A true to life account of what transpired at the Taj Hotel, Mumbai while the world watched glued to their TV screens. The book gives a detailed account of how David Headley conducted the recce of a much-loved city, the journey of the terrorists who came in through a dinghy into the city and wreaked havoc. It also touches upon briefly the parallel attacks that took place on VT Station (now CST) and Café Leopold. There were Faustine and Florence Martis, a father-daughter duo who were on duty in the Taj when the attacks took place. Karambir Kang, the General Manager and Vice president of the Taj, had his wife and two boys staying at the Hotel in a suite on the sixth floor. Amit and Varsha Thadani were celebrating their wedding reception at the Crystal Room and had invited over 500 guests. Ravi Dharnidharka, a captain in the US Marines was visiting Mumbai for the first time in more than a decade to reconnect with the Indian side of his family. The above are just a few I mention, but the book also speaks about the senior army and police officials including Rajvardhan Sinha, Hasan Gafoor, Govind Singh Sisodia amongst others. The roles of Zaki ur- Rehman Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed is also spoken about in depth and Ajmal Kasab’s training along with the other terrorists at the hidden camp finds a mention. The book is not for the faint-hearted. The narrative is so gripping that it draws you into a world where at times you watch the terror unfold in front of your eyes. There are some brave hearts that shine through in the narrative as well. This book is recommended for all those who like to read real-life stories with a hard-hitting narrative. Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark are authors of four books, most recently The Meadow, about the 1995 Kashmiri kidnapping that changed the face of modern terrorism. For sixteen years they worked as foreign correspondents and investigative reporters for The Sunday Times and The Guardian. In 2009, the One World Trust named them British Journalists of the Year, having won Foreign Correspondents of the Year in 2004. They co-produce documentaries, including Kashmir’s Torture Trail, winner of a 2013 Amnesty International Media Award. Currently, they are filming several new projects in South Asia. _ Buy the book here: