Author: Vish Dhamija
Publisher: Pan Macmillan India
Revenge is a dish best served cold, isn’t it?
Cold Justice by Vish
Dhamija is the story of what happens when Akash gets a call from Judge Shilpa
Singh who was arrested in situ – at the scene of the crime – with a knife in
her hand. She has been charged with first-degree murder. To make matters worse,
the police seem determined to ignore all other evidence that points towards a
corrupt politician who had threatened Shilpa while she presided over an ongoing
trial against him. The murder charge against Shilpa could easily derail his
trial. Two of India’s best defence lawyers, Akash and Vansh jointly take up the
case, but they soon realize they are pitted against one of the sharpest
prosecuting brains in the country, Ravi Nanda, who is always a step ahead of
them both, and pulls the carpet from under their firm feet. Twice. What happens
when the judge is on trial for Murder?
Cold Justice picks up the characters from his earlier book Unlawful Justice and while the premise of Akash and Shilpa’s romantic liaison is derived from that book, this book stands on its own merits. The plot of the book has been crafted in detail and there are minute details in the book that make it an amazing read. Right from stating case laws to a perfect example of a hostile witness, each scene in the book has been researched well. The storytelling is quite masterful and I loved how Vish keeps it close to the genre and the courtroom scenes have been so wonderfully described that visualizing them happen is quite easy. The idea of a sitting judge on a trial for murder is quite interesting and I liked how Vish treats this situation to set up the plot of the book. As is with Vish’s stories, the witty repartees and the humor that adds a wonderful flavor to this story. Another thing I would like to highlight the way the story has been structured, and as we go through the crime, the trial and the verdict, you realise that you just lived through a flavorful case. The climax, however is something that is the cherry atop the cake. The way the tables turn and the things that come to light will leave you astounded and with a wide grin on your face.
Coming to the characters, Cold Justice is a story that is propelled by
its characters. I liked the fact that due focus has been given to develop them
into powerful ones. Starting with Akash, I liked how she humanizes him and right
from page 1, we see the side of him that legal thrillers usually avoid. Another
interesting character is that of Pentium, and I liked the way Vish structures
him and while he appears on and off, I loved the way his role drives the story.
Nanda’s character is a perfect prosecutor to Vansh’s defence and the way he
structures his arguments and the line of questioning is something that keeps
you turning the pages.
This is a legal thriller that I would recommend to anyone who loves to savor
a well-researched and well plotted story. The book scores a 4.94/5 for me.
I was provided a copy of the book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Get your copy from the nearest bookstore or Amazon India.
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