Black River

A beautifully written noir! I love to read novels with a political undertone, and the social commentary in this about the Hindu-Muslim divide, the Caste system, pollution, wealth disparities and so on in India was very well done in my opinion - it fit well with the narrative and didn’t disrupt it. A perfect ending too, bittersweet just like many other aspects of this wonderfully told story.

Many thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

An absorbing story and a great read. This was my first book from the author. Looking forward to future works

On the surface and in the immediate, Black River is a story about a man whose daughter is murdered and the challenges that come with managing his grief and the ineptitude of the local police. However, the story is so much more about people’s life journeys to become their true selves and to do what’s right.

Filled with big moral and ethical choices, this story takes place in Delhi and examines the wealth gap, the religious tensions on the micro- and microcosmic levels.

I picked it up as it was touted to be a psychological thriller of interest to those who enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing. The description wasn’t wrong.

Black River presented some dark realities of our society with corruption, neglect, power abuse in which innocence,hope and humanity gets lost and crushed to death. An emotionally harrowing sequence of events with tiny bits of respite in between, I was immersed in the story and will call it a good reading experience.

This is simply superb! It's an easy five-star for me. The sense of place that the author creates is absolutely amazing. I could practically smell the air as she describes it. The beginning is quite a jolt and I wondered how the author would take it from there. It did not disappoint as we learned the back story up until the incident. The characters come alive on the pages and though to me, the perpetrator of the crime seemed obvious from the beginning, that did not detract from the story because the writing is so good and gives you the whys behind the facts. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's a total winner!

Although this story is set in a contemporary India, it seems quite historical in telling. The scene is set in a tiny Hindu village of Teetapur. We are first hand witnesses to the death of young girl and the wrongly accused Muslim man. The burning question is, can Inspector Ombir Singh determine who is truly the murderer, and can he convince the village?

The story is a slow burn and more literary than murder mystery (or mystery at all). The insights to life in rural India and contemporary issues that most countries face were interesting and well embedded in the story. Enjoyable ! #pushkinpress #blackriver #nilanjanaroy

I found this book to be an interesting read. The murders take place early in the book. I loved the descriptions of rural India and the social commentary on religious intolerance and corruption.
The middle part of the book moves away from the murder to give the backstory of the victim's father. It describes the difficulties of the poor in Delhi and the disparity between rich and poor. While this is interesting, those looking for a gripping thriller may be disappointed.
The book is well-written and I would like to read more by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

I loved this book and I want now to find other Nilanjana Roy's books. I loved her style of writing and the storyline of this book. It's a great page turner and you constantly want to continue reading to find out what will happen. It gives also an interesting insight into Indian's life from a specific point of view. I really enjoyed it and I look forward to read the other books of this new discovered author. Thank you Pushkin Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.