The Captive is an exciting page-turner of a read by Lavanya Nukavarapu, focusing on a horrific murder-mystery. This police thriller revolves around a captive, Kruthi, who manages to escape imprisonment and runs to freedom, sparking interest in a kidnapping and murder case that resulted in the deaths of over 15 women.
The story moves quickly, but the suspense is built well. We're not exposed to the killer until the last moment, with the epilogue providing a satisfying, yet heart-breaking ending. The author does a bang-up job of eliciting sympathy for the victim, interest in the police case, and intrigue. Each layer is carefully pulled back from the antagonists, from the killers themselves. Each new layer answers new questions while encouraging the reader to keep probing.
What I enjoyed most about this novel was the surprise twist at the end - the author foreshadows the ending well, and left me feeling breathless by the end of it. It was a twist I did and did not see coming, and the author manages to tie up loose ends and close all plot holes.
I would rate this a 9/10 - the writing is really good. The build-up is well-done, the characters are fleshed out well, and it doesn't feel like there's anything really missing. There are a few grammatical errors here and there, but it's negligible - the author's writing manages to sweep you away.
*Warning: SPOILERS BELOW*
The novel opens with Kruthi's harrowing escape from being imprisoned, raped, and tortured for almost 20 days by the hands of three mysterious kidnappers. Rather than Kruthi being a special victim chosen for the heinous act, she is one of the many random kidnappings that have taken place over a broad area, and further investigations reveal over 15 bodies buried in the surrounding fields. This sparks a high-priority investigation. The team consists of Mathuri, an intelligent, driven woman with an uncanny gut instinct to lead her in the right path, Aryaveer and Dhananjay, two competent, focused young men and Dr. Lavleen, a forensic scientist who works on autopsies to provide more information.
The antagonists, too, are equally fleshed out - Anthony Pastor and Birju are led by the mysterious 'Boss', a shadowy figure who saves them, grooms them, and trains them to do his bidding. By selectively choosing violent, broken men, he's able to train them well - picking them up at their lowest points and presenting himself as their saviour.
Their stories, too, are harrowing and vicious, eliciting mixed feelings of horror and sympathy as you understand the lengths they are pushed to, to become who they are. I enjoyed this aspect because the author showed us how monsters are made, rather than simply delineating someone as 'bad person'.
The ending is definitely very satisfying - we finally find out who the Boss is. Dhananjay and Madhuri crack the code, and after a lot of wrong turns, it feels very satisfying to find the right one. Throughout the novel, the story is focused on this tight group of police officers, and the two antagonists. When the Boss is finally revealed, it makes sense as to why focus was restricted to these five or six people. I was afraid of a random introduction of an outside character, but the author doesn't do that - the Boss is a surprise twist, while still managing to make sense with the rest of the novel.
You can find the book here.
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