The Last Taxi Ride: A Ranjit Singh Novel - Hardcover

Ahmad, A. X.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 125001686X ISBN 13: 9781250016867

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2014

Synopsis

New York City taxi driver Ranjit Singh, hero of A.X. Ahmad's heralded debut The Caretaker, has 10 days to prove his innocence...
Bollywood film icon Shabana Shah has been murdered, her body found in the apartment where Ranjit ate dinner mere hours before. Ranjit's fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a statue of the elephant god Ganesh used to grotesquely smash the actress' beautiful face. Caught on film leaving the apartment alone, Ranjit is accused by the NYPD as an accessory to murder.

Ranjit's only credible alibi is Shabana's Indian doorman, but he has vanished. With a Grand Jury arraignment looming in 10 days, and Ranjit's teenage daughter about to arrive from India, he must find the doorman. His search through the underbelly of New York leads to the world of high-end nightclub owners, back-alley Mumbai gangsters and to Jay Patel, a shady businessman who imports human hair. As his investigation for the true killer reveals layers of Shabana Shah's hidden past, Ranjit does not know whom to trust. He can rely only on his army training, his taxi-driver knowledge of New York, and his cabbie friends.

With time quickly running out, can Ranjit clear his name before his fare is up? The Last Taxi Ride is the second novel in the Ranjit Singh trilogy.

About this title

About the Author

A. X. AHMAD was raised in India, educated at Vassar College and M.I.T., and worked for many years as an international architect. He splits his time between Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn, New York, and is also the author of The Caretaker.

Reviews

This sequel to The Caretaker (2013) is another solid success for Ahmad, who conjures up a fascinating cast of characters from mobsters to cab drivers, illuminating South Asian expat culture and exploring the Indian Mafia’s long reach. Expat Indian Army Captain Ranjit Singh is building a new life in New York as a cab driver and part-time security guard. When Ranjit snags Bollywood actress Shabana Shah as a fare after cruising luxury shopping lanes, he’s shocked to recognize her building’s bellman as his Indian Army buddy Mohan. Ranjit meets Mohan that night, and they catch up over gourmet leftovers in Shah’s empty apartment. It’s a great evening, but the next morning homicide cops show up demanding to know why Ranjit’s fingerprints are on the murder weapon used to brutally beat the actress. Ranjit’s going down for murder unless he gets answers from the suddenly vanished Mohan, but his search gets tangled in a violent Indian Mafia power struggle, and he quickly becomes a target. A strong, rapid-paced thriller with exotic interest; addictive reading. --Christine Tran

Edition details

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 125001686X
• ISBN 13: 9781250016867
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368