A gripping literary thriller and one of the most anticipated novels of 2023.
This is the age of vice, where pleasure and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also kill…
New Delhi, 3am. A speeding Mercedes jumps the kerb, and in the blink of an eye five people are dead. It’s a rich man’s car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold.
Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family – loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all.
In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family’s ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fuelled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence and revenge, will these characters’ connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction?
Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance and the consequences of corruption. It’s binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.
It’s a big call, telling readers that the book of the year has already been published… so instead, I’ll say – without a crystal ball predicting an even better read – that this will be one of this year’s most popular books. It’s seriously good. And we’re not the only ones who love it: it’s a highly anticipated Oprah Daily pick for 2023, and Lee Childs says,
‘Huge, epic, immersive and absorbing . . . certain to be a book of the year.’ There is certainly a lot of hype. The rights sold in fifteen territories, and there was a 20-way bidding war for film rights won by FX and Fox 21.
So does it live up to the hype? All that and more. This is an epic story set in India, that merges crime, corruption, family and politics. It is Deepti Kapoor’s second novel and will appeal to readers of both literary and commercial fiction alike – well written, immersive and utterly sensational!
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