Since more than a decade, Ashwin Sanghi has gained name and fame for his books in his ‘Bharat Series’. Under its umbrella, he has presented stories that are a mixture of mythology or history with the contemporary times amidst the background of high profile crimes. But with Razor Sharp, the author has dwelled into the serial killer zone for the first time.

The book is set in today’s times in Mumbai. The city is rocked by the murder of a man in an unusual style. His hands are tied behind with a rope, his mouth stuffed with food-grains and a knife is stabbed into the left side of his chest. Senior cop Shinde is given the responsibility of the case. He unofficially takes the help of former senior cop and his close friend Prakash Kadam, better known as Kutta Kadam in police circles.

The middle-aged Kadam once had a promising career in the Mumbai police force but his honesty and morals cost him his job. But that’s not all. He is not in the best of physical and mental health and his current lifestyle is making it worse. A major reason for this is a disturbing past incident which led to his wife Sarla dumping him.

However, despite his physical and mental condition, Kadam is a genius when it comes to solving crime. He has a loving and equally intelligent daughter Ketul, a lawyer, who always helps him in solving complicated criminal cases. Kadam and Ketul’s workload increases as the killer doesn’t stop at just one murder.

There is no doubt that stories of serial killers are done to death, not just in literature but also in other forms of entertainment. Despite that, Razor Sharp doesn’t get uninteresting due to various reasons.

The biggest being the character of the protagonist and his daughter. There is no doubt that the character of the investigator reeling with a dark past has become a cliché. But Kadam teaming up with his daughter Ketul brings freshness to the scene. Their bond is loving, although not overtly. There are various moments in the book where one smiles because of their conversations.

Although the book is an out-and-out contemporary crime thriller, one finds Sanghi’s love for Hindu mythology somewhere in it. At one point, his fondness for anagrams is also visible. This doesn’t harm the book. In fact, it makes it stand apart from other murder mysteries.

The author’s gripping narrative is felt here too. Hence, like his previous works, the book becomes a fast read with no dull moment. Once again, his language is easy to grasp as it’s a smart mixture of simplicity and richness.  

Razor Sharp also has the presence of political drama that is somewhere linked to the case. Although this adds to the interest, this part should have been simpler. The presence of too many characters who are only addressed by their surnames (Rane, Gaikwad, Patil, Chavan, etc) adds some confusion. The angle of the fake godman Momuma adds intrigue. But one later feels that this part didn’t deserve much footage. In other words, both these sub-plots could have been shortened and this would have made the book crisper.

There are also cuss words in a Sanghi novel for the first time. There is no doubt that this is how people converse, both criminals and the ones going after them, but there is an overdose of it.  

Lastly, the identity of the serial killer takes you by surprise, although it doesn’t give you a jolt. But the situation in which the reveal happens adds a lot of thrill.

Overall: Ashwin Sanghi’s first plunge in the serial killer zone with Razor Sharp turns out to be an interesting read.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Publishers: Harper Collins

Pages: 310

Price: Rs 399

Also read: Book Review: The Magicians of Mazda by Ashwin Sanghi