Blood money flows through the veins of Mumbai. People vanish around a night train. No one notices—until a pattern emerges. Once a feared Mumbai encounter cop, Assistant Police Inspector Suryakant Patil now sits behind a desk, wrestling with the demons of his past. Something feels amiss, but he doesn’t know what. When he picks up on the pattern, Patil is compelled to return to the hunt.
At his side is Head Constable Thakur, a street-smart veteran who knows when to talk and when to strike. Elsewhere, Mohan—an upright railway TTE—moves between backroom teen patti games and crowded platforms, navigating the tracks with quiet purpose. The deeper they dig, the murkier things get. The teeming alleys of Dadar, and the railway lines stretching into the hinterland, hide something dark.
Not every track leads to a destination. Some lead back in time. And those tracks aren’t meant to be followed. In the city and along the tracks, will Patil get to the truth, or will the truth get him first?
This is the debut book of Vivek Duggal- a Toronto-based writer whose journey spans continents and careers. Once an Indian Army cadet and later an advertising professional, he spent 20+ years refining his storytelling craft at top global agencies like Lintas, Leo Burnett, and L&K Saatchi & Saatchi—working across Mumbai, Dubai, and Toronto. Today, he brings his expertise to marketing communications while continuing to fuel his passion for writing.
Speaking about his writing journey, the author, Vivek Duggal says, “My two decades in advertising and marketing communications have shaped the way I observe people, places, and the human pulse that drives every story. Over time, that engagement with narrative evolved into a desire to craft one of my own. Itarsi Express is the result of that journey—a collaboration with Simon & Schuster India and The Sunflower Seeds that brings together lived experience, historical curiosity, and a deep fascination with how the past informs the present. The crime thriller unfolds in a city carrying its own baggage, and is set around a train that holds far more than just its passengers.”
As publishers at Simon & Schuster India, we believe every great story deserves its moment — no matter how new the voice. With Itarsi Express, debut author Vivek Duggal delivers a heart-pounding thriller driven by razor-sharp pacing and strikingly vivid characters, reaffirming that contemporary Indian fiction is ready for bold, fresh narratives. We are proud to champion diverse genres and first-time writers, because publishing is not just about honoring tradition, but about discovering what comes next.” says Sanjiv Gupta, Managing Director, Simon & Schuster India
“Itarsi Express is a gripping, atmospheric thriller that captures Mumbai in all its grit, velocity, and vulnerability. At The Sunflower Seeds, we are proud to champion a story that brings together sharp police procedural writing with the emotional depth of a character-driven narrative. Vivek Duggal’s voice is distinct, cinematic, and rooted in lived experience—this is the kind of storytelling that stays with you long after the last page.” says Preeti Chaturvedi, CEO, The Sunflower Seeds.