The Burning Ghats (George Sansi Mystery) - Hardcover

Mann, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0449907708 ISBN 13: 9780449907702

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 1996

Synopsis

Hailed by critics and honored as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Season of the Monsoon, Paul Mann's first mystery set in the turbulent world of contemporary India, created a literary sensation. A bold, seductive series, the New York Times Book Review declared when The Ganja Coast, the second George Sansi mystery, appeared two years later. Now in The Burning Ghats, Paul Mann's Anglo-Indian hero returns for a triumphant third appearance in a spellbinding, intricately structured novel of political intrigue, corporate greed, and fierce passions.
India cherishes the river city of Varanasi as one of her most sacred places, for it is here on the burning ghats that the bodies of the devout dead are cremated and their ashes scattered over the Ganges. Yet it is at this blessed shrine that one of the most terrible human and ecological disasters of modern times takes place. As thousands of mourners bathe in the holy waters, a lethal chemical spill swirls down the river, literally consuming the flesh of all who come in contact with it. More than a thousand people die in agony, and thousands more are injured. In a nation still reeling from the poison gas disaster of Bhopal, a single question takes on hideous urgency: who is responsible for this outrage?
It is this question that ignites a personal crusade led by Rupe Seshan, the government's new minister for the environment and also one of the most ruthlessly ambitious, dangerously attractive women in India. Rupe knows that her political future hinges on moving swiftly and decisively, and so she places the Varanasi investigation in the hands of a shrewd and powerful friend--Bombay attorney George Sansi. The fact that George and Rupe had stopped just shy of becoming lovers years ago infuses a deep erotic undercurrent into their professional relationship.
As Sansi throws himself into the Varanasi case, he amasses more and more evidence implicating the invincible rich and unscrupulous magnate Madhuri Amlani and his Renown Industries in the chemical spill. Sansi braces for a vicious legal battle with Amlani--but the showdown in court is only the opening skirmish in an all-out war involving cover-ups, blackmail, and assassination at the highest levels of power. As he sees his allies destroyed and the governments authority undermined, George Sansi realizes that he alone has the power--and the knowledge--to topple Amlani. But can he use what he knows before Amlani crushes him?
In The Burning Ghats, Paul Mann captures the turmoil, the excitement, and the danger attending India's monumental struggle to transform itself into a major economic power. Written with grace and wit, mesmerizing in its suspense, imbued with the rich, erotic sensuousness of the Indian subcontinent, The Burning Ghats is at once a profound work of fiction and a terrifically compelling read.

About this title

About the Author

Born in England, Paul Mann emigrated to Australia, where he became one of that country's most successful journalists, as well as the author of several thrillers. In 1995, he moved to Maine, where he lives with his wife and three daughters. He is the author of two previous George Sansi novels, Season of the Monsoon and The Ganja Coast.


From the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

itics and honored as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Season of the Monsoon, Paul Mann's first mystery set in the turbulent world of contemporary India, created a literary sensation. A bold, seductive series, the New York Times Book Review declared when The Ganja Coast, the second George Sansi mystery, appeared two years later. Now in The Burning Ghats, Paul Mann's Anglo-Indian hero returns for a triumphant third appearance in a spellbinding, intricately structured novel of political intrigue, corporate greed, and fierce passions.<br>India cherishes the river city of Varanasi as one of her most sacred places, for it is here on the burning ghats that the bodies of the devout dead are cremated and their ashes scattered over the Ganges. Yet it is at this blessed shrine that one of the most terrible human and ecological disasters of modern times takes place. As thousands of mourners bathe in the holy waters, a lethal chemical spill swirls down the river, literally consuming the flesh of all w

