The Wrath of Karma, by Vimal Vaz, is a continuation of Chapter 42 from The Kiss of Karma, in which Ashok makes a decision to deal with an issue that threatened the future of his sister, mother, and himself. That decision built into a set of circumstances that no one could have predicted. Ten years later, the thrill that went along with being tough, wealthy, and powerful isn’t as glamorous as it had once seemed to be. Seeing what he has become and the path that his sister has taken leaves Ash feeling empty and looking for a way out. Getting out of the gang world and a certain violent end isn't as easy as it would seem. When a love from his childhood, Sherifa, shows up in his life, Ash believes that there is hope, but even she isn’t what she once was. Leaving his hardened past behind and trying to change becomes a deadly game without an escape.

Vimal Vaz has done it again with The Wrath of Karma. After the thrilling and dark story of Ash in The Kiss of Karma, he has taken things a step further to tell the story of how violence begets violence. Again, Vimal does an excellent job of developing the characters and weaving a plot that keeps the reader on edge. Readers who are looking for a page-turner with be delighted. This book tears a sheet out of a gangster’s diary, one who has attempted to break free from the bondage. Readers will be in their element as they dive into the depths of this thrilling sequel. If you enjoyed The Kiss of Karma, you will love The Wrath of Karma. Serious readers should have both in their library.

The Wrath of Karma is author Vimal Vaz's sequel to The Kiss of Karma. In it, Ash Choudhary yields to a moment's madness and commits an act he instantly regrets, an act which he had turned away from in The Kiss of Karma. Vaz's sequel thus paints a very different future for the young hero than that supposed in the first book. Ash is in thrall to Ramesh Rahman, his father's old employer and friend, someone Ash has always known as Uncle, but who is in reality a crime boss and burgeoning drug lord. Ash feels a debt of obligation to Rahman who had covered up his crime and helped install his sister and mother in an apartment. In return, however, Ash is compelled to take on more and more of a brutal role as Rahman's enforcer and number two. Ash's long-standing dream of a beautiful island with a woman and child waiting for him has been supplanted by a recurring nightmare of that night of madness that changed everything. Ash feels at his wit's end until he sees someone from his past dancing in Rahman's club.

The Wrath of Karma is an unusual sequel in that it shows an alternative reality to that set up in the first book, The Kiss of Karma. We see an Ash who seems trapped and powerless in an existence that runs counter to everything he believes in. His world is dark, dank, and dirty, and the violence of that world seems to be creeping into his soul. Readers of the first book, however, will be pleased to see that Ginger and Carlton are still a part of Ash's life, and will, no doubt, start cheering when Cherri reappears.

While I was concerned at first about the direction The Wrath of Karma was taking, I soon got caught up in the action and suspense. Vimal Vaz paints this new reality vividly, and I found this new world every bit as enthralling as that in which The Kiss of Karma takes place. The Wrath of Karma is a fabulous read and a highly original concept for a sequel that works magnificently.