The highlands of Himachal Pradesh, missing tourists, drugs, and murders. All these form part of, 'High on Kasol', a novel by senior journalist Aditya Kant. It is published by White Falcon Publishing.
Aditya grew up in Himachal Pradesh and his familiarity with the places and the culture of the people is evident in the book. The story is gripping from the beginning and has many twists that keep the readers hooked.
'High on Kasol' unfolds with the sudden disappearance of Elina, a young Israeli woman, who ironically had come to Kasol to probe the mystery behind other foreigners who had gone missing from the Kullu valley.
The lead character, Abeer is an aspiring writer and stays at a guest house in Kasol looking for a setting for a TV series. But being inquisitive he takes it upon himself to solve the case when he reads about Elina. He meets people, goes to the police station, loiters around tea shops, and dives into social media to gather every bit of information he can. Little did he know that his interest, in this case, would end up with him being neck-deep in trouble with the drug racketeers in the area.
Abeer befriends Rosy who runs an organisation that focuses on helping the youngsters addicted to drugs. There he meets Neelu, who eventually helps him uncover the drug mafia and its leader.
'High On Kasol' is not just about drugs. In the background is a blooming romance between Neelu and Haizel that Aditya has successfully managed to weave in without losing the edge of the main plot.
There are no loose ends in the story and that makes the reading experience interesting and effortless. The narrative is simple and this makes 'High on Kasol' a perfect chilling read at night.
