Kaalkoot: The Lost Himalayan Secret by S. Venkatesh

"January 1944 

Holed up in a Himalayan hideout, freedom fighter Manohar Rai has to take a chilling decision – one that could mean life or death for millions of people. His only hope is a mysterious young man, who goes into hiding hours before Manohar is shot dead in cold blood. 

June 2018 

A forgotten legend from the upper reaches of the Himalayas is rearing its ominous head. 
The world will be brought to its knees. KaalKoot will strike again. 
Only three people have a clue about the horrors that are about the unfold. The only hope for survival lies buried deep in the remotest corner of Himalayas. But a terrible fate awaits those who seek it. 

Is it already too late Is KaalKoot – the primordial plague – unstoppable?"

Kaalkoot the deadliest of all poisons which according to Hindu mythology came out of Samudra Manthan and was taken care of by Lord Shiva by keeping it in his throat and which was so powerful that it even turned his throat blue is now going to rear its head again to destroy mankind. A poison which was buried for decades now stands to be exposed and used again. But if it struck not only will it kill millions and eventually billions, it will start another World War and only a handful of people know of its existence and even they are not given permission to stop it. Solely because most people don’t believe it exists but a few knows that not only does it exist it will be used by mankind on mankind unless they stop it at any cost, maybe even in exchange of their lives.

A fast paced novel totally filled with action and spine chilling brutality which blend the categories, terror and hope perfectly together. The author has a way with words which completely immerses the readers into the story. Kidnapping, murder, darkness, gunfights, Special intelligence agents from all over the world, these leaves no stones unturned in making ‘Kaalkoot’ a thriller.

It is told from the perspective of different characters whose lives get entangled with stopping the catastrophe. It is a race against time, in fact ‘Kaalkoot; the lost Himalayan secrets’ comprises a whole of few days. But the incidents that happened in such a short amount of time could affect at least the coming thousands of years and maybe could even symbolize the eradication of mankind, forever.

As it is told from different perspectives it throws light on the psyche of different characters showing all their traits which outwardly makes them something else but reveals all of their faults and nuances to the readers, showing them how childhood trauma can produce a hardcore criminal and how past shapes a person, for better or worse.

Overall I found this book to quite an interesting and overwhelming read. To be honest I finished it in a few hours. You just can’t stop until you know what happened! I found myself literally dragged into this thriller along side with Sam and Damini and Professor Bani, breathlessly waiting to see how they are going to accomplish the impossible when the world is set against them and what is going to happen next? And what will happen if they can’t? Will mankind face Pralay at last?

Author Bio


             

S. Venkatesh


 You can follow the author here-


https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18696597.S_Venkatesh

Disclaimer

I received this book as a part of review program in Outset 

https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in/ in exchange of an honest review