The Endgame was a special project for more reasons than one. It was the first time I attempted a sequel to an earlier novel, Eleventh Hour. I had done this with my non-fiction – Byculla to Bangkok and Dongri to Dubai – but a sequel in fiction is much more challenging, as the characters and their universe have to grow along with the story and its scope. Far too many attempts at creating a universe have failed because the second instalment was disappointing, compared to the first.
If you notice, apart from delving a little into Mirza’s past, I have also attempted to add a little more character to the others. Vikrant is deliberately left without a love interest in this book because he is still healing from the last time, and also because things turn serious far too quickly, especially the conflict between him and Mirza, for him to have time for a romantic dalliance. Mankame’s anguish over Rehmat and its effect on his personal life is but a small representation of what policemen face in real life. Goyal and Jaiswal are still the best of friends, but they are no longer bickering like teenagers; they’re older, a bit more senior, a bit more responsible.
As with Eleventh Hour, The Endgame is based on real characters, real experiences and real situations that have been shared by endless number of heroes who will have to remain unnamed. The scenes that you read in the book are mosaics of hundreds of actual scenes that I have pieced together along with a good dose of fiction in order to pay a silent tribute to those who tirelessly work to keep the country safe from threats, both foreign and domestic.
The book would not have been possible without the help of my friend and protégé, Gautam Mengle. Mengle has his head in the right place and is an ocean of talent.
I would like to thank my friend and publisher, Diya Kar, and the editor of the book, Amrita Mukerji. Both of them are fabulous.
ABOUT THE BOOK
It’s been three years since Shahwaz Ali Mirza and Vikrant Singh foiled dreaded terrorist Munafiq’s attempt to leak State secrets from a naval server in Lakshadweep. Now posted with RAW, they have the task of providing security for BSF Special Director General Somesh Kumar, on his way to visit former Prime Minister Parmeshwar Naidu, who has been hospitalized after a car accident. However, Kumar’s convoy is attacked by terrorists. They manage to kill him before being gunned down themselves.
Amidst accusations of intelligence failure and cries for revenge, Mirza and Vikrant are told to investigate the case.
A tip-off from a friend in MOSSAD leads the duo to a rented house in Mumbra, where the prime suspect, Al Muqadam, is hiding. Al Muqadam manages to give them the slip, but not before Vikrant recognizes him as Ayyub, the brother of one of his long-time informants, Mazhar Khan. Just when it looks like things can’t get more difficult, Major Daniel Fernando, now engaged to Parmeshwar Naidu’s daughter Vaishali, gets in touch claiming that there is more to Naidu’s accident than meets the eye. Soon, the entire team from the Lakshadweep operation finds itself getting together for a new mission . . . S. Hussain Zaidi is back with his irresistible cast of characters in this sizzling story of politics, betrayal and unimaginable terror.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S. Hussain Zaidi is a veteran of investigative, crime and terror reporting. His previous books include Black Friday, Mafia Queens of Mumbai, Dongri to Dubai, Byculla to Bangkok, Mumbai Avengers and Eleventh Hour, some of which have been adapted into Bollywood films. He was the associate producer of an HBO documentary, Terror in Mumbai, based on the 26/11 terror attacks. His works have also been adapted into shows on Netflix.
Hussain Zaidi lives with his family in Mumbai.
Also by S. Hussain Zaidi
Byculla to Bangkok: Mumbai's Maharashtrian Mobsters
Headley and I
Mumbai Avengers
Eleventh Hour
ALSO BY S. HUSSAIN ZAIDI
‘A gripping thriller with one twist after another.’ – DNA
It is nine years since the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. In Bhopal, five members of the Indian Mujahideen break out of jail. Meanwhile, a retired schoolteacher, a heartbroken ex-soldier and a young woman board a cruise liner from Mumbai to Lakshadweep, which is hijacked. What is the connection between the escaped terrorists and the cruise liner? Will SP Vikrant Singh and his mentor Shahwaz Ali Mirza stop them in time? Racy and riveting, this is Hussain Zaidi at his best.
ISBN: 9789352779291
Price: ₹299
Five years after 26/11, India still seeks justice. The terrorists who planned it have disappeared into the darkness and Mumbai seethes with fury. One man will stop at nothing in his quest to avenge the dastardly act. Retired Lt Gen. Sayed Ali Waris of the Indian army masterminds a covert mission with a team of daredevil agents. As Waris and his team navigate untold dangers towards a nail-biting climax, will Mumbai finally be avenged?
ISBN: 9789351363682
Price: ₹350
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First published in India by
HarperCollins Publishers India
A-75, Sector 57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India
www.harpercollins.co.in
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Copyright © S. Hussain Zaidi 2020
P-ISBN: 978-93-5357-813-8
Epub Edition © July 2020 ISBN: 978-93-5357-814-5
This is a work of fiction and all characters and incidents described in this book are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
S. Hussain Zaidi asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved under The Copyright Act, 1957. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers India.
Cover design: Saurabh Garge
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