At 27, Aarti V. Raman is the published writer. Her second novel Kingdom Come is a gripping romantic thriller. A romantic at heart, Kingdom Come is set in Kashmir, travels between London, Ladakh and even makes a short stop at Mexico.
“I believe love makes the world go around,” says Aarti.
Kingdom Come tells the story of Krivi Iyer, a former spy and a bomb-defusal expert, who is in pursuit of the mentally-unstable bomber, The Woodpecker.
The Woodpecker is responsible for the death of Krivi’s former lover and her family, and Krivi wants revenge.
On the trail of the bomber, Krivi meets the beautiful Ziya Maarten. The two are drawn to each other. “The book unfolds in the world of international terrorism. At the heart of it is the story of two damaged individuals falling in love,” says Aarti, who has received much praise for the strong characters in the book.
“As a writer you have to be a keen observer of people. So, both Krivi and Ziya come from a place of knowledge. While Krivi is a dark, brooding, Byronic hero, Ziya takes everyone by surprise. She seems quiet at the start of the novel, but later reveals that she has a real core of steel,” says Aarti.
As for the plot, that promises a number of twists and turns, Aarti, says, “I visited Kashmir a few years ago and was captivated by the serene surroundings. I wanted to set my novel there.”
A childhood dream come true for the enthusiastic writer, the novel has been published by Harlequin India. “I have always been a fan of romance and grew up on Mills & Boon novels. Writing thrillers is my attempt to do something different in this genre. I am working with Harlequin on another novel and there’s one more romantic thriller in the pipeline,” says the youngster.