Reviews

With its epic narrative sweep, scenes of exotic sex and business machinations, Mann's third George Sansi story (after The Ganja Coast) is marked more by its features of foreign intrigue than by traditional mystery elements. The insidious perils of power tempt Bombay lawyer Sansi as he does fierce battle with big business after a chemical spill creates a flood of death on the Ganges. Appointed to lead the official investigation into the disaster, Sansi goes up against wily industrialist Madhuri Amlani, one of India's most successful businessmen, who has a good son and a bad son. On Sansi's side is his girlfriend, American journalist Annie Ginnaro, but Sansi's increasing involvement with prime minister Rupe Seshan, who appointed him to the investigation, threatens his relationship with Annie as well as his own moral stance. Mann delivers panoramic tours through Indian history and atmosphere, highlighted by sensually adept mistresses and intriguing insider lore on leveraged mergers and other corporate sleight-of-hand. All this makes for good reading, despite the distractions of characters who are introduced, developed and then abruptly dropped (these include Sansi's mother, a feminist professor, a trio of loutish American businessmen and a disfigured victim of the spill who haphazardly stalks Amlani). In this third Sansi story, Mann's deft Technicolor flourishes engage readers who may be disappointed by a somewhat fragmented plot.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Bombay lawyer George Sansi's third case (The Ganja Coast, 1995, etc.) pits him against the unstoppably wealthy and unspeakably corrupt industrialist behind a monstrous chemical disaster. Compared to the Union Carbide accident at Bhopal, the disaster caused by phosphorus spilled into the Ganges at Varanasi is no big deal--a mere 1,100 dead and 4,000 wounded. But to Sansi's old friend Rupe Seshan, newly appointed minister for environment, it's exactly the routine nature of the tragedy that's most insidious. Determined to expose the culprits before their criminal carelessness becomes a model for corporate greed, she appoints incorruptible Supreme Court Judge Kusheed Pilot to head a commission and, with the help of circumspect hints about deporting Sansi's lover, Times of India reporter Annie Ginnaro, bullies him into heading the investigation. It's no secret who's behind the spill--wily Madhuri Amlani, founder and CEO of Renown Oil and dozens of other indefensible, untouchable industries. But Amlani, who's had six months to get braced for the investigation, has armored himself with an army of cat's paws, cutouts, forged documents, bribes, and perjuries so audacious that Sansi hasn't a hope of getting at him. His latest stunt: getting indiscreet photos of Rupe and Sansi--who've now finally consummated their childhood infatuation--which are bound to compromise Sansi and chase the investigation off the front pages, and Annie from her job at the Times when she's asked to write up the story. Running rings around his stifled children, the gangster former boyfriend of his son Joshi's starlet inamorata (a sadly abortive subplot, this one), and the naive American sharpies planning to capitalize Renown Oil out from under him, Amlani steamrolls Sansi, Rupe, and Judge Pilot, clearly unconquerable by anyone with the minutest scruples. Will stolid Sansi put aside his legal training to reel him in? In the end, Sansi stays technically virtuous as ever, but casting him as the unmoved eye of this teeming, miasmal Indian storm makes his latest adventure his richest yet. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

In this his third appearance, Bombay attorney George Sansi, last seen in The Ganja Coast, Fawcett: Columbine, 1995) heads the investigation into a horrific chemical spill that killed over 1000 people. He faces one of India's most successful and ruthless industrialists, a man intimate with murder. The plot plays out amidst the vibrant backdrops of an ancient culture struggling to cope with an accelerating economy, entrenched religion, and over-population. Human drama is realistically portrayed on both a personal and a grand scale. Essential for all collections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

One of India's holiest sites, Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges, is the scene of a monumental tragedy when a floating chemical spill moves downriver. Thousands of the faithful are injured, and dozens die. Attorney George Sansi, the son of a prominent Indian feminist and a retired British military officer, is assigned to the investigation. He applies his knowledge of both Indian and Western cultures to determine ultimate responsibility for the deaths. Along the way, Sansi angers one of India's most ruthless and powerful industrialists, who uses a subtle web of influence to curtail the investigation. Subtlety quickly gives way to more overt means of persuasion, including blackmail, extortion, and assassination. Rich, exotic atmosphere, tight plotting, and an exciting conclusion all add up to fine reading for mystery fans. This installment isn't quite on a par with the award-winning first Sansi novel, Season of the Monsoon (1993), but every entry in a series can't be an instant classic. Wes Lukowsky

Edition details

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0449907708
• ISBN 13: 9780449907702
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 351