The price you pay by Somnath Batabyal

"The price you pay" a debut novel by Somnath Batabyal.

Abhishek, a young journalist joins Express. He is mentored by legendary crime journalist Amir Akhtar and Deputy Commissioner of Delhi police Uday Kumar and helped by ACP Mayank. This coupled with his nose for story allows him to generate three fist page stories in the first month of his service, an achievement unheard of.

Abishek also finds out that Babloo Shankar, once a kidnap king and now hiding in Singapore, is planning a return to India and get back into business. There seems to be some equation between Uday, Amir and Babloo.

Abhishek gets an offer from TV channel News today (This channel seems to be based on NDTV) and accepts. He suffers a lot of humiliation at the hands of his colleagues and is at his low when, while thinking of returning to newspaper, he decides to break a story that will make or break his career.

What is the story? Will Abhishek settle in TV or go back to newspaper? What does mysterious, beautiful and sexy Archana Pandey have to do with all of this? Does Babloo return?

Somnath has explained in detail how newspaper industry works. How corrupt and honest survive. How police and reporters have a love hate relationship. How journalists are manipulated. How TV journalism is all about TRP rather than news. The hollowness of it all and the hope in it, as well.

The story takes place in Delhi. Naturally there are multiple references to places, roads, people in Delhi. Author has captured the pulse of Delhi perfectly. Readers come to know the identity of city of Delhi. Full marks to him for that.

The book is 285 pages long and the story moves at an easy pace for about 250 pages and then suddenly accelerates in last 30 odd pages. The climax could have been longer.

The book is a novelty. Read for a change.