Why am I passionate about this?

Balakrishna Kamath has to his credit a 39-year-long service in one of India’s premier Intelligence agencies. His long service has taken him to many places and enabled him to gain considerable experience in handling challenging operations. The coveted national-level honors - The Indian Police Medal and President's Police Medal, he had received during his service, would indicate the distinction he has earned in his career. After his retirement, he has written two novels – The Velvet Gloves (November 2018) and The Ace of Shadows (March 2022). These novels dwelling on intelligence operations have been recently signed for adaptation into web series. 


I wrote

The Ace of Shadows

By Balakrishna Kamath,

Book cover of The Ace of Shadows

What is my book about?

The novel, written in the background of Indo-Pak rivalry, takes the readers to a thrilling and fascinating world of intelligence…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Mossad: The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service

Balakrishna Kamath Why did I love this book?

The book captivatingly provides more than a peek into the legendary secret service organization – Mossad and its secretly executed high-stake operations. What would stun anyone is the sheer bravery of the Mossad agents who carry out their life-threatening assignments with clockwork precision. They are also men of flesh and blood, only they have steel nerves. They are the guardians of the Israeli nation and they do it literally with their sweat and blood. The readers would certainly get to feel the heartbeat of these amazing men on their onerous duty. Cannot miss reading this book.

By Michael Bar-Zohar, Nissim Mishal,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Mossad as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Mossad is universally recognised as the greatest intelligence service in the world. It is also the most enigmatic, shrouded in a thick veil of secrecy. Many of its enthralling feats are still unknown; most of its heroes remain unnamed.From the kidnapping of Eichmann in Argentina and the systematic tracking down of those responsible for the Munich massacre to lesser-known episodes of astonishing espionage, this extraordinary book describes the dramatic, largely secret history of Mossad and the Israeli intelligence community.Examining the covert operations, the targeted assassinations and the paramilitary activities within and outside Israel, Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal detail the…


Book cover of The Day of the Jackal

Balakrishna Kamath Why did I love this book?

It is rare for fiction to appear so completely plausible, but that is what Frederick Forsyth has intriguingly done with The Day of the Jackal. The combination of a brilliant storyline and an arresting narration make this novel one of the all-time best works in the intelligence/spy thriller genre. To me, it was hard to guess what next, such are the intricacies and twists in the plot. The tense contest between a hired killer and the French Intelligence is classic and awe-generating. What a mesmerizing book! You will read it of course, but chances are you will read it at least once more!

By Frederick Forsyth,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Day of the Jackal is the electrifying story of the struggle to catch a killer before it's too late.

It is 1963 and an anonymous Englishman has been hired by the Operations Chief of the O.A.S. to murder General De Gaulle. A failed attempt in the previous year means the target will be nearly impossible to get to. But this latest plot involves a lethal weapon: an assassin of legendary talent.

Known only as The Jackal, this remorseless and deadly killer must be stopped, but how do you track a man who exists in name alone?


Book cover of The Eleventh Commandment

Balakrishna Kamath Why did I love this book?

The book is a remarkable one amongst contemporary spy thrillers. In spy thrillers, all agents have difficult missions to accomplish. However, in The Eleventh Commandment, in addition to the extremely challenging assignment in a high-security environment, the protagonist has another dangerous enemy to tackle, and strangely, that is his own boss! Then there is this unique crisis in the protagonist’s personal and family life. Only Archer’s master storytelling abilities could have woven these complex dimensions together to present an excellent and memorable thriller. 

By Jeffrey Archer,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Eleventh Commandment as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A gripping spy thriller set at an addictive pace, from bestselling author, Jeffrey Archer.

Connor Fitzgerald is the professional's professional. Holder of the Medal of Honour. Devoted family man. The CIA's most deadly weapon. But for twenty-eight years, he has been leading a double life. And only days from his retirement, he comes across an enemy even he cannot handle. The enemy is his own boss. And she has only one purpose: to destroy him. Meanwhile, the United States is faced with an equally formidable foe: a new Russian President, determined to force a military confrontation between the two superpowers.…


Book cover of Operation Trojan Horse

Balakrishna Kamath Why did I love this book?

Besides being an excellent thriller, the book provides an interesting insight into terrorism prevalent in the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. The storyline is refreshingly new and the characters are so close to reality. The hide-and-seek game played out by the Pakistani terrorists and the Indian counter-terror operatives can keep the readers glued to the book. The stirring narration about how secret operations are planned and executed at grave risk would leave the readers awe-struck. These operatives can’t fail as that might endanger the lives of the innocent citizens whom they are duty-bound to protect. A compelling read, indeed.

