Prem Rao

In Homage: ASI Shri Tukaram Omble, Ashok Chakra (Posthumous).

A few days ago, on November 26, my mind compulsively went back to the dreadful events that engulfed Mumbai – India’s commercial capital- on that day 17 years ago! As you would know, starting November 26, 2008 the city was in the grip of panic amidst concerted planned attacks by a group of Lashkar -e- Taiba terrorists from Pakistan.

In my blog post of November 27, 2020, I had recalled the tragic chain of events that took place after the terrorists landed in Mumbai in the evening of November 26, 2008.

Another 5 years have gone by since then. We remember with sorrow 166 innocents of different nationalities, mostly Indian who were killed and more than 500 who were severely injured. These didn’t take place in one place. The battle with the terrorists went on till November 29. It was centred in different locations like the Taj Palace, The Oberoi, Chabad House, Cama and Albless Hospital, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus of the Indian railways, the road leading to Girgaum Chowpatty etc.

There were many heroes in those chilling days. Many were nameless: taxi drivers who rushed injured to hospitals; Mumbaikars who sheltered passers by during the shootings on the roads; the constabulary of the Mumbai Police who were facing an enemy the likes of which they had never face before- in terms of quality of equipment or the indoctrinated ferocity of their attacks; the staff of the Taj and Oberoi Hotels who put this lives at risk to save their guests; and of course, the Naval commandos (the MARCOS) and the National Security Guard NSG who were better equipped to fight the terrorists.

Some were named too: like Vishnu Zende , the train announcer at CST whose timely announcements led thousands of people in the vast station to safety;

In my opinion, by far the bravest deed came from 54 year old Asst Sub Inspector Tukaram Omble of the Mumbai Police. He had joined the Mumbai Police in 1991 after serving in the Signals Regiment of the Indian Army. It was Omble’s sheer bravery that enabled Ajmal Kasab – one of the terrorists- to be captured alive. Kasab was armed with the dreaded AK 47. Despite this, Omble physically hung on to Kasab though he took many bullets in his chest He clung on till his colleagues overpowered Kasab. Omble was awarded a richly deserved Ashok Chakra posthumously.

We came to know later that the terrorists ( all from Pakistan) came wearing “kalavas” traditionally worn by Hindus and had IDs with Hindu names to confuse the police. There was also a bizarre claim by a few that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was behind the terror attack. The book ” 26/11: RSS Ki Sazish” was launched by veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh.

Thanks to Omble’s bravery Kasab was captured alive. This ultimately led us to the truth behind the dastardly attacks.

Years have flown past, but we remember Omble with awe and respect. We can never forget what he singe-handedly did in the early hours of November 27, 2008.

TV Serials

“Aarya”

At this stage on my life, I have the luxury of having time on my hands. This led me to seeing a lot of television serials. It was from a show Sunday Brunch with Sushmita Sen by Kamiya Jani of Curly Tales fame that I first got to know of Sushmita Sen’s venturing into her digital debut. Naturally, we knew of her as Miss Universe 1994 and a Bollywood actress after that.

“Aarya” the serial she starred in as the female lead got her the award for Best Actress Female at the Filmfare OTT Awards. The serial got much acclaim running for 3 whole seasons. These had 25 episodes fwhich aired from 2020 to 2024. A nomination for the International Emmy Awards for Best Drama series followed.

I was prompted to watch Aarya on JioHotstar. Watching this in 2025, I certainly had a lot of catching up to do! I soon got pretty interested in the show and saw all 3 seasons over several months. Sometimes I saw many episodes together, at other times there was along gap and I had to figure out where I had left off in the rather complex story. The story was interesting. I heard it was adapted from a Dutch drama series.

In my view, Sushmita acted well overall in a role which suited her- suave and sophisticated . Yet the story line seemed uncharacteristic of her – transitioning from being a home maker and mother of three kids to being a drug smuggling don. After an excellent start in Season 1, I saw a sameness in her acting. I wish she had been shown to be more vulnerable- and therefore more human! Her pet theme that mothers would go to any extent to protect their children rang hollow after some time. Yes, they would by and large! However, how many mothers would they take up drug smuggling in a big way in association with international gangs? How many mothers would kill or get people killed left and right?

It is true that in life some people do get good breaks from time to time. In this series all the chips were in Aarya Sareen’s favour . Episode after episode saw her win against the hapless ACP Khan. One felt almost sorry for the bumbling Khan – the last straw being that even Aarya’s kids called him by name as if he was some domestic servant of theirs and not a senior officer of the Narcotics Control Bureau. To add insult to injury, the director dwelt at length about Khan’s personal life which ultimately didn’t add any value to the story one way or the other. In another surprise, I thought the director was silent on the real story between the ever faithful Daulat and Aarya.

The violence and gore quotient was quite high all through the series but that was only to be expected. The story was gripping in many parts and the photography and screen play was of a consistent high standard.

If you like action packed thrillers, you will enjoy watching Aarya. Naturally, I have not spoken much about the story. Be prepared for some amount of complexity with many characters in the fray.

In The News

India’s Women’s Cricket: Rawal and Mandhana’s Record Partnerships

As I write this post, my prayers – along with those of millions of cricket fans in India- are with Pratika Rawal. The opening batter sustained an injury while fielding in India’s match vs Bangladesh a few days ago. India has qualified for the semi-finals of the ICC ODI World Cup for Women. The next game against Australia is most crucial. It is a do or die match as the loser gets eliminated from the tournament. Sadly, it appears unlikely that she will be able to play in this match.

Pratika, a 25 year old from Delhi, has carved a niche for herself as the opening partner for Smriti Mandhana in the Indian Women’s Cricket team. Her presence in the match versus Australia would have meant a lot to the Indian team. Let me explain why.

India has always done well when Mandhana and Rawal have given them a solid start. The match versus New Zealand a few days ago was again extremely important for India. They had to win to enter the semi-finals. Mandhana and Rawal scored 212 in their opening partnership to give them a dream start. Both scored centuries- Mandhana 109, and Rawal 122.

Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal : Picture courtesy: Firstpost

This was the highest partnership for India in the Women’s World Cup. They broke the previous record of 184 between Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur in 2022.

This opening pair has shown promise to be potential world beaters. In the year or so that they opened the batting for India Women, they have put together 7 century opening partnerships. Out of these, 5 have been in this calendar year! This is the most for Indian women and is jointly the second highest in the history of women’s cricket. In January 2025, they started with a 233 run opening stand against Ireland with Rawal scoring 154 and Mandhana 135.

Till date, they have the distinction of having scored 1557 runs in the calendar year 2025. This is fairly close to the highest so far- 1635 runs by the legendary pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly in 1998. In the ongoing ODI World Cup, they are No 1 and No 2 in the runs scored- Mandhana 365 in 7 matches and Rawal 308 in 6.

Yes, India’s women cricketers have truly come of age. Recently, Smriti Mandhana scored a century in 51 balls- making her effort the fastest century for an Indian- man or woman- in One Day Internationals. Till now the fastest 100 in an ODI was by Virat Kohli and came off 52 balls! Mandhana has hit 29 sixes this year which is a world record for women beating South Africa’s Lizelle Lee who hit 28 in 2017.

Pratika has shown that she has matured vastly as a young batter. She was the fastest in women’s cricket to reach 500 ODI runs- reaching this in just 8 innings. She beat Charlotte Edwards of England who had achieved this way back in 1997. She recently became the joint fastest in the world to reach 1000 ODI runs achieving the feat in 23 innings.

With Pratika’s injury, unfortunately it appears most unlikely that she and Mandhana will break the Tendulkar-Ganguly record for the most runs as an opening pair in a calendar year. After the World Cup, the Indian women tour Australia in early 2026. Let’s hope their partnership continues to flourish there too. Mandhana and Rawal certainly have it in them to be world beaters in the opening slots for women’s cricket.

Authors, Book Reviews

“The Battle Of Rezang La” by Kulpreet Yadav

The defeat of units of the Indian Army at various places by the Chinese in the 1962 War left deep scars in the psyche of most Indians. However, there were a few isolated cases of incredible bravery. The Battle of Rezang La was one of them. I was 11 years old in November 1962 when the epic battle was fought till the last bullet and the last man by the valiant men of 13 Kumaon under the leadership of Major Shaitan Singh.

Kulpreet Yadav’s book, “The Battle of Rezang La” published by Penguin Veer in September 2021 is a must read for all interested in modern Indian history. It retraces the events that took place on November 18, 1962 in the intense cold at heights over 18,000 feet in Rezang La. Men of C (Charlie) Company of 13 Kumaon faced enemy forces that vastly out numbered them. The Chinese had location advantages and far superior weapons and equipment. The Ahirs from Haryana who made up C Company had raw courage and a determination not to yield an inch of Indian territory.

The 1962 Indo-China War started in October 1962 and ended in December 1962 . Short though the period of conflict was, these few months took a heavy toll of India’s soldiers. More often than not they fought with poor clothing, totally ill equipped to fight in the intense cold of the mountain areas they were tasked to defend against overwhelming odds. Of course, the War also affected India’s political and military leadership. Prime Minister Nehru was never the same again, and died within the next two years. The Defence Minister Krishna Menon was sacked and the Army Chief, Gen P N Thapar had to resign. This book details one of the battles forced upon the Indian Army by the poor strategy and vision of Nehru, Menon and Thapar.

The main difference between this and many other battles in the short war was that the Indian officers and men displayed phenomenal courage and fortitude. Kulpreet Yadav (who retired as Commandant in the Indian Coast Guard after 23 years service) writes that the debacle of 1962, where a Nehru-led India lost humiliatingly to China, was not allowed to be discussed in public discourses or books. That facts about the Battle of Rezang La were not known at all to the public at large which vastly disappointed the author. This motivated him to research this battle which has few, if any, parallels in the annals of military history.

In the first week of February 1963, a Ladhaki shepherd discovered the frozen bodies of the Kumaonis. They were found in the positions they had died, carrying their weapons with them. Most of them had many bullets in their bodies. Amongst the dead was Major Shaitan Singh, the Company Commander. He was later awarded the Param Vir Chakra – India’s highest honour for displaying acts of valour during war- posthumously.

On that day in 1963, the bodies of 96 soldier of Charlie Company were recovered from Rezang La and cremated with full military honours amid the chanting of Vedic mantras. The combined funeral pyre was lit by Brig. T N Raina, the Brigade Commander. Many years later, he became the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.

The author did considerable personal research before writing this book. Being from Haryana himself, he met families of the brave Ahirs from that state who made up the complement of C Company of 13 Kumaon. He also talked to officers and men who took part in the battle, though they were not on the spot in Rezang La that fateful day in November 1962.

Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon was given the honour of being called “The Rezang La Company.” Today there is a memorial in their honour in Ladakh. The inspiration is: “To the sacred memory of the heroes of Rezang-La
114 martyrs of 13 Kumaon who fought to the last man last round
against hordes of Chinese on 18 November 1962. Built by all ranks
13th Battalion, the Kumaon Regiment.”

I would recommend this book to all students of military history and modern Indian history. I also hope the story of the famous Battle of Rezang La will reach the youth of our country.

Authors, Book Reviews

“The German Daughter” by Marius Gabriel

Recently I finished reading, “The German Daughter” by Marius Gabriel and found it very interesting. A decorated Royal Air Force (RAF) veteran of the Second World War passes away in the late 1960s leaving his grand daughter totally distraught. He had brought her up and cared for her more than anybody else. Agnes, the young lady, soon stumbles upon some evidence that changes her world forever. She realises that what she had been told all her life- that her parents had died in a car accident – was not true at all. Now she wonders if they were her parents at all. It then sinks in that the recently deceased grandfather who had brought her up with so much love -was not whom she had always imagined him to be!

These tumultuous events prompt her to give up her job and start searching for answers to many questions that torment her. She ignores the well meaning advice of friends to get on with her life and not dig into the past. She has no idea what will emerge from the web of deceit cultivated over the years in England, Norway and in Germany.

Agnes’s frantic search takes her first to Norway and to then undivided Berlin where most of the story is set. In the course of the search, she meets her biological mother, with whose life the actual story starts in Norway in the Second World War. She finds out about her father and about a sister, whom she did not know existed till then. This sister lives in East Berlin. On seeing her it becomes Agnes’s deepest desire to get her to safety and a better life in West Berlin.

The story moves at a fast pace. The author skilfully presents the story over the past (1940s) and the present (1960s) making it quite absorbing. Recommended if you like a thriller with lots of history thrown in.

In The News, My Take

From IT to Music: Sunil Koshy’s Inspiring Journey

It takes a lot of courage to leave a well-paying job in India’s much vaunted Information technology (IT) sector and strike out on your own. More so when your passion is not even remotely connected with the core work you do for a living. Sunil Koshy was working for Intel when he found the urge to follow his passion for music too strong to resist. Overcoming the inevitable initial hesitation, he decided to take the plunge, as it were.

He zoned in on an interesting idea. Millions of us, the world over, sing in the comfort and privacy of our bathrooms. However, we are too shy or scared to sing in front of others leave alone a sizeable audience of strangers. His start up, enticingly christened” From Mug To Mike” (or FMTM for short) sought to teach such people to break out of their comfort zones and muster the courage to sing- for their friends and family, if not for total strangers.

Over the years, FMTM has grown from strength to strength as has Sunil’s versatility. He is a music composer, director, vocal coach, singer- and a successful entrepreneur. In this, standing shoulder to shoulder with him is his wife and biggest supporter : Co- Founder: Archana Hallikeri.

They have developed different types of workshops of varying duration. These help people pursue a hobby, that is often relegated to the back burner out of fear, namely singing. You can catch glimpses of their work in their Instagram account.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Sunil for the past few years. More than my describing him, you may like to hear him tell his own story! By happy co-incidence, I came across this interesting podcast which Vanitha of Changepreneurs did on Sunil’s birthday, August 2. Happy listening!

My take aways from Sunil’s story: 1. It calls for a certain amount of courage to buck the trend and venture into unchartered territories. 2. Following your passion is not just a catch word or a fad. A lot of hard work and perseverance is required to make a success of your endeavour. 3. When you succeed, the satisfaction you get is unmeasurable.

I am sure Sunil will agree! He has set a high benchmark not only for himself but for other young people who may be motivated to emulate him. It augurs well for the future of our country when we have role models like Sunil Koshy!

In The News, My Take

Remembering The Emergency

On June 25, 2025, some five weeks ago, I don’t know how many of you remembered June 25, 1975 – the day the infamous Emergency was declared in India 50 years ago! All of us old enough to do so remembered the Declaration of Emergency by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s Congress Government on that day. More than the declaration day itself, we still vividly remember the horrors perpetrated during the Emergency which ran from June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977.

For those who have no idea what went on all those decades ago, this Factsheet released by the Press Information Bureau throws considerable light on those dark days. All of us were affected, some more than others. Some of us were lucky to come away unscathed. A few images still haunt me after all these years. The first is of George Fernandes shackled like a criminal. The second is of actress Snehalatha Reddy who died a mere 5 days after her release from prison. The third is men being forced to undergo sterilisation.

While there were many acts that went against the principles of a free democracy, the sterilisation campaign was by far the most heinous. At that time, I worked for a cement company in a remote part of the country. One day the Headmaster of the School our Company ran for the benefit of the employees’ children was considerable agitated. He said he had received orders – verbal of course- from the relevant Government authorities to marshal all the male staff of the school to a public hospital. The reason for this was clear. They were to be sterilised as that Officer had a target to achieve! Luckily, this was not a Government run School though it was recognised by the Government. It received no funds from the Government. This and the firm diplomatic nudge by our senior management enabled the Headmaster and his staff escape a fate -inevitable for the less fortunate.

I laugh to myself when I read reports in the newspapers in which opposition leaders accuse the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being fascist! Fascists like Adolf Hitler carried out over 4,000,000 sterilisations during 12 years of Nazi rule. In our 1975-77 Emergency, 1.07 crore sterilisations took place. Written as numerals that is: 10,700,000.

In The News, My Take

Man Made Tragedy at KSCA Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

As a huge fan of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) I was thrilled when we finally won the Indian Premier League (IPL) on June 3, 2025 after a wait of 18 long years! Like me, millions of fans celebrated- some long into the night and upto the early hours of June 4. It was a momentous victory coming after so many heart breaks. Remember, we had reached the finals on 3 previous occasions( 2009, 2011, and 2016) but failed to cross the line.

