A tribal man dies with some mysterious words branded into his skin. The silhouette of a young woman is visible near him and strikes a chill in the hearts of those who first come upon the body. Is it real? Is it a prank played by an overactive imagination? What do the words say when translated into modern language? These and more such questions play upon the mind when reading Sumana Khan’s ‘The Revenge of Kaivalya’ and keep our adrenaline flowing.

Brought up as we are on stories of the paranormal and movies on snakes chasing down and killing those who murdered their mates, we lap it all up in glee. This is something we can really relate to. Who is Kaivalya? Who does she want to kill and why? We meet the forest officer Dhruv, the rich young man Neel, the dashing lady police officer Shakti, Dr Bala and his wife Nithya, Ravikanth and his unfortunate wife Shivaranjini ― all of them struggling to come to grips with the unknown.

Adding to the tension is a parallel plot line talking of the kidnapping of the young son of Neel’s friends Ved and Arundhati by a suave kidnapper who seems to live by his own code of conduct and is miles ahead of the cops. How are they all related and how will this all end? Sumana successfully juggles several balls at the same time and keeps us turning the pages till the end. Her characters are drawn with meticulous attention, her language is sparkling and the plot is excellent. Does Kaivalya win finally or do her human opponents lay the ghost to rest? The brooding silence of the Sakleshpura forests comes alive as the book thunders to a close.

An interesting read and a jolly good ride to the climax. Make sure you catch this one.

The book is published by Westland and is available in leading bookstores and online as well.