Kansa (Book 1 - The Killer Trilogy) by Prassant Kevin


Kansa (Book 1 - The Killer Trilogy) The Professor Black SeriesKansa (Book 1 - The Killer Trilogy) The Professor Black Series by Prassant Kevin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Today is Janamstmi. Birthday of Shri Krishna, who killed Kansa (his maternal uncle). Today is 15th August too, our independence day. Is it just a coincidence? ☺.

Shri Krishna is 8th incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu. Krishna was born in prison to devout parents – Devki and Vasudeva. At the time of his birth, his life was in danger because the tyrant Kansa was seeking to kill him. It had been foretold that Kansa would be killed by Devki’s eighth child. Someone told Kansa that anyone of Devki children could kill him. So he killed all the children of Devki immediately after birth. He is personification of pure evil. Since Sri Krishna was the eighth child, he was smuggled out of prison to be raised by his foster parents Nanda and Yashoda in Gokula. That is the intent behind the name of book. A psychopathic killer named Kansa, is on the loose, who kills woman and their newborn babies. So this is apt the review is written today.

This is a mystery thriller about a psychopath who is evil incarnated. So I will not say much about the plot, as it will spoil the fun.

In the middle of night an accident takes place. A disheveled girl Mehar is hit by a car and brought to hospital. Saargi, ACP realises that Mehar might be a victim of Kansa, a psychopath. She also realise that she alone can’t handle the case and requires help of a Genius. Professor Black teaches in Mumbai and has his own ghosts. He is a troubled past which led him to alcohol and whores. He takes up case only because of Saargi. They starts investigations and find layers upon layers of intrigue. There is too much blood spilled and Black gets involved in the case personally.

Characterisation of Black and Saargi is interesting. Their back stories are given. In fact the basis of next book may lie in the past of Virat aka Black. Black has his own rules and does not always play by the law books though he teaches criminology. He is his own Police, Judge, Jury and Executioner. He is sharp, intelligent, ruthless, strong and merciless for criminals. He has his own set of rules and believes in gut instinct. He says to Saargi:

“Always remember one thing- in the business of crime and justice, a lot depends on gut instinct. You have to make choices in the matter of seconds and you have to make right ones. Do you know why? Because people’s lives depend on them. You can save someone’s life, you can stop someone from being a criminal, so that when you go home at the end of the day, the only blood that should be on your hands is of those who don’t deserve to live.”

He is compared to Jack Reacher on cover. But I feel that is injustice to Prassant. Black is original although some characteristics might be same. But then he shares some with Sherlock, Criminal Minds (the TV series), Bond and others. Still he is a interesting character and quiet original.

Saargi is a perfect foil for him. She is equally passionate about justice and putting criminals behind bars. But she does not believe in taking law into her own hands. She is attracted to Black and let him do what he wants but does not become part of that herself.

Other notable characters from book are Arjun and Mira. But you have to read the book to know more about them.

The pace of book is breathtaking. There is not a dull moment. The action starts from page 1 and is relentless till end. The story moves to all of North India -Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Ramnagar etc. I kept guessing the identity of Kansa throughout. Prassant left clues throughout but it is not easy to pick them up.

Though there are some inconsistencies also but it will spill the beans if I list those here. So you read and decide yourself.

I give the book 4/ 5 stars.


Where to buy:

http://www.amazon.in/Kansa-Book-Kille...


Blurb:

OVER A SPAN OF TEN YEARS, HE KILLED FORTY PREGNANT WOMEN AND THEN VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE. AFTER FIVE YEARS OF SILENCE, HE IS BACK AGAIN, SEEKING HIS NEXT VICTIM. ONLY ONE MAN CAN STOP HIM - PROFESSOR BLACK. Maher was found unconscious in the middle of the highway and later, in the hospital, she revealed that she had escaped from a killer's house. All the details and patterns matched the serial killer 'Kansa,' who had disappeared five years ago after murdering forty pregnant women. ACP Saargi Desai was assigned to the case. She appealed to her department to bring back Professor Black to help her catch the killer. The Professor, who had a haunting past that had kept him away from the world of crime and investigation for several years, was not willing to take on this case. But the ACP managed to convince him to get on board just for this one last time. Soon after agreeing to help, the Professor realized that for the first time in his life, he had met his match. As he dug deeper into the case, everything got dirtier, the stakes went higher, and nothing was what it seemed.


About the author:

One of three children, Kevin was born and raised in a close-knit family in New Delhi. He was always more inclined towards sports and literature. Kevin left his schooling after the twelfth standard to study story-writing and after two break years, returned to complete his education from the CBSE Board.

After school, Kevin pursued his childhood dream and studied Major in Film Direction. He went on to direct a Hindi feature film, several short films and music videos.
In the winter of 2013, he finally decided to turn one of his oldest written film screenplays into a fully-fledged English novel. That is how, ‘Let Me Go: The Last Love Story of the Universe’, his first English novel came to life. He currently resides in New Delhi and is working on his second book.



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