Naturally there was an explosion of emotion which was only to be expected. We were told there would be a grand victory parade and crowds in their thousands flocked to the Chinnaswamy Stadium hoping to see the function. Rumours/announcements of free tickets ( even if on a limited basis) added to the crowd frenzy. There was an unprecedented function on the steps of the majestic Vidhan Sudha. Even when the State team of Karnataka won the Ranji Trophy such an honour was not bestowed on the team. We watched the Chief Minister, Dy Chief Minister, and many Government big wigs with their families bask in reflected glory as the RCB players were honoured. The general public were kept far away. Yet they reached there in their thousands based on public invitations given by the CM no less. People perched precariously on lamp posts, tree tops, and even the roof of the High Court nearby. Thankfully, no one was injured.

Sadly, bad news was to follow. Near the KSCA’s Chinnaswamy Stadium there was total chaos. Survivors have described how they were not walking but carried away in the waves of frenzied fans. In the man made tragedy, 11 precious lives were lost. All were young persons. aged less than 30. They had come to celebrate but died without even catching a fleeting glimpse of the RCB players.

The print and visual media have given graphic and gory details so it not for me to repeat all that happened. The question is who is accountable? Who authorised the function in front of the Vidhana Soudha despite the warnings of senior police officials? Who was in a hurry to have the functions on June 4, when the police force were barely recovering from harrowing night of June 3 when Bengaluru celebrated RCB’s victory? Who made the announcement of free passes and the day’s program early on June 4 morning? Who decided that there would be two and not one function that day- adding to the stress of the limited police force? Who allowed the KSCA stadium to have far more people than the capacity warranted? These, and many other questions need to be answered.

The Chief Minister said he was invited by KSCA to the function so he attended. The Dy CM was present in the Chinnaswamy and pictures of him holding the trophy were splashed everywhere. The police say they did not give permission. The Police Commissioner- no less- has been suspended along with a few other senior police officers. The Secretary of the KSCA, Mr A Shankar,( an eminent CA, known to be extremely influential and powerful figure in Karnataka) and the Treasurer, Mr E S Jairam, have submitted their resignations accepting moral responsibility although they claim their roles were very limited. Nikhil Sosale, Head of Marketing for RCB, seen more prominently than even RCB skipper Rajat Patidar in the Vidhana Soudha function, has been arrested. Whether he was fleeing or not, can’t be said, but he was arrested in KIA Airport.

The State CID has been tasked to investigate the case. The High Court of Karnataka has suo moto taken up this matter for hearing on June 10. Compensation for the 11 victims was initially announced as Rs 10 Lakhs by the State Government but has now been increased to Rs 25 Lakhs.

I fear with the passage of time this story will get buried like every other. Fans need to get real. They should understand the real dangers of in being in the midst of mobs. The politicians are thick skinned. They aren’t going to lose sleep over 11 deaths- that too of people who were not celebrities. These deaths will not hurt them politically. If at all, perhaps M/s Shankar, Jairam and Raghuram Bhat ( former Karnataka and India left arm spinner and President of the KSCA) may be haunted by the last plaintive cries of innocent victims who lost contact with their loved ones and were trampled to death.

Yes, there are so many lessons to be learned by this 100% man made tragedy at KSCA’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Authors, Book Reviews

“The Rise of the Hitman- The Rohit Sharma Story” by R Kaushik

Being an avid cricket fan for six and a half decades, I love books on cricket and cricketers! I was delighted to read, R Kaushik’s “The Rise of the Hitman- The Rohit Sharma Story“. This was published recently by Rupa Publications.

For those readers of this blog, who don’t follow cricket as much as we do in India, let me say that Rohit G. Sharma is one of India’s superstar cricketers. He has successfully captained India to the T20 World Championship in 2024 and the Champions Trophy in 2025. These after that huge disappointment of losing to the Aussies in the finals of the 2023 ODI Championships. Rohit announced his retirement from Test cricket a couple of weeks ago.

In the world of franchisee cricket, he has had the distinction of leading Mumbai Indians to 5 victories in the prestigious Indian Premier League (IPL). Years ago, in 2009, he was a member of the victorious Deccan Challengers team- which gives him bragging rights to 6 IPL titles.

Rohit scored over 4300 runs in 67 Tests with an average of 40.58 and 12 centuries with a highest score of 212. He played 275 ODIs scoring over 11100 runs for India, with an average of 48.77 and a strike rate of 92. He hit 32 centuries including 3 double centuries. His highest score of 264 made in 2014 still remains the world record. In the more modern and currently everyone’s favourite format – the T 20, he has played 159 matches for India scoring 4231 runs averaging 32.05 with a strike rate of 140.89. He has scored 5 T20I centuries as well.

With this in context, let’s get back to the book. I found the book to be largely made up of impressions of Rohit, as a player, as a captain, and as a friend and human being from many eminent cricketers. The author has gleaned their thoughts and impressions over the years as they saw Rohit in different capacities. They include the likes of Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Anil Kumble, and W V Raman, who need no introduction to the cricket fan. Dinesh Lad, Rohit’s first coach recalls his childhood days and how he saw the latent talent in the boy from Borivali, a suburb of Mumbai.

“The Hitman” as Rohit is affectionately called by his world wide legion of Tests fans, went through many ups and downs. There were several deep disappointments, especially in the early years. His missing his first Test in 2010 due to an unfortunate injury on the morning of the Test readily comes to mind. Such was the competition for places in the Indian Test team that he had to wait for 3 years before he finally made his Test debut. Another big disappointment was his missing out on the T20 Team for the 2011 Championship which India won.

We read about his journey as a cricketer from the young days when he was seen as a boy with great talent till he became the icon he now is. The book highlights his skills as a player and more importantly as a skipper. It describes his memorable performances and what he brought to the table as he led from the front. As a captain of India, he won 12/ 24 Tests, 45/56 ODIs and 49/62 T20I. A very commendable record, indeed!

Ritika Sajdeh, his wife, has contributed immensely to Rohit’s successes. She deserves every credit for standing by him through thick and thin. I wish we had heard more from Rohit’s parents- their perspectives and challenges.

Books on crickets are devoured by cricket lovers. We just love our statistics! So, to set The Hitman’s cricketing achievements in context, I wish the book had a page on his career statistics, to make it more complete.

Thank you, Kaushik, for yet another well-written cricketing book! Your simple and elegant language makes for easy reading. We look forward to many more.

Authors, Book Reviews

“Meet The Kellys” by Chris Enss

When you hear there was a gangster in the 1930s in the US called George “Machine Gun” Kelly, what kind of guy would you think he was? Like me, you may have imagined a killer who shot people using a machine gun. In reality, George Kelly Barnes was a criminal who specialised in boot legging, bank robberies and kidnapping. He never killed anybody, leave alone with a machine gun!!

I came to know this and other interesting facts on reading ” Meet The Kellys” by Chris Enss. Thanks to #NetGalley I got a review copy of #MeettheKellys. This book – described as- The True Story of Machine Gun Kelly And His Moll Kathryn Thorne- is scheduled to be published by Kensington Publishing later this month.

Following the years of the Great Depression and Prohibition, the 1930s saw many criminals gain notoriety in the United States. “Machine Gun” Kelly was one of them, and his name was as well known as others like Al Capone, Ma Barker, John Dillinger, and the couple : Bonny and Clyde. Basing her story on newspaper articles and recollections of those who lived in those times, the author describes the lives of George Kelly and his wife Kathryn Thorne.

As you read this well-researched book, you will understand the personalities of this couple and the dynamics that were at play between them. George Kelly Barnes was from Memphis, Tennessee, and had an unhappy childhood. He wanted the good life and wanted money without working for it at all. Kathryn Thorne was already divorced twice when she first met him. She was street smart, good looking, willing to take risks and loved a life of luxury. She felt that Kelly would be the one to provide her with all that she wanted. All in all, she was the gangster’s moll.

The book describes in detail how the Kellys kidnapped Charles Urschel, the oil tycoon and the trial that followed. This was the biggest crime they committed. The case caught the attention of the media all over the country. Kidnappings were happening in plenty at that time and Urschel was kidnapped shortly after the Lindbergh case. This was the first big case of this type assigned to the FBI as kidnapping had been made a Federal offence.

The book paints a realistic picture of life in the United States in the 1930s. Poverty, greed, ambition, desperation and even little or no fear of the law made many take to crime. Some cases were more infamous than others. George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Kathryn Thorne were one amongst them.

I liked the book which was informative and interesting .