'Cold Sun' by Anita Sivakumaran is a brand new series featuring Detective Vijay Patel.The book is set in Bengaluru, what was Bangalore, in India. Another brand new author with a fabulous sounding book and a cover that draws you in to the web the author weaves.
Detective Patel, finds himself like a fish out of water when he is sent to India to aid the police after four wealthy women have been murdered. The last woman being the former wife of the British Foreign Secretary so, off to Bengaluru he goes. A man who has only been to the country ten years previously to play cricket! He also hates spicy food and was born in the U.K too. It does make you wonder... out of 24 coppers, he is chosen. The answers are in the book though in case you are wondering.
The story is told from Patel's point of view and we see him paired up with Chandra, a woman who is tougher and more determined than he expected. He does struggle with the Indian ways and Chandra's policing compared to his Western world ways. Patel finds himself over his head with a bucket load of problems between home, health and working in a foreign country and then a killer that has no intention of stopping any time soon.
Fast paced and riveting, this is a novel that I will definitely remember, the setting of India and a detective who is a bit different from the usual, piques my interest. The author has created well drawn characters that are all a bit different to what would be expected. A detective who is an ex-professional cricket player? That is just one of the unique voices in this well crafted and interesting book.
An excellent foundation for Vijay Patel to grow from and I cannot wait to see how he develops throughout future books.
Thank you to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and Dialogue Books for my gifted copy of this superb book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, for an advance copy of Cold Sun, which features DS Vijay Patel. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the setting, mainly in Bengalaru, India. I loved Anita’s writing style and the pace of the book. It’s refreshing to come across a book these days that does not need editing corrections.
It would be silly to give a synopsis of the story as it’s already been given, but the twist at the end, although it didn’t surprise me, was neatly tied up and there were no loose ends.
I thoroughly recommend the book and I look forward the the next in this series.

A British Indian cop in India...
I loved the setting and concept of this book. The descriptions felt brutally honest (I'm from neighbouring Sri Lanka, so I should have some idea, yeah?) although sometimes over the top (do they have such bad internet connections in 2021?)
Serial killers are always interesting and this was exceptionally unique because he thought himself equal to a Hindu god. So much scope there! I also liked how some of the story is filtered through the killer's eyes but you don't know for sure who it is since there are two possible candidates dangled enticingly before you. Although some western readers may not get a few jokes (like the very Bollywood references) I think this is a good read for any fan of mystery books.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a free copy.

This is such a gem of a book. Patel, once a famous English cricketer whose career was prematurely curtailed through injury, has enjoyed further success in his career as a homicide detective.. Following the murder of a British ministers ex partner in India, Patel is bundled off to India to assist the locals catch the serial killer. The story gallops along as rapidly as the victims emerge. Patel is an engaging character who one cannot help but like. An excellent glimpse into contemporary Indian life and police practice ensures this is an excellent read. I am sure we will hear more from Patel in future books or even a TV series.

Cold Sun marks the start of a new crime series featuring DI Vijay Patel by Anita Sivakumaran. Based in the London Metropolitan Police, Patel has previously solved the case of The Dales Ripper during a posting in Yorkshire some three years before the start of this story. Yet there is a feeling that he is treading water in London when his superintendent calls him to his office. Patel is told that he will be sent to Bangalore in India to help the Indian police to solve the murder of the ex-wife of the British foreign minister. While he is told that out of 24 homicide detectives, he is the right man for the job, he is left with the suspicion that he is actually the one with the right skin colour. In fact Patel was born in Leicester to parents who came from Uganda while his grandparents came from Gujarat which located on India’s Arabian Sea western coast. The only time he had previously been to India was to play in a cricket tournament 10 years earlier.

Landing in Bangalore (referred to the novel as Bengaluru), he encounters initial confusion about his identity from the city police chief Rajkumar before resentment that this British detective has been sent. “The Bengaluru police force with its hundred and seventy detectives isn’t enough. It isn’t equipped with such prowess, such brains as you Mr Patel”.

While Rajkumar is hard to please, Patel does manage to develop what appears to be a more satisfactory working relationship with Assistant Commissionaire Chandra Subramanium buy referring to his role as that of a consultant. As Chandra has studied Criminology at Cardiff University she has a better understanding of his Britishness, although reprimands him for not speaking more clearly to her fellow Indians. She is also far too keen to use her ‘lathi’ baton when questioning suspects for his liking, claiming his superior morals make him ‘a white man in dark skin’.

