The Captive-Lavanya Nukavarapu

Book: The Captive
Author: Lavanya Nukavarapu
Publisher: Eka Press

Do you think we all have demons inside of us?

The Captive by Lavanya Nukavarapu is the story of how things unfold when a when a kidnapped girl escapes and sets the alarms ringing on at least 15 unsolved murder cases, mostly involving female victims. Kruthi Shah who escaped from the wooden cabin after killing one of her abductors. She makes it her life’s purpose to dish out what she sees as the punishment to the perpetrators of this crime. Madhuri Mahiwal, the Officer In-Charge, wants nothing but justice for Kruthi. How does the team crack the case and find the one who held Kruthi and the others?

The plot of the story seemed captivating in the beginning and had a solid start in the beginning as we saw how Kruthi was kept as a captive, but the plot unraveled too fast. I loved the manner in which the search operation was shown and the subsequent unravelling the mastermind of the story. Frankly, the search for the boss was one of the best parts of the book and how the author actually told the backstory, telling it one piece at a time. the title of the book holds many meanings in the book and as they show themselves, it is almost as if a sweater is unravelling, one thread at a time. The thing that could have been improved was the that the suspense could have been held on for a longer period. I would have loved to see a bit more of the wild goose chases in the story. The climax was fresh and interesting.

Coming to the characters, Kruthi as a character did fascinate me with her mental strength and personality as she faced all adversities, yet does not flinch. The way her arc has been established is noteworthy and I loved the surprise in the end. Avinash is another interesting part of the story that does make you think twice before coming to any assumptions as to his role in the story. The character of Madhuri as a police officer and her quest for justice seemed genuine and there was an earnestness in his character that appealed to me.

Overall, a good book that scores a 3.75/5 for me.

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