Praise for Chain of Custody
Ian Rankin names four favourite novels for 2016 in the Guardian (Nov 26), includes Chain of Custody by Anita Nair: ‘concerns child slavery in Bangalore and is both brutal and sympathetic, with an all-too-human (and not entirely likable) cop hero.’
Times (London) Saturday Review Section:
List of ten best crime novels of 2016 (Nov.26) includes Chain of Custody: 'Bangalore is India’s Silicon Valley, the rich face of Indian success in modern technology and its commercial accompaniments. Such wealth attracts crime. Inspector Borei Gowda is an admirable three-dimensional creation, quick tempered and emotional. The search for a missing 13-year-old girl develops into the more serious discovery that Bangalore has become a hub for the sex-trafficking of young girls. It is Anita Nair’s home town and it shows, in the lively portrait of a city in uncertain transition and in the passion with which she endows Gowda in his war against evil.' Marcel Berlins
"Nair is an accomplished writer, and she uses this searing novel to expose the hideous and all-too-real world of child-trafficking." Sunday Times
Tweet from Ian Rankin: Just finished this. Fine follow-up to @anitanairauthor's first Inspector Gowda book. Harrowing but compassionate tale of modern India.
"I love Inspector Gowda. He is a brilliant creation, loveable, flawed, smart and doggedly determined. A truly good man in a bad world." Peter James, author of Dead Simple and Looking Good Dead
"Nair’s satisfying second Bangalore police procedural (after 2014’s A Cut-Like Wound) reflects the speed of change in modern urban India while providing a reminder that age-old dangers are never far from the surface. ...Harrowing set pieces on child abduction drive the plot to resolution. Readers will look forward to spending more time in Gowda’s agreeable company." Publishers Weekly
Gritty and graphic, this mystery probes sex-trafficking rings, with empathy to their victims. Anita Nair’s Chain of Custody is a gripping mystery set against the backdrop of India’s hustle-and-bustle cities and landscapes. When a thirteen-year-old girl goes missing in a busy market, it’s a race against the clock to recover her from a deadly criminal ring. And what does her disappearance have to do with the murder of a nearby lawyer? Borei Gowda and his partner Santosh must solve the disappearance, and they hope to find her alive, before she is sold or worse. The novel immediately introduces its lead character with all his vices, presenting them in a way that makes him refreshingly human. Inspector Gowda is a complicated individual. He is married, but he still feels an attachment to his mistress, his college girlfriend, Urmila. He is morally complex, an adulterer and a pessimist. Despite his controversial private life, his heart is shown to be in the right place. His investigation thrusts him into the dark and disturbing world of child sex trafficking, an underground but extremely common problem that is often pushed into the shadows. The book is less a mystery than an investigation into a massive underground world, a subject that rarely sees the light of day. The novel is gritty. It does not shy away from dark themes and violence, and is very much rooted in harsh realities. It occasionally switches perspectives to give voice to a young girl imprisoned in a brothel and forced to service its customers. Each character has his own struggles and demons, from young children living in poverty to the main character himself. The investigation takes many surprising turns, leading to an ominous conclusion. Chain of Custody is a graphic, satisfying read that delves into a controversial subject in a sympathetic and humane way. ForeWord Reviews
"This is the second appearance of her Inspector Borei Gowda, an unpredictable teddy bear: a fat and guilt-ridden would-be sybarite afflicted with a strict wife, a loving mistress and a wayward son starting to experiment with hard drugs. Gowda is human but wily: indulgent with his two youngest detectives, appreciating the qualities of the more experienced men who complete the nucleus of his tiny force , all appalled by the horrors they uncover as the result of investigating the first killing. These are Edmund Burke’s “good men” – fictitious of course but their creator is real and her Acknowledgements List demonstrates the authenticity of her material and the formidable nature of research which was often field work. A brave author who has taken to heart the warning of a nineteenth century sage to shine a light on a trade where children are bought and sold as commodities. If you thought Rochdale was bad, read Chain of Custody.' SHOTS Crime and Thriller Ezine
"Apart from being a fast-paced and engaging read with a deeply-felt social agenda, Chain of Custody gives us gut-wrenching peeks into Gowda’s thoughts: 'This was a city where dog ate dog, rat devoured rat, and everyone would get ahead if they dismissed their conscience… Towers of Babel were rising everywhere and men came from all parts of the country to build these edifices that paid homage to human greed.'” The Hindu
Praise for A Cut-Like Wound
"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
