The Ganja Coast (George Sansi Mystery #2) by Paul Mann
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Frederick Noronha
May 12, 2018, 12:44:57 PM5/12/18
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The Ganja Coast (George Sansi Mystery #2)
A sleepy community on the Indian coast, Goa is a paradise for the international hippie brigade, drawn by the golden beaches and endless supply of cheap dope. Where there's drugs, of course, there's violence, but Goa is used to a certain manageable level of brutality, used to mellowing its impact in a haze of pot smoke. Lately, though, the ugliness has gotten worse. Professionals have moved in on the drug trade, and even the sweetest smoke can't cover the stink of corruption that's pouring from the highest levels of local government. George Sansi, the half-Indian/half-English cop from Bombay (who debuted in Season of the Monsoon), thinks he's seen about the worst the world can offer. But when he gets a call to help clean up Goa, he finds himself unprepared for the grimly dark side of paradise. (less)
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Mystery lovers will find a complex, fast paced puzzle in The Ganja Coast by Paul Mann. George Sansi has left the police department to practice law, but before he gets started his ex-boss needs him to go undercover one last time. George heads to Goa with his girlfriend Anne, a western reporter. They are pretending to be a vacationing couple, helping to George to stay anonymous. He knows he will be in danger but figures Anne will be safe at their resort. He should have known better, soon Anne is right in the thick of things. Sorting out corruption in India is always a challenge, it becomes nigh on impossible in Goa. The children of the west still hang out on the beaches, aging hippies smoking ganja. All the beautiful beach front property could be put to better use than housing a bunch of low paying counter culture types from the west. All that sand and ocean could turn a tidy profit for development. Meanwhile the murder rate is rising in Goa, corruption is running amok, something needs to be done and George Sansi is just the man for the task. The murder of a young child raises the stakes, Sansi is getting into truly dark water. (less)
I read this mostly because I wanted to re-visit my visit to Goa a few years ago. I enjoyed the descriptions of the local geography, and the story itself wasn't bad, either. I think the author worked hard to present an accurate picture of India, with parts of the story occurring in Bombay and the bulk in Goa. If you like a good mystery and/or are interested in foreign places, you'll probably enjoy this.
While I don't think I would want to visit India I do enjoy reading about it and this, the second book in the George Sansi series, mixes political corruption, drugs, and hippies looking for enlightenment into an entertaining page turner. The first book in this series Season of the Monsoon was also a very good read.
Held my attention to the exspected ending
"Drug smuggling in India Goa headed off by George Sansi."
This was quite a nice 'not feeling great/on holiday' read although I did find it overly descriptive in parts. And some fairly large coincidences too.
I think I said I'm a sucker for all things India but this was amazing!!
Another George Sansi mystery. These are gripping, excellent beach-reads.
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Dan Driscoll
May 12, 2018, 4:39:59 PM5/12/18
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Interesting that this narrative is surfacing at a point when 'recreational cannabis' is about to become legal in Canada. In the late '60s I worked in a milieu that made plentiful use of 'the green herb', but when dear spouse brought me to Goa for retirement I found that (for a 'foreigner') it was a case of 'water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink'.
As of past months I begin to comprehend that any substance can be either 'used' or 'abused'; the point that 'where there are drugs there will always be violence' may be truth up to a point; but there is violence with or without 'drugs'. A Counsel that I'm promoting to the Authorities here is that 'spiritual guides' should be involved in the 'recreational use process'; the medical & juridical people have already provided proof that they cannot do it alone. My concern for the situation in Canada is that 'the money changers in the temple' are about to take over.
Bob Marley's spin on it was that King of Ethiopia was a 'reincarnation of Christ' and that Cannabis is a Sacrament. I rather think that a blessing-or-curse consequence depends on a state of mind --- if one ingests simply for the 'kicks', then kicks is what one will get; but if taken as 'God's Gift' then the heavy molecules work to kick up consciousness to a higher level.
One of the common 'effects' is 'the time-warp', with another way of 'seeing' the total equation of history-in-duration---the total amounts to more than the sum of its parts. My spiritual guru (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin) refers to the metabolic effects of many botanical and biological substances as a 'widening of the aperture'. William James in his Varieties of Religious Experience made the same point---to include alcohol.
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