The Missing Tile and Other Stories is a collection of short stories and Saeed Ibrahim’s second book after the widely acclaimed family saga, Twin Tales from Kutcch. The fifteen stories in this collection are slice-of-life, character-based portraits reflecting on various aspects of human behaviour. Drawing us into the lives of ordinary people, their cares and concerns and their very human foibles and failings, these people-centric stories are sure to resonate with a large spectrum of readers, both young and old alike. Although the stories are set in India, the underlying themes are universal in their relevance. Some are light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek pieces on the quirks and idiosyncrasies in people’s behaviour, whilst others offer surprising insights into human nature’s compassionate and humane side. The tenor in the funny stories is entertaining and in the more serious ones connected with socially relevant issues; inspiring and thought-provoking. A notable feature is that the various stories in the collection celebrate India’s diversity, pluralism, and composite culture, which regrettably have been threatened in recent times. Danesh Bharucha’s imaginative sketches bring to life the characters in the stories and are skillfully adapted to suit the ambience and mood of these evocative tales.

It all began in the bloody Vietnam War as two platoons led by Lt. Jack McKeon and Lt. Keith Kirkland united in a joint effort to overpower the North Vietnamese Army on the battle of Hill 57. Many will die and few will survive this dirt-chewing war. Nine years later, a violent tragedy will take the lives of Jack Mckeon's wife and daughter. Trying to live a normal life, Jack McKeon, a natural outdoorsman ventures on an African Safari tour. An unfortunate event in Nairobi, Kenya causes him to run from the law. Innocent, he journeys deeper into the grasslands of the grand Serengeti plains. Confronting big-game hunters and poachers in his expedition, Jack McKeon makes it his mission to stop the ivory-bloodshed that has decimated the rhino and elephant populations. Unbeknownst to Jack, all the poachers' work for Lt. Keith Kirkland, cartel-leader of the ivory-world, and the man who saved his life in the Vietnam War.