Author Sivakumaran has previously published 3 titles including The Queen which was made into a high profile television series. Born in Madras, now known as Chennai, her descriptions of modern day India really give Cold Sun a strong sense of setting. The below describes Patel’s introduction to the police station:

“They passed police lockups populated by lowlifes and prostitutes. Habitués, he supposed. They huddled or lounged chatting or silent. Many stared at him as he passed. Chemical and metal smells: the ammonia in urine saturating the bricks, the metallic sourness of human sweat on iron bars. The stink of desperation, the musk of apathy. Bare bulbs glinted. Pan juice, the colour of old blood stained the walls.”

It's not a particularly pleasant beginning to the trip for Patel who is also reflecting on his unsatisfactory relationship with his girlfriend back in London. Unlike southern Indians he also struggles with the spicy food. It soon becomes evident that the police are looking for a serial killer who is targeting women of a high social standing in Bengaluru. There is a memorable scene where Patel is rating the women on their attractiveness to consider if this could be a link.

Patel’s presence brings unwanted personal attention to him from the press with news reports that even hark back to his professional cricket playing days. He is not aided by Rajkumar’s insistence on regular press conferences which seem to be geared towards his own self-preservation. When the deaths become more frequent and one has a tenuous link to Patel, could it be that the police chief will use him as a scapegoat for their failure to progress in capturing the killer?
In addition to the investigation, Sivakumaran strongly reveals life in a city on the border between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu where the locals speak either the Kannada or Tamil languages. It’s a place where the population as a whole appear more trusting of the British than politicians in New Delhi. A city where first world technology does not always function with a third world infrastructure. Yet one where answering a mobile phone call or message apparently is the most normal or crucial of activities irrespective of what the person is doing at the time. In some aspects it is more progressive, in Chandra's team the male police officers are subordinate to her with no sign of resentment, in contrast to the UK.

At its best Cold Sun immerses the reader into the unfamiliar sights and sounds of Bangalore where Patel has to deal with people from a range of social classes with often unexpected or unpredictable results. The situation almost becomes too much for our main protagonist yet when he starts to believe Chandra is in danger, the novels speeds up to an exciting finale where the identity of the killer.

Cold Sun is an enjoyable novel which I feel realistically and effectively portrays a stranger in a strange land. I did feel that perhaps there were a few unnecessary steps, such as Patel’s trip to Goa which while valid as it did reveal some very outdated British views towards India, did appear slotted in and somewhat interrupted the flow of the story. I’d perhaps have enjoyed a bit more urgency within the storyline at times but that might be due to personal preference. The key attraction to the novel was following a British born detective's participation in solving a crime in India and I would certainly recommend Cold Sun on that basis. I am interested to see where Sivakumaran intends to take Patel’s character in subsequent novels as the challenge will be to maintain such a level of intrigue.

Cold Sun by Anita Sivakumaran is a scintillating #whodunnit releasing on 12th August.

Deeply grateful to #netgalley #littlebrown for this #ARC.

DS Vijay Patel, a once famous cricketer from Leicester, born to Gujarati parents from Uganda has a penchant for cracking crime like Sherlock Holmes. He naturally gravitated to criminology, joined Scotland Yard after he sustained a permanent injury that ousted him from his cricketing career.

He goes on a stint to Bengaluru, pairs with a femme fatale Assistant Commissioner Chandra in hunting down a psychopathic serial killer. I will not ruin the suspense for you. You do the #whodunnit homework yourself when you read this book.

Killer's agenda: A megalomaniac (hindutva), also anglophillic with a puritanical ambition to cleanse the womanhood from all our sins such as smoking, drinking, whoring and her matching clothing. Uncle "transforms" the sinner woman to become righteous and pure in her afterlife by delivering the instantaneous death blow. There's the tunnel-visioned Hindu red bindi connotation - righteous god-fearing women sporting the symbol on the forehead. He drapes a red saree with a matching red blouse on all his victims. Red for fire / purification. Because uncle considers himself as the "Manu Purush".
(I'd sponsor the kerosense all by myself if batches of real life uncle and aunty Purush can be annihilated.)

Vijay finds himself in a conundrum. He follows the traditional Scotland Yard police procedural and CSI while Chandra begged to differ by deploying the infamous Indian Policing method.

I'm so captivated by Anita Sivakumaran's writing and mental presence in this story. The plot's trajectory or the foreshadowing took off from the 4th chapter onwards. Anita's knowledge of the arts, poem, geography incorporated with delectable slangs of British, Welsh, Aussie, and even my very own Tamil were works of brilliance. A worldly-crime outfit. Chandra's sardonic wit complimented Vijay's wry humour. And Anita has brilliantly distinguished the individual narratives.

