The Ace of Shadows published by Leadstart is a striking thriller and suspense tale by Balakrishna Kamath.

This book is special because the author himself is a former intelligence officer with almost four decades of experience in a premier intelligence agency of India. His experience in the intelligence field is well reflected in the fictionalised incidents narrated in the book. Therefore, one cannot but expect the storylineto be almost true.

This will indeed intrigue the readers and compel them to find out more about the operations discussed in the book. A passionate writer, Kamath used to find time in the midst of his demanding work schedule, to scribble little private notes on adventures that he used to witness in his everyday life.

'The Ace of Shadows' is the second book by the author, the first being 'The Velvet Gloves'. "I was always passionate about writing, but being a part of the intelligence organisation, writing for the open media was a taboo. After retirement, when I started writing, the major impediment was getting used to the unfamiliar public domain. Intelligence operatives are faceless faces of our national security apparatus," says Balakrishna Kamath.

The story is set in the 1980s when Pak ISI was targeting India with terror attacks and other violent activities. One such activity is meticulously presented in this book. The book is indeed a fascinating account of how India’s Internal security agency responds to a lethal challenge from the Pak ISI.

The Indian response was primarily crafted by the protagonist Yashwant Narayan Godbole, an ace intelligence operative.The book creates interest and curiosity right from the initial pages and develops slowly against a strong premise. The timely unfolding of events and unpredictable plot twists, play a significant role in keeping the readers glued to the book. However, what makes the book even more distinct is the detailed explanation of almost minute to minute procedure of the investigation.