Alright, so we’re back to doing this: writing reviews for Ibn-e-Safi’s novels.
The Beginning
The story begins with Captain Hameed following a beautiful woman (what else is new?) to the Niagra Hotel. Hameed is stunned to learn that our dear Colonel Ahmad Kamal Faridi is also present at the hotel. That day was special, a show by Italian dancer Greta Serano (I hope I’m spelling the name right). What surprises him more is that the performer is none other than the woman he had been following.
As usual, Faridi makes snide comments about Hameed’s “aurat khori”, and Hameed disregards the comments with panache. Faridi’s presence at Niagra makes things suspicious, though. It isn’t an everyday occurence for him to enjoy night life.
When Greta gets down to the floor to make a round, Faridi asks Hameed to cover his mouth with hanky. Hameed obeys. A scientist Dr Sharf at the hotel leaves abruptly, Faridi and Hameed on the tail. Sharf dies on the way, the symptoms similar to four other deaths in the city: nails leaving the fingers. The police has witnessed 4 such deaths in the past, all men who are at the top of their games in their respective STEM fields.
A German philosopher Professor Dakh had recommended Greta to the Niagra Hotel’s manager. Faridi and Hameed make an acquintance, but Dakh doesn’t like either of them. I like how Hameed teased Dakh by slow-driving next to him.
The Investigations
Faridi stealthily enters Greta’s abode and finds colourful capsules there in a bottle; the capsules are empty. He steals Greta’s certificates, just for fun. He also notices that someone else was present in the cottage, perhaps to steal something. Back home, Faridi spends hours in his laboratory to solve the mystery of those colourful capsules.
Hameed follows his instincts and tries to woo Greta by using some poisonless snakes from Faridi’s collection. The next thing we know, Greta is dead. By a snake-bite. Boy, is Hameed in trouble or what. Also, Caleb, a friend of Greta’s, files a complaint against Hameed. Now, to clear Hameed’s name, Faridi tells the D.I.G. how the colourful capsules work.
Faridi and Hameed follow a lead, only to find 4 humshakals, a few men digging a grave and cutting flesh of a dead body, and Greta seen at a restaurant. These few events happen quickly, leaving the police stunned, but Faridi is unperturbed.
اب مجرموں نے بہت تیز بھاگنا شروع کر دیا ہے اور جلد ہی کوئی غلطی کر بیٹھیں گے۔
The Climax
Hameed is captured and the perp is about to inject him with the same deadly germs that killed 5 important people of the country. Suddenly, someone barges in.
Our very own Faridi.
The perp announces that he invented a deadly germ as couldn’t bear the asians making such progress in STEM fields. So, he killed those who were making progress. Faridi snorts, refutes the claim that he invented the germ, tells about the origin, and then plays a trick just to show how intelligent an asian man can be.
Just wow!
Review
P.S. This post was initially drafted on January 7, 2020. It took me a roughly 5.5 years to finally get to it. Procrastination at its best.