Hot Stage - (Inspector Gowda) by Anita Nair (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

'Nair captures the seedy side of shiny new India vividly' --Guardian

When elderly Professor Mudgood, a well-known rationalist and fervent critic of right-wing forces in India, is found dead in his home in Bangalore by his daughter, Assistant Commissioner of Police Borei Gowda is quite certain that this is a homicide. Although all evidence points to the murder being politically motivated, the more Gowda delves into the case, the more convinced he is that it isn't an assassination. As he and his team launch a parallel investigation, they stumble upon a secret and murky world where there are no rules or mercy. When Gowda's hand is forced, he takes a calculated risk and infiltrates the sinister domain to bring the truth out into the open... Will he succeed? And at what price? Vivid with detail and taut with suspense, Hot Stage is at once a cracking police procedural and an intense exploration of the squalor and vice that fester in the shadowy lanes of an urban sprawl.

'Anita Nair's writing in some moments has photographic qualities, in others the precision of a surgeon's scalpel; and always the great inner warmth of the human heart. Truly astounding writing.' --Peter James, bestselling author and creator of the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace TV series

Review Quotes

HOT STAGE: "Any police procedural with such a setting is sure to be an interesting read, and when written by someone as accomplished as Nair it is immersive and irresistible" Morning Star

"Nair is one of India's foremost writers, and she has an almost Dickensian ability to handle a huge cast of characters." Sunday Times, Picks of the Month

PRAISE FOR THE INSPECTOR GOWDA SERIES"Just finished this. Fine follow-up to @anitanairauthor's first Inspector Gowda book. Harrowing but compassionate tale of modern India." Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin: names three favourite novels for 2016 in the Guardian (November 26), includes Chain of Custody: 'concerns child slavery in Bangalore and is both brutal and sympathetic, with an all-too-human (and not entirely likable) cop hero.'

"I loved this book and was constantly gripped. Anita Nair's writing in some moments has photographic qualities, in others the precision of surgeon's scalpel; and always the great inner warmth of the human heart. Truly astounding writing."- Peter James, author of 'Dead Simple'

"In this exceptional police procedural, Nair immerses her readers in Bangalore's alluring and sinister mélange of Hindu and Moslem cultures, revealing a people afflicted by the inability to allow unqualified praise for anything or anyone. Complex, psychologically deep characters are a plus." PW Starred

"Those who enjoy international settings will surely enjoy the well-drawn tension between modern and traditional Indian culture, Gowda's steady confidence, and the heady immersion in Bangalore's hidden recesses." Booklist

"Anita Nair is a feminist and highly regarded Indian novelist. As startling a debut crime novel as you are likely to read. This is a troubling novel about men and sexual identity, ending with a shattering and unexpected revelation" Sunday Times

"Nair captures the seedy side of shiny new India vividly, and Inspector Gowda - with his weary self-knowledge; his secret, his stagnating marriage and his confusion when an old flame re-enters his life - is a welcome addition to the ranks of flawed-but-lovable fictional cops." Guardian

But the city of Bangalore serves as an exotic and complex backdrop. No wonder that Gowda prefers to travel those streets on his Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle. Another reason to find this detective irresistible.' Crime Chronicles

About the Author

Anita Nair is one of India's most acclaimed authors. Her oeuvre ranges from literary fiction to noir to children's literature. Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages around the world. Anita is the recipient of several prizes and honours including the Indian National Film Award in 2013 and the Central Sahitya Akademi award. Her novel Ladies Coupe, first published in the US ten years ago, is a feminist classic. The other two novels in the Inspector Gowda series are Cut-Like Wound and Chain of Custody.