISIS, the urban chaos, police… elements which might remind you of urban combat somehow. Its the perfect description how soldiers and mercenaries are used as pawns by those in power to clean out all the traces of their black deeds and those blinded by the truth are brainwashed to do the bidding. You don’t know whom to trust in the chaos when you are stabbed in the back. It has glimpses of everything for maybe every reader. In just about some 200+ pages this is a comparatively fast read (depending on how much you engross yourself in the story).. mind you that its part of a series so although it might be a standalone plot in itself, its not finished as in yet. It puts you right into the thick of action where glimpses of the special forces training is shown to survive. He is not Rambo who can take an army by itself but he has to think about survival tactics even when he is cornered by 2-3 people with simple things such as hockey sticks and he is unarmed. Away from the chaos spanning multiple cities, you also get a glimpse of the other Mumbai too, which is still human and still carries big hearts inspite of being short on money. Where else could you find acts where a poor family of four does this: 

“We joined them for dinner, a simple fare of rice and vegetables. We wolfed down what was placed infront of us. Then as I looked up, I felt guilty about not leaving enough for the family, which had shared its meal with us”. 

To win a a battle you have to have a situation awareness of everything and Aaditya does everything…he can be quietly thinking, improvising with things on hand, gathering intel. It’s a switch of him living his life as a civilian and going back to his training and duty days when survival is at stake. 

The characters are relatable to us in everyday life… Aaditya , the ex Para SF trying to settle himself into the corporate civilian life wishing to leave his “dark” past behind when the truth was hidden and as soldiers he was crucified by media and human rights from across the border for the same old diversion tactics. The man who like any other normal civilian falls in love with that one girl and yet is afraid to confide in her , his past or the extent of his love for her. Its said that a trained soldier is lethal in his job but he becomes even more dangerous when it comes to people he loves deeply..and that holds true for both the characters you encounter. 

Zoya is the perfect modern yet sensitive girl of today, she takes time to open up, is possessive, cares deeply, stubborn , knows how to defend herself in tough times yet has her own limits of taking it all, she can crumble just like any other girl. The sort of girl whom every guy wishes to have in his life as a girlfriend or wife. 

Then there are the supporting yet important characters of Padhke and Thapa in the police and you are unsure of whom to trust with your life with things playing out in exact replica of how ISIS operates.

The title gives you two ways to look at it- you being in the crosshairs of an assassin who can shoot you anytime even before you can blink, death lurking over your shoulder every moment and… a job done to perfection…a bullseye..whats known in sniper circles as “ One shot, one kill”… 

Get your copy : Sniper`s Eye