Why am I passionate about this?

Suspense thrillers were staple “reading food” in my college and young adult days, and my love for them continues. I always craved thrillers that are based on WWII, the Cold War, and secret scientific advances and that offered fresh historical perspectives and dared to challenge popular narratives while delighting the readers with dexterously woven fictional tales. And then, most importantly, it is the feeling the author has conducted genuine, painstaking research bringing out captivating, reasoned nuggets of history that I find most satisfying.


I wrote

Raaz Mahal: The Palace of Secrets

By Neal Nathan,

Book cover of Raaz Mahal: The Palace of Secrets

What is my book about?

Agra, India - the city of the Taj Mahal. The Bureau of Archaeology receives a bizarre petition under the Right-To-Information…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Sphinx

Neal Nathan Why did I love this book?

I love thrillers that meld ancient history and modern settings. This book is that rare page-turner wherein an amazing story takes place in Egypt that revolves around the pursuit and plunder of Pharaohs’ treasures buried in the pyramids.

Reading Sphinx, I immensely delighted in how the master storyteller and physician Robin Cook, taking a slight detour from his normal “medical/hospital” based stories, produced a mesmerizing tale that was as gripping as his other works.

By Robin Cook,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sphinx as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times bestselling author mines the mysteries of Egypt’s magnificent past to deliver a one-of-a-kind thriller packed with compelling realism and unrelenting suspense.

Traveling to Egypt is a dream come true for Erica Baron. An Egyptologist, she longs to walk among the temples and monuments of its long-dead civilizations. But when she stumbles upon a clue to a legendary treasure, the most fearful curse of the ancient world and the most savage menace of the modern one threaten to destroy her.  It was the magic and mystery of an empire long past that drew Erica to explore, but now,…


Book cover of The Lost Symbol

Neal Nathan Why did I love this book?

I loved this Dan Brown thriller for immersing me into an unbelievable history of the Washington DC political, government, and architectural underbelly.

The complex plot full of minute details, took me on a roller coaster ride of secret societies' workings, dangerous scientific experiments on meditation to esoteric interpretation of scriptures and enlightenment. All the while Brown managed to keep the antagonist’s identity and true motivations behind his action hidden, keeping me on the edge till the very end. 

By Dan Brown,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Lost Symbol as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NOW A MAJOR TELEVISION SERIES

The Capitol Building, Washington DC: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon believes he is here to give a lecture. He is wrong. Within minutes of his arrival, a shocking object is discovered. It is a gruesome invitation into an ancient world of hidden wisdom.

When Langdon's mentor, Peter Solomon - prominent mason and philanthropist - is kidnapped, Langdon realizes that his only hope of saving his friend's life is to accept this mysterious summons.

It is to take him on a breathless chase through Washington's dark history. All that was familiar is changed into a shadowy, mythical…


Book cover of The Tea Merchant

Neal Nathan Why did I love this book?

I wonder if anyone ever penned a book weaving together the American Revolution, the East India Company, and the British rule over India. Leena Bhatnagar has done it in this masterful debut thriller.

I was amazed at the incredible facets of the history of the epochal Boston Tea Party Bhatnagar rendered in this story of a staunch, gritty American woman caught in a predicament that might threaten and weaken the revolution itself.

By Leena Bhatnagar,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Tea Merchant as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Leading up to the Boston Tea Party, The Tea Merchant is the unexpected story of a city on the brink of revolution and the hidden threats the British East India Company brings from Bengal to the American colonies.

Boston, 1773 - The city is restless, torn between loyalty to England and a rising independent spirit. Caught uncomfortably in the middle, Constance Pruitt is the governor's cousin and a widowed tea merchant who struggles to sustain her business. Her family would prefer she relinquish any notion of liberty and settle down—preferably with a husband—but Constance turns to smuggling for the Sons…


Book cover of The Blue Suitcase: Tragedy and Triumph in an Immigrant's Life

Neal Nathan Why did I love this book?

Can a memoir be a thriller? I say this one is. It is truly an amazing and inspiring account of an immigrant’s tenacious, fearless journey to success, from humble beginnings in a small town in India to earning a PhD in the US and becoming a multimillionaire entrepreneur.

While not exactly a historical thriller, The Blue Suitcase took me on a roller coaster ride full of fascinating cultural insights and nuances and the serendipities that shaped Thanedar’s journey. 

By Shri Thanedar,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Blue Suitcase as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Paperback, as pictured; inscribed and signed by the author (f-T)


Book cover of Eye of the Needle

Neal Nathan Why did I love this book?

WWII era-based stories always fascinated me. Eye of the Needle is perhaps one of the most absorbing among such thrillers. While the antagonist’s military/spy mission forms the necessary, persistent backdrop throughout the story, it’s the human drama that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I loved the staggering tale of a woman protagonist’s transformation from initial attraction to fear to gathering courage and ultimately taking on the enemy spy in the final duel. 

By Ken Follett,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Eye of the Needle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The worldwide phenomenon from the bestselling author of The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, A Column of Fire, and The Evening and the Morning

His code name was "The Needle." He was a German aristocrat of extraordinary intelligence-a master spy with a legacy of violence in his blood, and the object of the most desperate manhunt in history. . . .

But his fate lay in the hands of a young and vulnerable English woman, whose loyalty, if swayed, would assure his freedom-and win the war for the Nazis. . . .


Explore my book 😀

Raaz Mahal: The Palace of Secrets

By Neal Nathan,

Book cover of Raaz Mahal: The Palace of Secrets

What is my book about?

Agra, India - the city of the Taj Mahal. The Bureau of Archaeology receives a bizarre petition under the Right-To-Information (RTI) Act, demanding the bureau disclose authentic historical evidence for the legend of the World Heritage monument. The bureau dumps the case on Vijay Kumar, a brilliant but maverick archaeologist, who discovers that the RTI case is not as straightforward as it sounds. Mysterious deaths and an Interpol alert make matters worse.

Vijay Kumar sets off on an international pursuit to discover the truth, where he can trust no one but himself. Has someone set up Vijay Kumar? Is he in danger? And above all, will he be able to unveil the truth OR will it forever remain a secret or... Raaz?

Book cover of Sphinx
Book cover of The Lost Symbol
Book cover of The Tea Merchant

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After Me

By J. Shep,

Book cover of After Me

J. Shep Author Of The December Issue

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

J.'s 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

"an intense narrative of family and intangible inheritance. . .this novel unfolds like a fragrant, steeped tea." -Chanticleer Book Reviews, 5 Stars

"like a glorious sunrise, we are gifted the 'après,' the hope and goodness of 'after me.'" -Maria Giuseppa, author of R&R:  A Feast of Words

A man in France receives a package from America containing an autobiographical manuscript relating the events of a summer long ago. 

When Ellande and Madeleine-Grace visit the family summer house on the Alabaster Coast of Normandy for the first time without their parents, they find themselves growing aware of the importance of their…

After Me

By J. Shep,

What is this book about?

A man in France receives a package from America containing an autobiographical manuscript relating the events of a summer long ago.

When Ellande and Madeleine-Grace visit the family summer house on the Alabaster Coast of Normandy for the first time without their parents, they find themselves growing aware of the importance of their parents' choices in raising them. Under the care of their beloved Aunt Adèle, they explore their heritage and what their parents stood for while determining the value of customs and traditions of both family and France's stunning Pays de Caux. In the face of cruelty, carelessness, and…


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