AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
‘Ill-fated love and toxic family power struggles provide emotional drive for this big dynastic saga’ JAKE ARNOTT, GUARDIAN
‘Huge, epic, immersive and absorbing . . . certain to be a book of the year’ LEE CHILD, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
This is the age of vice, where pleasure and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also kill
New Delhi, 3 a.m. 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 fueled 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 is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.
‘Ill-fated love and toxic family power struggles provide emotional drive for this big dynastic saga’ JAKE ARNOTT, GUARDIAN
‘Huge, epic, immersive and absorbing . . . certain to be a book of the year’ LEE CHILD, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
This is the age of vice, where pleasure and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also kill
New Delhi, 3 a.m. 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 fueled 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 is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
The book has all the energy of a high-concept crime thriller . . . Ill-fated love and toxic family power struggles provide emotional drive for this big dynastic saga of organised crime that could be India's answer to The Godfather . . . Not so much a slow burn as a constantly sparking fuse . . . Age of Vice certainly does not disappoint as a commercial crime thriller . . . but it deserves literary plaudits as well, for its depth and relevance, and for proving once more that the novel remains the supreme medium of long-form narrative drama for us to binge upon
Opening in medias res from this tragedy, Kapoor spins a dizzying ride, painting an India where money is the only religion . . . Weaving the backstories of Ajay, Neda, and Sunny together, Kapoor's frenetic and colourful novel highlights the new global pecking order, one forged by capitalism, in which the rich always win. In the age of vice, as Neha says, "the wheel will keep turning toward the dissolution that will swallow us all." But as this gripping tale shows, even the weakest deserve one last gasp of dignity'
A devilishly engrossing crime drama . . . Age of Vice is populated by a host of other characters - cops, goons, politicians, undercover agents, snitches, petty thieves, reporters, spiritual advisers, assassins and human traffickers - who collude and collide explosively. One can only hope that Kapoor is working fast on the second and third instalments
Kapoor's prose is electric and her characterisation subline . . . Complex, thought-provoking and cinematic in pace and scope
If you could conjure up a literary lovechild of Succession and The Godfather with a sprinkling of Slumdog Millionaire, Age Of Vice by Deepti Kapoor (Fleet) would fit the bill perfectly . . . one of the most gripping books I've read in a long time
Sensationally good - huge, epic, immersive and absorbing ... certain to be a book of the year
Cinematic...A luxe thriller...As a storyteller, Kapoor is a natural
This is a masterpiece. Age of Vice is epic but intimate, its glittering, sharp scenes building into an astonishing geometry. It is an unforgettable story of corruption and excess, of ruthless power and the will to fight back
[Age of Vice] paints a picture of greed, crime, violence and corruption in India, building to a towering crescendo . . . a captivating crime caper with believable characters
Kapoor's violent and bitter story is deeply addictive; this spellbinder would be easy to devour in one big gulp, but it's worth savoring for Neda's uncompromising take on what she terms India's "losing age, the age of vice." The author possesses a talent great enough to match the massive scope of her subject.
Impossible to put down; Kapoor is the real thing
Fascinating . . . a compelling and immersive thriller
Kapoor's sprawling yet propulsive blockbuster of a novel is an addictive and socially conscious thriller portraying contemporary India in mesmerizing complexity
The most dazzling explosions to herald 2023 come from Deepti Kapoor's novel Age of Vice . . . For days, I was torn between gorging or rationing out the chapters to make them last. Finally free from the book's grip, now all I want to do is get others hooked . . . I have only one word of advice: Hurry'
Aspiring novelists should read this. The narrative is clean and lean, the story unputdownable. Every word counts. This is how it's done when it's done exactly right
Age of Vice is truly epic . . . it paints a picture of greed, crime, violence and corruption in India, building to a towering crescendo
This book. This epic, crazy, shocking, mind-blowing, brutal, tender, heartbreaking book is one of the best I've read
Age of Vice is a good old-fashioned gangster story, impossible to put down. It's a novel garlanded with Shakespearean flourishes-star-crossed lovers, secret identities, complicated conspiracies-exploring timeless questions of family, loyalty, and fate
Kapoor's prose is electric and her characterisation sublime; you'll find yourself sympathising with all the damaged protagonists right until the end. Complex, thought-provoking and cinematic in pace and scope