Ravi Subramanian, in an interview to FE, had said he wants his books to go global. His last book, Bankerupt, made a good beginning with Subramanian quoting dollars and setting the book in Boston.
In God is a Gamer, Subramanian moves faster than his plot, replacing the dollar with the bitcoin and the CBI with the FBI. His new book is arguably his best ever, with a plot that does not slip an inch, with sex, money, murder and revenge in good measure. From the White House to the Indian finance ministry, from Manhattan to drug rackets in Goa, the story moves well, with online gaming and online fraud at its core.
A US senator is murdered in a brutal bomb blast and a daring $5-million ATM heist from customers of a single bank, the NYIB, takes place in the US. The scene shifts to Subramanian?s regular characters, Swami, Aditya and Sundeep in Mumbai. Swami is head of retail banking at NYIB and Aditya and Sundeep are founders of the company that provides technical support to the bank. All are worried about the heist. But too much is happening and too fast.
The FBI figures out a connection between the senator?s murder and the ATM heists. In between is an attempt to steal a loaded wallet of bitcoins.
Meanwhile in Mumbai, Aditya?s online gaming company is touching new heights, with his long lost son at the helm. Rules are broken, and maybe one too many.
The FBI zeroes in on the bitcoin founder, whose identity is a huge surprise. The culprits are rounded up. But, are they?
Subramanian gives new twists to his story at every point, holding on to the reader?s interest. He might be going global with his books, but the subtle defence of everything Indian, and the bit about the FBI looking like idiots is amusing. With a well-crafted plot, God is a Gamer is a page turner that ticks all the boxes for a good thriller.
God is a Gamer
Ravi Subramanian
Penguin
Rs 299
Pp 328