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The Price You Pay
'A terrific debut: wry and witty, pacy and addictive, and held together by riffs of pitch-perfect Delhi dialogue. Somnath Batabyal looks likely to do for Delhi what Raymond Chandler did for LA’ —William Dalrymple
An ambitious rookie reporter, a veteran news editor with a secret, a trigger-happy policeman, a sensational kidnapping: The Price You Pay is the story of Delhi, told through the eyes of the journalists who frame it, the policemen who protect it, and the outsiders who claim it.
When Abhishek Dutta joins the Express as a trainee journalist, he has no idea how his life is about to change. Assigned to the crime beat by chief reporter Amir Akhtar, Abhishek encounters a motley cast of characters: DCP Uday Kumar, the ‘Dirty Harry’ of Delhi Police; ACP Crime Branch Mayank Sharma, who becomes a close friend; Samir Saxena, channel head of News Today, who mentors Abhishek’s move from print to electronic journalism; and dreaded gangster Babloo Shankar, who runs the Delhi mafia from exile. As he rides his beginner’s luck to unearth one sensational scoop after the other, Abhishek will soon discover that in the dog-eat-dog world of crime and politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies; it is every man for himself.
With a plot that twists and turns like the inner lanes of the city, Somnath Batabyal’s debut novel takes you into the dark underbelly of India, where common lives are mere pawns in deadly power games and where corruption lies at the very core.
Review
“The Price You Pay reveals how corruption, power games and ego clashes shape the way we respond to crime and how we report it. Somnath Batabyal gives us an evocative and thought-provoking tour through newsrooms, copsheds, TV stations and the underbelly of modern India. Part thriller, part social critique, it is an absorbing and compelling read.” Shehan Karunatilaka, author of Chinaman, Veysee, Seven Lakhs; winner of Gratiaen Prize 2008 for ‘Chinaman’
About the Author
Somnath Batabyal worked for a decade in journalism, covering crime and criminality, hobnobbing with politicians and policemen, before entering the quieter world of Western academia. His first book, Making News in India: Star News and Star Ananda, was published in 2011. He has also edited a volume, Indian Mass Media and the Politics of Change (2010). Somnath now lives in London where he teaches at the School of Oriental and African Studies. The Price You Pay is his first novel.
An ambitious rookie reporter, a veteran news editor with a secret, a trigger-happy policeman, a sensational kidnapping: The Price You Pay is the story of Delhi, told through the eyes of the journalists who frame it, the policemen who protect it, and the outsiders who claim it.
When Abhishek Dutta joins the Express as a trainee journalist, he has no idea how his life is about to change. Assigned to the crime beat by chief reporter Amir Akhtar, Abhishek encounters a motley cast of characters: DCP Uday Kumar, the ‘Dirty Harry’ of Delhi Police; ACP Crime Branch Mayank Sharma, who becomes a close friend; Samir Saxena, channel head of News Today, who mentors Abhishek’s move from print to electronic journalism; and dreaded gangster Babloo Shankar, who runs the Delhi mafia from exile. As he rides his beginner’s luck to unearth one sensational scoop after the other, Abhishek will soon discover that in the dog-eat-dog world of crime and politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies; it is every man for himself.
With a plot that twists and turns like the inner lanes of the city, Somnath Batabyal’s debut novel takes you into the dark underbelly of India, where common lives are mere pawns in deadly power games and where corruption lies at the very core.
Review
“The Price You Pay reveals how corruption, power games and ego clashes shape the way we respond to crime and how we report it. Somnath Batabyal gives us an evocative and thought-provoking tour through newsrooms, copsheds, TV stations and the underbelly of modern India. Part thriller, part social critique, it is an absorbing and compelling read.” Shehan Karunatilaka, author of Chinaman, Veysee, Seven Lakhs; winner of Gratiaen Prize 2008 for ‘Chinaman’
About the Author
Somnath Batabyal worked for a decade in journalism, covering crime and criminality, hobnobbing with politicians and policemen, before entering the quieter world of Western academia. His first book, Making News in India: Star News and Star Ananda, was published in 2011. He has also edited a volume, Indian Mass Media and the Politics of Change (2010). Somnath now lives in London where he teaches at the School of Oriental and African Studies. The Price You Pay is his first novel.
296 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 10, 2015
Its a story of the deep connection between Delhi Police and the print media and how they compliment each other in time of need. Ending could have been better though.
August 16, 2013
I got a free copy of this book thanks to Indiblogger and Harper Collins. I thank them both for feeding my never ending hunger for books.
Uday Kumar is a Supercop. He is famous for having nabbed many criminals. Amir Akhtar is a veteran journalist with Express. Abhishek Dutta is a rookie, with some experience of editing a magazine called Secure Now. On an impulse Amir gives Abhishek a chance at a job. Abhishek gets lucky when he overhears Uday Kumar and a junior cop exchanging classifed information. "Babloo Shankar is planning a comeback".
