By Piyali C.

Before I delve into the review of Hunted, I want to let everyone know that I am writing this review under protest. Why, you ask? I have nothing against the book. It was a great thriller, and I am even writing a review for it. My protest is against the author’s decision to leave us with a cliffhanger in his Wyndham and Banerjee series, the last book of which is The Shadows of Men. I was counting days…no, years, for the next one in the series to come out. I was stalking the author’s Instagram profile. Then I saw that he was publishing a stand-alone – Hunted. I will read anything that Abir Mukherjee writes, so of course I got on the holds queue right away and read the book in exactly two sittings. By the way, if you love historical mysteries, you can check out A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee, the first book in the Wyndham and Banerjee Series. 

Based in the fractured landscape of American politics, Hunted is a fast-paced thriller that had me glued to the pages, so much so that I forgot to look up to enjoy the beauty of the crashing waves in front of me. Yes, I read this book at the beach. 

There has been an explosion in a mall in L.A, and the Sons of Caliphate has claimed responsibility for the carnage. While checking the grainy CCTV footage of mall security, FBI Special Agent Shreya Mistry spots the scared face of a young girl, Yasmin Malik, who had supposedly planted the bomb. Through intuition and clever deduction, she is just one step behind the culprits who have threatened to cause further mayhem as the country is gripped by election fervor. A right-wing candidate is in a tight race against the Democratic vice president, who is running for the presidency of the United States.

Is it really the work of some militant Islamic jihadist group who wants to tip the balance? From the first evidence, it certainly looks that way. Forces within the Bureau want Shreya to back off from this particular case, since Shreya endangers her life repeatedly in her pursuit of the perpetrators. But, is that the only reason that higher-ups want her off this case? Shreya Mistry, on the other hand, feels like she must work doubly hard to prove her worth in a male-dominated agency, being a woman as well as a person of South Asian origin.

A father in London finds out that his 18-year-old daughter has joined the Sons of Caliphate. A mother in the United States also fears that her son is part of this militant group. Neither of them can believe that their children are cunning or cruel enough to pull off this horrible crime. They feel their children are victims themselves, kidnapped by the group. These two parents come together, determined to find their children and take them home. Will they be too late? 

The thriller is certainly a roller coaster ride and definitely a page turner. Like Mukherjee’s other mysteries in my beloved Sam Wyndham Series, social issues are as important to the plot as the mystery. We read about gender inequality, racism, Islamophobia, and other pertinent social issues that are present in our world. The one critique that I have is that the characters lack depth, unlike the characters in his other books. But then again, Mukherjee has set the bar high for his fans. The action and the suspense make up for the less than realistic characters, though. If you are looking for a fast-paced, crisp, suspenseful thriller, look no further.

I grudgingly admit this was an interesting stand-alone, but bring back Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee, sir. We are waiting!

Hunted by Abir Mukherjee is available in print format. 

Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates Light But Not Fluffy and co-facilitates Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.