The Krishna Key - Book Review


This post is' first' of many kinds!This is the first time, I am doing a review for a book of a different genre.And the first one happens to be Ashwin Sanghi's thriller -The Krishna Key.This also happens to be my first read of this author's book.






The author – Ashwin Sanghi…


Ashwin Sanghi is an entrepreneur by profession but due to his passion for thrillers ,took up writing historical thrillers. This book is his third,the other two being-The Rozabal Line,a theological thriller and the political thriller-Chanakya Chant.

The Book - The Krishna Key …..

I love thrillers and this one is no exception.Each chapter starts with Lord Krishna narrating a story from the Mahabharata, followed by the story that is set in modern times.


The story starts with the murder of Anil Varshney, a leading linguist and symbolist. The story revolves around 4 seals from the Vedic period .Anil has one and has given the remaining 3 seals for safe keeping to three of his classmates who are now scientists in various fields. The fourth one which is in his possession is stolen by his murderer. The left leg is stabbed and a mark of Vishnu is stamped on Anil's forehead. A verse is written with his blood on the wall above him. This pattern of killings continues as the murderer seeks the remaining three seals.

Professor Ravi Mohan Saini ,who is Anil’s closest friend gets ‘involved’ in the series murders that take place. The police mistake him for the suspect and Saini escapes from police custody along with his Doctoral student, Priya and this is facilitated by Priya’s father who is a lawyer. He tries to prove his innocence by going to various places to meet the other people who have the seal but they are murdered before he arrives and since he is invariably present in murder scenes, it makes his side of the case weak.

Taarak Vakil, who is tutored by the desperado in various arts with the belief that he is the 10th incarnation of Lord Vishnu is the actual culprit but gets away from the crime easily.

There are several interesting twists and turns in this tale. Friend turns foe and the antagonist turns into Saini’s love interest.

The bevy of scientists in this novel come into focus at different points of the story to uncover Lord Krishna’s prized possession- the Syamantaka or the Philosopher’s stone. The 4 seals are in a way connected to the discovery of this stone.

The fast paced plots takes the reader on a journey to Dwaraka, Somnath ,the icy Kailash mountain and finally to the famous Taj Mahal.

Is Saini able to prove his innocence and does he get hold of the Philosopher’s stone is the climax.

My view….

·        Mythology intermingled with the present day thriller is a good attribute. The short snippets at the start of each chapter give an insight to the stories from the Mahabharata and the modern day story tries to interpret the Vedic period in a different light.
·        Significance of the numbers 18 and 108 is explained in a clear way and it brings out the importance of these numbers in Hinduism. Interestingly there are 108 chapters in this book.
·        Aspects like -'Was nuclear weapon used in the 'Mahabharata war',history of the Somnath temple, architectural feat of the Taj Mahal, the powers of the Shiv Linga and the reason why Bhel leaves are used to cover it are discussed in an interesting way.
·        The book is well researched and even has an acknowledgment and reference section at the end
·        I love Dan Brown's works and this book somehow reminded me of ‘Angel’s and Demon’s. Since the settings and characters are different, the story is appealing.
·        Certain points are repeated at various places and in my opinion they could have been avoided.
·        There are a few errors and care could have been taken to avoid them especially the one that mixes up the names of the 2 female characters.

Do I recommend this book? 

YES....Reading a book that has a fast paced story with an interesting intertwine of two eras is totally exhilarating! If you are a history buff / love the epics / have a soft spot for thrillers, this book is a must read....

At a glance

Book - The Krishna Key

Author - Ashwin Sanghi

Publisher - Westland Ltd.

No. of Pages - 464

Price - INR 250

This is not a paid review.This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Happy Browsing...





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