By D.P. Sinha, Abhishek Sharan,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Five Indian agents in the Lashkar-e-Taiba

It is 1996. A fifteen-year-old Lashkar-e-Taiba fidayeen crosses over to India from Pakistan. When officer Shekhar Singh of the Counter Terrorism Cell captures and interrogates him, he makes a startling revelation. The terror group has begun sending men to settle down in India in the guise of regular civilians. On the sly, they are to serve as outposts for its missions and destroy the country from within.

Stunned but not shaken, Shekhar and his bosses decide to take the fight to the enemy camp. Five Indian intelligence agents are planted in the LeT to…


Book cover of Chariots of the Gods

Balakrishna Kamath Why did I love this book?

Published in the 1960s, Chariots of the Gods is a book forever! Mysteries do not limit to fiction works alone. There are stunning mysteries remaining shrouded in the limitless cosmos. What is there in the space? Are we the only intelligent beings in the universe? Thousands of years ago, how were the pyramids in Egypt and South America built, without the help of developed tools and technology? What do the magnificent cave drawings, and huge carved granite temples in India and elsewhere, tell us? A well-researched book Chariots of the Gods takes the readers on an exploratory trip to the fascinating cosmos and beyond. The possibilities are countless and life proves to be different from what we knew. The lucid narration could keep even ordinary readers glued to the book.

By Erich von Däniken,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Chariots of the Gods as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE SEVEN MILLION COPY BESTSELLER

The groundbreaking classic that introduced the theory that ancient Earth established contact with aliens.

Immediately recognized as a work of monumental importance, Chariots of the Gods endures as proof that Earth has been visited repeatedly by advanced aliens from other worlds. Here, Erich von Daniken examines ancient ruins, lost cities, spaceports, and a myriad of hard scientific facts that point to extraterrestrial intervention in human history. Most incredible of all, however, is von Daniken's theory that we are the descendants of these galactic pioneers-and he reveals the archeological discoveries that prove it...

The dramatic discoveries…


Explore my book 😀

The Ace of Shadows

By Balakrishna Kamath,

Book cover of The Ace of Shadows

What is my book about?

The novel, written in the background of Indo-Pak rivalry, takes the readers to a thrilling and fascinating world of intelligence operations. What at first looks like a mere cat-and-mouse game between opposing intelligence operatives, turns out to be a high-stakes secret operation meticulously planned to carry out a mercilessly lethal strike in the enemy nation.

The story is set in November 1989 – February 1990, when the espionage and intelligence collection in the Indian subcontinent overwhelmingly relied on human intelligence. Devoid of any advanced technology and gadgets of today, it was tough for sleuths to execute the mission in total secrecy, and remain unseen in that treacherous game. However, fired by their mutual enmity, the operatives traverse perilous paths that keep the readers breathless.

Book cover of Mossad: The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service
Book cover of The Day of the Jackal
Book cover of The Eleventh Commandment

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Book cover of The Twenty: One Woman's Trek Across Corsica on the GR20 Trail

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Marianne C. Bohr Author Of The Twenty: One Woman's Trek Across Corsica on the GR20 Trail

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Terminal wanderlust Francophile Outdoors nut Travel writer Introverted

Marianne's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Marianne Bohr and her husband, about to turn sixty, are restless for adventure. They decide on an extended, desolate trek across the French island of Corsica — the GR20, Europe’s toughest long-distance footpath — to challenge what it means to grow old. Part travelogue, part buddy story, part memoir, The Twenty is a journey across a rugged island of stunning beauty little known outside Europe.

From a chubby, non-athletic child, Bohr grew into a fit, athletic person with an “I’ll show them” attitude. But hiking GR20 forces her to transform a lifetime of hard-won achievements into acceptance of her body…

By Marianne C. Bohr,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Great for fans of: Suzanne Roberts's Almost Somewhere, Juliana Buhring's This Road I Ride.


Marianne Bohr and her husband, about to turn sixty, are restless for adventure. They decide on an extended, desolate trek across the French island of Corsica-the GR20, Europe's toughest long-distance footpath-to challenge what it means to grow old. Part travelogue, part buddy story, part memoir, The Twenty is a journey across a rugged island of stunning beauty little known outside Europe.


From a chubby, non-athletic child, Bohr grew into a fit, athletic person with an "I'll show them" attitude. But hiking The Twenty forces her to…


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