Nilanjana Roy is a Delhi-based journalist, literary critic, editor and author. She has written and reviewed for numerous publications including the Guardian, New York Times, and Huffington Post, and has a weekly column in the Financial Times, and her novel The Wildings was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Black River is Nilanjana's adult debut. It grew out of her years of reporting on gender from New Delhi and the surrounding states for the New York Times, and from exploring the capital and the Yamuna river on long walks.

"A standout noir epic, which uses the trappings of the mystery to examine deeper ills in modern India... With its depth of feeling, narrative sweep and deceptively plain writing style, this is a crime novel I'll be thinking about for a long time" -- New York Times

"Scratch the itch of those who love a "small community dealing with murder" tale with Nilanjana Roy's latest, set in Teetarpur, outside Delhi, "an hour's drive down silent, forested roads covered in powdered summer dust." -- Observer, Best crime novels and thrillers of the year

"A literary thriller of considerable acumen with a textured picture of a country." -- Financial Times, Best New Crime Books

"A new writer to shout about... Roy brings rural India and Delhi to life as much as she does her characters... Riveting." -- Observer

"A novel that is on the one hand a wholly satisfying murder mystery, but which also employs the village of Teetarpur as a kind of India-in-microcosm... A powerful, immersive and unsentimental novel of modern India, Black River establishes Nilanjana Roy as a crime novelist with which to be reckoned." -- Irish Times

"A brilliant, brutal saga that is both an unflattering portrait of modern India and a thrilling crime novel... [An] impressive debut, oozing heat and dust." -- The Times

"Framed as a police procedural, but with the breadth of a saga... [A] dazzling, lyrical tale of friendship, love and grief that shines a light on the corruption and religious sectarianism of modern India." -- Guardian

"This impressive debut is written with great humanity, as well as with incisive clarity... The plot, characterisation, location and writing is first-rate." -- The Critic

"A powerful slice of literary police procedural... This reflective whodunnit transcends the genre's limitations with its delicate handling of humane relationships... A page turner with an extra dimension." -- Crime Time

"A poignant and gripping story, but also a comment on religious intolerance, corruption in politics and issues that affect the rural community particularly, such as politics and gender. A tough but truly relevant read, at times beautifully and exquisitely written but absolutely heartbreaking. A scorching critique of modern India." -- Crime Time Podcast

Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo

Pub date: 2024-09-24

Length: 368 pages