The Nidhi Kapoor story by Saurabh Garg

Two dogs and a cat are butchered at the home of Nidhi Kapoor, a leading Bollywood actress. Left behind is a mysterious letter threatening Nidhi and her family. Nishant Kapoor, Nidhi’s father and a superstar of the yesteryears is confined to a retirement facility in the hills. Tormenting him are his recurring dreams of someone trying to hurt him and his family. A film set where Nidhi Kapoor is shooting for her much anticipated film goes up in flames. Trapped inside are Nidhi and her sister, Payal.

ACP Prakash Mohile is forced to take up the investigation. Rujuta Singh, a photojournalist chronicling the lives of policemen in Mumbai and shadowing Prakash, gets embroiled in the case. The answers however continue to elude Prakash and Rujuta.

What is it in their past that Kapoors are hiding from the world? 
What grudge does the assailant hold against the Kapoors?
And, can they save Nidhi?

Nimue Says : First thing ,I loved the cover of the book. And then the plot had enough to intrigue any reader. The opening chapter of the book set up the base of a dysfunctional family and the roots that Nidhi Kapoor comes from. The book then alternates between the past and the present randomly but always linked to one of the sins that humanity is plagued with.

Prakash Mohile is your hard working , never-at-fault ACP whose only relationship seems to be with Tambe , the inspector who follows all commands and knows Mohile best. Then there is Rujuta who is an independent photojournalist who is initially unaffected by Prakash's waysand work but once she witnesses the crime scene at Nidhi Kapoor's home , she is hooked to the investigation and is determined to be useful in solving this mystery.

The characters , are well sketched and the research done for the sketch and development of all people mentioned , shows in the book . My favorite is Tarana whose philosophies I so well relate to.Some descriptions seem a little cliched but the overall effect is never lost. The writing is simple and without much frills which do not take attention away from the story at any given moment. The story has a good pace that does not feel forced or bores with a stretched timeline. The switch between the present and the background story is neat and helps the reader make sense of the now and s dread for tomorrow.

And yet , Some times you close even a wonderfully penned book with mixed feelings – Happy that it had a proper closure but still not satisfied with the way it ended. “The Nidhi Kapoor Story” for me was somewhat similar in effect. While I liked the plot and the way the layers of the story reveal themselves as the author conducted his orchestra with the plots , I felt the layers needed to be reshuffled a bit. The answers were all out there for the keen reader and it felt that the last few pages were not needed at all or perhaps they should have been in some other place !

Overall , a very engaging and thoughtful read.

My Rating : 4/5