Shelf life: The gallery of usual suspects

Publisher: Hachette

Pages: 260

Price: Rs 399

At first glance, there is nothing particularly enticing about The Warehouse, but the book grows onto you, like a pop song. You become fond of the protagonist, an insurance investigator based in Karachi called Syed Qais Ali Qureshi or Cash to friends. The opening chapters portray him as a washed out middle-aged man, but the author SS Mausoof takes his time to reveal the layers to his character.

Cash is borderline alcoholic, brimming with conspiracies, a smooth talker and sensitive to women. He also manages to land himself in trouble fairly often, even when he is not looking for it. When the novel opens, he has taken on a risky assignment because he needs the money to take care of his ailing mother and young daughter.

One thing leads to another and he becomes a pawn in the real world struggle that has wreaked havoc on Pakistan’s geopolitical landscape. He is a pious man, strong but with no machismo to rely on in an environment that is fuelled by guns and testosterone. So he goes with the flow in the interest of surviving another day.

Massouf’s language is casual, his repartee is witty and he knows when to stop. There are no shocks or gimmicks in this thriller, and as the plot escalates, you willingly follow Cash from one life-threatening situation to another.