Accused as an accessory to murder, New York City taxi
driver Ranjit Singh has only 10 days to find the person who
actually killed Bollywood actress Shabana Shah. She was
alive when he dropped her off at the main door of the
Dakota apartments. When Ranjit comes back to return a dress
Shabana left in his cab, he discovers the Dakota's doorman
is an old acquaintance from their military days in India.
Joining his old friend for dinner in Shabana's empty
apartment means that Ranjit's fingerprints are everywhere,
making him a prime suspect later when the actress is found
bludgeoned to death in that same apartment. Of course, the
doorman/friend is nowhere to be found, leaving Ranjit on
his own to prove his innocence.
With only 10 days before arraignment, Ranjit is desperate
to find the missing doorman. Pursuing every connection he
can think of, Ranjit finds himself in some pretty untenable
situations, especially when it concerns a former boss who's
an importer of human hair and a disreputable businessman.
The more Ranjit learns about Shabana's life, the more
numerous the possibilities of her killer's identity. Ranjit
skillfully uses his military training and deductive
reasoning to reach a shocking conclusion to the case.
As the second book in the Ranjit Singh series, THE LAST
TAXI RIDE by A. X. Ahmad is a compelling, high-
stakes thriller with many thought-provoking cultural
aspects. Characters are realistically portrayed in a plot
filled with enough exciting twists and turns to retain the
reader's interest until the surprise ending.
New York City taxi driver Ranjit Singh, hero of A.X.
Ahmad's heralded debut The Caretaker, has 10 days to prove
his innocence...
Bollywood film icon Shabana Shah has been murdered, her
body found in the apartment where Ranjit ate dinner mere
hours before. Ranjit's fingerprints are all over the murder
weapon, a statue of the elephant god Ganesh used to
grotesquely smash the actress' beautiful face. Caught on
film leaving the apartment alone, Ranjit is accused by the
NYPD as an accessory to murder.
Ranjit's only credible alibi is Shabana's Indian doorman,
but he has vanished. With a Grand Jury arraignment looming
in 10 days, and Ranjit's teenage daughter about to arrive
from India, he must find the doorman. His search through
the underbelly of New York leads to the world of high-end
nightclub owners, back-alley Mumbai gangsters and to Jay
Patel, a shady businessman who imports human hair. As his
investigation for the true killer reveals layers of Shabana
Shah's hidden past, Ranjit does not know whom to trust. He
can rely only on his army training, his taxi-driver
knowledge of New York, and his cabbie friends.
With time quickly running out, can Ranjit clear his name
before his fare is up? The Last Taxi Ride is the second
novel in the Ranjit Singh trilogy.