It begins with the death of a notorious gangster, Ganesh Gaitronde then follows policeman Sartaj Singh as he tries to unravel Ganesh's last days. Why had he retuned to India? What was the gangster doing locked in a bunker? As Singh hurries to unravel the threads from the gangster's life time may be running out. Mumbai is a central character, from its sprawling slums to its high rise apartments, from pickpockets to movie stars. Chandra's prose is so vivid you will feel the heat of Mumbai, hear the confusion of the city's chaos, and see the sky painted a riot of wild intense color as the sun sets. At its heart the book is about good and evil, hatred and love. Hindu and Moslem, Pakistani and Indian, what difference is there really between us at the bone? How much destruction are we willing to visit upon one another because of differences in religion, nationality, tribe, or color? Sartaj is about to find out. This is an ambitious book; seething with rich character development and tumultuous action. It spans from the violent partition of India and Pakistan to the knife edge of counter terrorism today. From the street bandits of Mumbai, to Bollywood, to Singapore and London, the tentacles of crime and fear reach out. In the end, is anyone really good or bad? The characters are full, engaging, flawed and yet likeable. Even the minor characters will capture your interest. When you reach the last page you will want this marvelous epic to keep on going!

Red River is Lalita Tademy's first book since Cane River, an Oprah selection. Lalita's book is a very personal story, in 1873 In Colfax Louisiana over 100 black men were massacred by white supremacists on Easer Sunday in the courthouse. Lalita's ancestors were in that courthouse, some of them survived. This is a fictionalized account of their story. What shines through this book is the indomitable spirit and will of this black family, their drive to survive and prosper their passion for education. They knew that education was the key to a better future, a determination to learn burns in them. It was not so long ago in America that a black man had a very different life than a white man. Imagine being a black man standing your turn in line, being hit by a white man because he wants to get in front of you then being beaten senseless if you tired to defend yourself. That was reality for black folk. They bore tremendous hardship, any contest between white and black was weighed heavily against them. While the book bears witness to the hardships of the black community, it also celebrates their humor, love of life, and sense of family.