Sea is the hero and the villain in Manveen S Anand’s crime thriller

Young Ricardo is thrilled to be on his maiden assignment as a navigator but everything around him is not what it appears. The captain of the ship Rajan Murthy is trying to hide things and Ricardo can see it. But is he the only one on Castle, the ship to smell the rat, or is he hallucinating?

The crew is packed off at Curacao much before its destination Eucador and Ricardo has to cut his journey short. Ricardo knew his doubts were correct when the ship goes missing along with the captain Murthy. Now he’s the only ray of hope for Investigating officer Jose Carlos who is out to unravel the High Sea Conspiracy.

What looks like an interesting premise starts on a drab note. In fact the pace doesn’t pick up till half the book is over. Things get interesting post that and you stay glued, but it is the first part which bores you to death. A pacy narrative is the first requisite of a fine crime thriller.

Ricardo’s character has been developed nicely though. As a child, he faces abandonment from his mother and later his cousin Marco. He lacks a mentor in life and thus makes mistakes. He is looking for a life that he could never lead. So when he finally meets his cousin again, he gets a closure and clarity in life.

“You were right Marco. The sea does something to you. It makes you see the difference between right and wrong, good and evil,” Ricardo says at one point.

Ocean plays a key role in the narrative. Ricardo also finds a mentor in the deep sea which also cleanses his soul.

The book is engaging in parts; though the plot looks predictable in the beginning, you can never guess what happens towards the end. The later part is full of twists and turns, which makes up for the uninteresting first part.