In a bid to impress his new boss, Abhishek gives this information to Amir. It earns him a job as a crime reporter. Abhishek is a pushy guy and finds himself in the news sweet-spot often. He earns a formidable reputation as he continues breaking important stories. He is the darling of the Police force and the envy of his tribe.
The going is good, but how long will it last? Will Abhishek trip up and let his ambition consume him? More importantly, Is the media fair? These are the things Abhishek has to discover on his own.
Somnath Batabyal has worked as a journalist for some time, hence he is able to describe the routine of reporter with authenticity. Too much seems to be happening to Abhishek, one journalist does not get this lucky all the time, I feel. Yet, to keep the story moving, a lot has to be going on.
This is Somnath's first attempt at fiction, he has written a non-fiction book previously - Making News in India - Star News and Star Ananda. He has made a smooth transition from writing news to writing fiction. His book is full of jargon that a journalist would use. He presents a faithful picture of how things are at the reporting level. Maybe not the FULL picture, but a fair picture.
Uday Kumar is a Supercop. He is famous for having nabbed many criminals. Amir Akhtar is a veteran journalist with Express. Abhishek Dutta is a rookie, with some experience of editing a magazine called Secure Now. On an impulse Amir gives Abhishek a chance at a job. Abhishek gets lucky when he overhears Uday Kumar and a junior cop exchanging classifed information. "Babloo Shankar is planning a comeback".
In a bid to impress his new boss, Abhishek gives this information to Amir. It earns him a job as a crime reporter. Abhishek is a pushy guy and finds himself in the news sweet-spot often. He earns a formidable reputation as he continues breaking important stories. He is the darling of the Police force and the envy of his tribe.
The going is good, but how long will it last? Will Abhishek trip up and let his ambition consume him? More importantly, Is the media fair? These are the things Abhishek has to discover on his own.
Somnath Batabyal has worked as a journalist for some time, hence he is able to describe the routine of reporter with authenticity. Too much seems to be happening to Abhishek, one journalist does not get this lucky all the time, I feel. Yet, to keep the story moving, a lot has to be going on.
This is Somnath's first attempt at fiction, he has written a non-fiction book previously - Making News in India - Star News and Star Ananda. He has made a smooth transition from writing news to writing fiction. His book is full of jargon that a journalist would use. He presents a faithful picture of how things are at the reporting level. Maybe not the FULL picture, but a fair picture.
November 30, 2014
[Full disclosure: Somnath is a friend]
The Price You Pay is Somnath Batabyal's first novel, a racing story of cops and robbers and journalists set in Delhi. It never lets up for a second, and despite the confusingly huge array of characters, I was enrapt the entire book. This was mainly due to the strong characters - not often found in books about the press and police.
Our novice journalist and hero, Abhishek, is smart enough to keep just barely ahead of the game, and naive enough to let the reader be him through all the twists and turns. It does feel like everything and the kitchen sink gets thown at him (his career is a shooting star), and if it's a Delhi sink, then you might guess how twisted and graphic that might be.
The city is another fabulous character in the book, and I felt I got a real sense of the ins and outs of the bureaucracy and bravery that's required to survive that mad place. Highly recommended if you feel like a super fun fast gritty blow through contemporary Delhi.
The Price You Pay is Somnath Batabyal's first novel, a racing story of cops and robbers and journalists set in Delhi. It never lets up for a second, and despite the confusingly huge array of characters, I was enrapt the entire book. This was mainly due to the strong characters - not often found in books about the press and police.
Our novice journalist and hero, Abhishek, is smart enough to keep just barely ahead of the game, and naive enough to let the reader be him through all the twists and turns. It does feel like everything and the kitchen sink gets thown at him (his career is a shooting star), and if it's a Delhi sink, then you might guess how twisted and graphic that might be.
The city is another fabulous character in the book, and I felt I got a real sense of the ins and outs of the bureaucracy and bravery that's required to survive that mad place. Highly recommended if you feel like a super fun fast gritty blow through contemporary Delhi.
February 3, 2015
A bit confusing with all the characters whose names are so close sounding to eachother.....so I got through it always flipping back to recap on who was who. my 3rd read set in India by an Indian author. Quite interesting. In Amazing how corruption is so deep in all aspects of daily life.
December 31, 2015
excellent book , didnt keep it down once i started reading , but felt it needed to go for more chapters , the ending appeared to be sudden , left many questions unanswered , but its definitely one of the best books i read by an indian author off late
May 22, 2013
superb!
July 6, 2013
Quite a good read
February 28, 2014
It's a book about how crime and crime journalism works in the Capital. Fast-paced, action-packed, and surprising, NOT shallow.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews