Eleventh Hour Read online

  Since childhood, I was fascinated by men in uniform. At that time, I used to think that we could sleep peacefully because of all these heroes I would read about – men like Shahwaz Ali Mirza and Vikrant Singh.

  This story had been in my mind for a long time. But I could not bounce it off my publishers or friends until it passed the first litmus test. My wife Velly and sons Ali Ammar and Ali Zain were surprised when, out of the blue, I took them out for a lavish dinner at my favourite joint in Andheri last year. They not only approved the idea but also began discussing the twists and turns as they gorged on the food. Her Highness Velly Thevar, my strongest critic, put a seal of approval on the story, ‘It will work.’ In fact, she also started discussing the director and main characters for the movie adaptation!

  Then I started the process of narrating it to my various friends from the police force and close associates in the intelligence community and adding more layers to the plot. The blueprint of the story was further strengthened with insights from my two young friends and pupils, Bilal Siddiqi and Gautam Mengle. Bilal, at the time, was too tied up with his own book The Stardust Affair and scripting the Netflix adaptation of his first book, The Bard of Blood. However, Gautam, a very fine journalist, became my sounding board and co-conspirator in the story. The book would not have been possible without his indefatigable contribution.

  I am inclined towards non-fiction and consider it to be my core competence. So while writing fiction I am always plagued with massive self-doubts. When I hit a plateau, Ananth Padmanabhan gently nudged me to finish the book. I appreciate Diya Kar’s work on the book as well. I would also like to thank my agent and friend, Kanishka Gupta, whose friendship I cherish.

  However, my most special thanks in HarperCollins is reserved for Amrita Mukerji, my editor, for her calmness, patience and professionalism.

  And finally, I would once again like to reiterate that Mirza and Vikrant, my heroes in the book, are not merely products of my imagination. They are the synthesis of a few unnamed policemen and intelligence sleuths whom I know personally.

  About the Book

  THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY…

  New Delhi, 2017. It is nine years since the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai and the wounds have still not healed. Especially not for Superintendent of Police Vikrant Singh. Now with the National Investigation Agency, Vikrant manages a meeting with Pakistani High Commissioner Zakir Abdul Rauf Khan, who is on a visit to India. While Vikrant claims he only wants to appeal to Khan to speed up the process of bringing the culprits to book, he ends up landing a blow on the high commissioner’s face.

  Meanwhile, in Bhopal, five members of the Indian Mujahideen, arrested by Vikrant for planning terrorist attacks in Mumbai, break out of the Central Jail. Vikrant, recently suspended for the incident that was a diplomatic disaster, is unofficially asked to assist the team tracking the escaped terrorists.

  In another part of the country, a retired professor, a heartbroken ex-soldier and a young woman dealing with demons of her own embark on a journey of self-discovery aboard a cruise liner from Mumbai to Lakshadweep. Fate, however, has other plans, and the cruise liner is hijacked.

  Racy and riveting, this is S. Hussain Zaidi at his best.

  About the Author

  S. Hussain Zaidi is a veteran of investigative, crime and terror reporting in the Mumbai media. He has worked as resident editor at Asian Age, Mumbai; and editor, investigations, at Mumbai Mirror, Mid-day, and the Indian Express. He is the author of several bestsellers including Black Friday, Dongri to Dubai, Mafia Queens of Mumbai and Byculla to Bangkok. His latest work is Dangerous Minds. Several of his books have been adapted into movies including the eponymous Black Friday, directed by Anurag Kashyap; Shootout at Wadala, based on Dongri to Dubai, directed by Sanjay Gupta; and Phantom, based on Mumbai Avengers, directed by Kabir Khan.

  Zaidi is also associate producer for the HBO movie Terror in Mumbai, based on the 26/11 terror strikes.

  Also by the author

  Byculla to Bangkok: Mumbai's Maharashtrian Mobsters

  Headley and I

  Mumbai Avengers

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  First published in India by

  HarperCollins Publishers

  A-75, Sector 57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India

  www.harpercollins.co.in

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  Copyright © S. Hussain Zaidi 2018

  P-ISBN: 978-93-5277-929-1

  Epub Edition © June 2018 ISBN: 978-93-5277-930-7

  This is a work of fiction and all characters and incidents described in this book are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  S. Hussain Zaidi asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved under The Copyright Act, 1957. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers India.

  Cover design: Saurabh Garge

  Cover images: iStock

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