Small towns have always been amidst attraction. They tend to generate impromptu interests and leads others to believe in the fact that there is really something there. Author Durgesh Shastri in his book "Curse of the Red Soil" lets loose a flurry of events and let readers be in the thick of things. So how does it pan out? Let's find out.
History bears testimony to the fact that the jet black bidriware statues have mesmerized people from all around the world. Aaradhya, an engineering graduate, finds herself in the middle of a deadly mental storm when she realizes that a bidriware statue has turned into a nightmare for her and is giving her sleepless nights. She begins her quest to unravel the truth and undertakes a journey full of thrill, deceit and betrayal.
Things take a dramatic turn when she discovers that her mission has turned suicidal and could ruin her future and destroy her family. The situations take her through a roller coaster ride through several monuments like the Bidar Fort, Jharni Narsimha, the Gurudwara and the Charminar area of Hyderabad to name a few. The answer to her questions lies in a secret hidden by her father a secret that can shatter several lives and curse those who commit crimes in the city of the red soil. Read curse of the red soil to experience a blend of suspense, thrill, love, history and mystery all at once.
First look at the title and the cover and it surely looks something out of the blues. The book cover resembles the front page of a newspaper, so much so making it look like a report. Even the title feels a more history laden book but that's not the case. The blurb talks about a young girl and her exploits in Bidar. Probably the blurb could have been kept more mysterious with some thought provoking lines and giving away less.
The story is set in Bidar and revolves around Aaradhya Patil and the Patil legacy. Something from the past haunts her, but she cannot put her finger on to it. But the sudden interest and few turn of events have again come full circle to give her jitters and with the help of her friends she needs to expose the ugly truth. But the enemy is formidable and has a veil which works as a perfect cover up. So what will it take to uncover the truth? Who will come out as a winner and who will lose the game of wits? That's what the story is all about.
The story is an outright thriller with offensive measures to take it forward. The story constantly remains on the onslaught and settles for very less of peace time. It turns around and comes back to hit the readers back. The story line has a mixture of action and thrill which lends a backbone to the book. The entire air of mystery gives wings to some anticipation in the story and leads readers to believe in the book. There are few close moments in the book which gives it a hair raising experience.
The downside of the story is it's repeated feeble attempts to make mystery look big. The story gets exposed and it doesn't turns it into a creepy mysterious thriller. The edge of the seat experience is found wanting in the initial run and it all seems too easy upfront. A few more surprises could have been thrown to let readers deviate off track and then bring them back to reality. It could have gone a little more harder on confrontations between characters.
All in all the book generates a decent amount of interest and sails with caution. There is fair amount of turbulence and it lends the story to sway either ways. It doesn't comes out as a complete winner but gives the thriller genre a thing or two to rejoice about. A tighter leash on the story line could have made the outcome look more settled and hard hitting. But some brownie points as the set up gets the story moving in the right direction. A fair attempt but need to finish it off with the best shot.
RATINGS:
3 OUT OF 5
No comments:
Post a Comment