The first thing that caught my attention is the book cover. Designed like the front page of a newspaper, the cover is impressive and set the tone of the book for me.
Aaradhya an Engineering graduate, is the face of new India, headstrong but still fighting the shackles of a traditional Hindu family. On her way home, at the end of her Graduation, an incident on the train changes Aaradhya. The "Super Woman" Aaradhya then embarks on a journey to find the missing maid Manorama. Aaradhya nearly jeopardises her life and also puts her friends in danger but that does not deter her.
Vaikunth Patil, businessman but first Aaradhya's father, how far will he go to protect his daughter? And when all clues lead to Vaikunth Patil, will Aaradhya still want justice for Manorama?
Set in the historic town of Bidar and with the Bidar fort as the setting for most of the important scenes, the author has piqued my interest in this small town. Overall it is a fairly decent mystery with a few twists placed at the right moments. This book could have been a good page turner, if only. I found some loose ends such as, when Pratap suddenly gives up his vendetta and there is no mention of the titular "curse". The style of narrative was mediocre and is in need of some refining. This is just my perspective, I'm no expert just a regular reader. My final word, Curse of the Red Soil is a Bidar mystery that barely trembles.
