Thrillers have flooded digital space recently more than ever, each one more hair raising than the other, vying audiences attentions. Books of the same genre have always sold like hot cakes, some of them being best sellers of their times.
But military thrillers!!! This one promises an exhilarating, fast-paced, and full of twists reading that will keep you glued to the pages and guessing till the end.
The Cantonment Conspiracy is a gripping military thriller by General Manoj Naravane. Set in a peaceful army garrison, the story follows two young officers entangled in a shocking assault case. As they investigate further, a deeper conspiracy emerges, blending duty, danger, and suspense in a tale of loyalty and truth. I would not reveal the plot early…….
General Manoj Mukund Naravane, who was India’s former Army Chief, is a soldier turned a story teller, and has written this fiction interspersing the plot with the ethos of our Armed Forces blending duty, danger and suspense in a tale of loyalty and truth. It also delves into themes of integrity and the challenges faced by the armed forces.
The book subtly reflects his experiences from the days of being young officers to growing up to various ranks in the Indian Army. The journey of an officer is a roller coaster ride that not just trains him or her in their job but also gives them experiences of the harshest kind unimaginable in a way to keep them ready for war. ‘Army is not for everyone’, he says.
Talking on his book’s characters General Naravane says that the names of Rohit, Renuka and Rehmat were just random names that are generally common. He says that the plot of the story just flowed as he kept writing, nothing was predecided.
On the ethos of the Armed Forces he said it is of the highest standard and that when someone alleges that the leadership in the Forces has allegiance to the ruling dispensation, it is not so because India is a democracy and our political leadership is the Head of our Armed Forces and their decisions are final which have to be obeyed.
The earlier book which is a memoir by General Naravane named ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ and which was supposed to be released in April 2024, was stalled by Ministry of Defence on the pretext of review. The book contained details about his conversation with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the movement of Chinese troops in Ladakh in 2020 and the Agnipath scheme as Chief of Defence Staff at that time. It has not seen the light of the day yet. General Naravane commenting on it puts it in a lighter vein to say that ‘like old wine the book too is maturing’.
