The Shadow Throne by Aroon Raman is one of the rare books written by an Indian author that can termed as a genuine spy thriller. The story begins with a body being found in a mysterious condition, near the Qutub Minar in Delhi. The officer in charge of investigation, Inspector Syed Ali Hassan calls journalist Chandrasekhar for help in the investigation. The victim bears a striking resemblance to someone from ancient Greece. Soon Ali Hassan realizes that he is no longer in-charge and that the case has been handed over to RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), India's external intelligence agency.
With the limited information that he has, Chandra turns to an old friend, Meenakshi Pirzada for help in the investigation. After due diligence, she concludes that there is an ancient cult trying to resurrect itself, with the help of some powerful people inside the system. Even before Chandra realizes, he gets entangled in the secret and dangerous world of international espionage. He comes to the conclusion that India is under the threat of a nuclear attack and the key to neutralizing the threat lies in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan. It is interesting to see if one man can stop India from a WMD attack. The Shadow Throne was published by Pan Macmillan India in 2012 and is available in paperback.
