This book is a wonderful wandering in the seemy underbelly of life in India, working with conmen, fake fakirs, grave robbers, and the poorest of the poor. The discussions of the activities to debunk small town con-artists using street magic tricks to gain followers is very interesting. The author's interactions with his mentor seem a bit surreal and are probably not intended to represent literal truth, but more along the lines of Dan Millman's Way of the Peaceful Warrior or Carlos Castenada's descriptions of his mystic teacher, Don Juan.
Overall, an excellent read which I would highly recommend to anyone with an interest in Indian or planning a trip there. It will give you a very fresh perspective.