It is a widely accepted conjecture that to attempt a spy-thriller as a debut is imprudent and impractical.
The intricacies of this genre are such that scores of nascent writers who have tread this path, are either lost in oblivion or have deviated from the genre.
Rarely a writer succeeds to sever these walls of ubiquitous assumptions and stands out with a perfect cocktail of pensive suspense.
Shatrujeet Nath is one of those rare breed of writers. In his debut work of fiction, The Karachi Deception, Nath presents a riveting tale of action, adventure, suspense and deception.
Three army commandoes in the garb of assassins, two rival intelligence agencies, a plot to assassinate a dreaded underworld don hiding in Pakistan, treason beyond belief and tightly knit twists and turns, with no loose ends to spare.
A perfect blend for an enthralling spy-thriller.
The plot is set in the backdrop of global terrorism. The author introduces action at the very beginning of the story.
This engulfs the reader so deep that he anticipates to know more.
The story flows rapidly as a highly surreptitious mission, ‘Project Abhimanyu’ is hatched by the Indian intelligence agency, RAW. Three Indian army commandoes are dispatched to Pakistan as assassins to eliminate the don.
The hideouts of the don, spread across Pakistan, are well protected by the ISI. And the Indian commandoes have just one bleak chance to get him in Karachi.
As the trio enter Karachi and start advancing towards their target, they find everything around them turning suspicious and illusory.
Their attack plan is shattered by the shrewd ISI and they are dragged into a deathly trap. The situations turn erroneous for the commandoes and even their instincts start deceiving them. Finally, when they are at the threshold of completing their mission, an inconceivable truth dawns upon them. The reality is beyond their mind’s eye.
Nath has been phenomenal in using the narrative technique. The teensy details of the scenarios are explicitly explained and the reader’s mind gets no chance to hover around.
Also the author seems well-versed with the topic which is evident with his knowledge about the hierarchies of army, intelligence agencies and the topography of the land of action.
He has put a good deal of effort in digging out the facts regarding the functioning of the intelligence agencies and spy networks.
Also, his exceptional skill in switching the scenes of action is worth an applause. The reader does not lose his interest even when the scenarios switch places rapidly from New Delhi to Istanbul to Islamabad to somewhere else.
The hallmark of the story is that it gives an impression of a spy’s memoirs, as if the incidents occurred in reality. There is not even a tinge of exaggeration about the heroics of the characters, they seem totally natural.
Shatrujeet Nath has hit a bull’s eye with this amazing debut. And for all the lovers of spy-thrillers, The Karachi Deception is a must read.