Also really appreciate that author only included information that was confirmed by multiple sources and left out conflicting parts. If you're someone who loves crime thriller or possess a curious mind for Mumbai underworld, then this book is a must-read. Analysed in print, immortalised on film, their lives, their gangs, their 'businesses' are out there for anyone who wants the information.

Read it to understand that a human being is driven not only by power and money but also by the need to love and be loved.

Though there are numerous books and movies on life of underworld dons, mafia queens who can / are running underworld are unknown to normal people. Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts" - Zaidi's book "Black Friday" is a compelling account of the 1993 Bombay bombings. Matt Daniels of Mint wrote, "These are a handful of women who lived fearlessly, and Mafia Queens celebrates their spirit. His early experiences as a journalist provided him with a deep understanding of the criminal world and its dynamics.

It was so well written that as I read each paragraph, the whole surrounding and the characters were moving in my mind like a movie in slow motion. The most fascinating story I read about was Ashraf/Sapna Didi, a women whose single minded focus came close to kill the dreaded underworld Don Dawood. It was also heartening to read that Gangubai later adopted children from the locality and raised them. These women walked along with men and also at times, manipulated them to achieve the position they achieved in the profession they chose for themselves. Def 1 of the most riveting pieces of journalistic writing that i hv come across in a long time, and the author has manged to keep it succinct, yet filled with tidbits to titillate our never ending fascination with Mumbai and its underbelly!

The quality matters not quantity but who am I to say that to a veteran journalist who put his life at risk to bring this book to light for us? Dawood Ibrahim, Haji Mastan, Abu Salem, Chhota Rajan, Karim Lala - the who’s who of the underworld were often single-handedly supported or taken on by certain women who were not only bold and brave but were determined to have their way. But the real heroes are Zaidi and Borges, who ventured undaunted into the dark corners of the city to illuminate them.