The Caretaker
A Ranjit Singh Novel
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4.1 • 15 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Who is the caretaker hiding in the shadows of the Martha's Vineyard mansions he tends?
Back in India, Ranjit Singh commanded an elite army squad. But that was years ago, before his Army career ended in dishonor, shattering his reputation. Driven from his homeland, he is now a caretaker on the exclusive resort island of Martha's Vineyard, looking after the vacation homes of the rich and powerful.
One harsh winter, faced with no other choice, he secretly moves his family into the house of one of his clients, an African-American Senator. Here, his wife and daughter are happy, and he feels safe for the first time in ages.
But Ranjit's idyll is shattered when mysterious men break into the house. Pursued and hunted, Ranjit is forced to enter the Senator's shadowy world, and his only ally is Anna, the Senator's beautiful wife, who has secrets of her own.
Together, they uncover a trail of deception that leads from the calm shores of the Vineyard to countries half a world away. And when his investigation stirs up long forgotten events, the caretaker must finally face the one careless decision that ruined his life- and forced him to leave India.
A gripping tale of hidden histories, political intrigue and dangerous attractions, A. X. Ahmad's The Caretaker introduces a new hero for our times: an immigrant caught between two worlds and a man caught between two loves.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ahmad's poignant debut, the first of a trilogy, introduces Ranjit Singh, a disgraced Indian army captain who's eking out a living as a landscaper on Martha's Vineyard with his discontented wife, Preetam, and his happy nine-year-old daughter, Shanti. Their fortunes take a turn for the better after Ranjit lands a job as the winter caretaker for the vacant house of Senator Clayton Neals in the African-American enclave of Oak Bluffs. Later, Ranjit and his family must flee the senator's house, where they have moved from their squalid living quarters, after Ranjit interrupts a break-in involving two armed men. Powerful people believe that Ranjit holds critical information and will stop at nothing to get it, so he must not only discover what the information is but how to use it to prevent his family's deportation and his own demise. Ahmad gradually reveals sordid political secrets and the story of Ranjit's disgrace in this finely textured story of bravery and knavery.
Customer Reviews
The Caretaker.
Boston, Martha's Vineyard, India, glacier covered mountains at the Pakistan border, poverty, wealth, the bed of one very sad and angry woman -- this is a book that takes you everywhere. It's a big story with a strong narrative, and it's a delight to read. Highly recommended.