So. Will veteran investigative journalist Sheela Raval`s crisp account of the gangsters she has met and interviewed/ chased in vain for an interview, blow the other books in this pantheon (notably the works of S. Hussain Zaidi) clear out of the water?
Not exactly but it`s a dashed good read. Featuring the usual suspects from Dawood to Iqbal Mirchi, Chhota Shakeel to Arun Gawli et al, the dispassionate reporting style of Godfathers of Crime (Hachette) neatly counterbalances the dramatic lives and lifestyles of the dramatis personae.
And as long as our fascination with the Mumbai underworld continues, as long as we want to know more about criminals who flee abroad, buy property in the most tony parts of Dubai, London, NYC, live like unfettered kings, books like this will continue to grip us.