Crime writing requires a special intellect and sharp sensibilities. Cold sun fulfills the sightscape, soundscape sensualities, the psychological schema of a criminal, the crescendo in tension kept me on edge the whole night. The face off between the criminal and his alter-ego - the detective was a smooth finishing.

There's speed, method, mental agility and almost watertight in this case of #whodunnit . The undercurrents of political and social perfectly layered the crime atmosphere. Also, there's the "No Country For Old Men" cameo!

A monumental crime story. Take a bow, Anita. Here's to many more of the #crimebusters duo, Vijay Patel and Chandra. Faith in crime stories is restored. I slept contentedly last night after devouring the Cold Sun. 

5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

#ColdSun #AnitaSivakumaran #Whodunnit #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #sgbookstagram #CrimeNovel #CrimeFiction #CrimeStory #CrimeThriller #IGReads #Whatareyoureadingsg #readingnationsg #netgalley #ARC #littlebrownhouse #bookreviewer #bookreviews #booklover #bibliophile #crime #book #read #crimeseries #murder #CSI #ScotlandYard #dialoguebooks

Cold Sun is the first instalment in the Detective Vijay Patel series, set against the backdrop of searingly hot Bengaluru (previously known as Bangalore) in the state of Karnataka, where high tech industry thrives and the city erupts with energetic nightlife and the greenery and scenery of its parks. This is a richly atmospheric amalgamation of crime thriller, police procedural and Bollywood Noir. DS Vijay Patel is the Leicester-born son of Gujarati immigrants. A first-class cricketer, whose England career was ended abruptly by injury, now works as a Detective Sergeant at Scotland Yard. Brilliant, but lacking confidence, and with a crumbling personal life, he’s sent to Bangalore to assist in the investigation of the murder of several high-profile, glamorous women, one of whom is the British Foreign Minister’s ex-wife. The only clues from the killer, who calls himself ‘Gentleman’, are the mysterious weapon that delivers the killing blow and the identical red saris he leaves draped on the bodies of all the women. Patel is a stranger in a strange land - though one who looks like a local.

He must work with Assistant Commissioner Chandra Subramanium, a dynamic, ruthless Indian policewoman who resents the British intrusion. With differing methods and near-fatal results, together they must hunt the psychopath killer, before he takes another life. This is a compulsive, captivating and fast-paced thriller in which debut genre author Sivakumaran weaves a richly described and intriguing story full of drama, wonderful insights into Indian culture and a cast of distinctive and engaging characters. The location is a character in itself and brings such a lot of intrigue to the novel with the lush descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells of the bustling city. Primarily told from Patel’s perspective with some interspersed musings of the killer, Maru, I found it fresh, exciting and thoroughly entertaining; it had no problem capturing my interest from start to finish. Patel is impulsive, determined and ambivalent, and the dynamic between Chandra and Patel is a fascinating one. I can't wait to see what direction the series will head in when Black Rain arrives in 2022. Highly recommended.

A crime novel , and police procedural with the flavour of the UK and Bangalore mixed into one. A gripping read that I recommend.

This is the first in a very promising series featuring Scotland Yard detective Vijay Patel, former cricketer and rising star. When a series of murders in Bangalore baffle the local police, one of the victims being the wife of an English politician, Patel is seconded to India to advise. The novel is greatly enhanced by the author's knowledge of local geography and customs and the plot is fascinating throughout, with a number of surprising revelations. I look forward to the next in the series.

This is the first in what appears to be a new series by Anita Sivakumaran featuring the fish out of water DS Vijay Patel, sent to Bangalore in India by a Superintendent Skinner of the London Met who is not keen on him. Patel's family are from Uganda, and he is a Leicester man who ended up playing cricket as a fast bowler for the England team, only to be forced to retire after a wrist injury. After this, he retrained as a police officer, who in Yorkshire struck lucky when he was responsible for catching a serial killer. He knows he got a lucky break, but it means he shoulders heavy responsibilities and burdens with the high expectations of his talents, the reasons why he is chosen to help the Indian police in a case that has seen prominent women murdered, dressed in red saris, and killed with a rather unusual weapon.

However, his troubled personal life, he is engaged to artist and sculptor Sarah Saunders, means that he is not entirely unhappy to be travelling to the sub-continent. The British interest is that the Foreign Secretary, Alex Goldblum's ex-wife, the 34 year old Sarita Mohan is one of the victims. As can be imagined, not everyone in the Indian police force is keen on his arrival, but Police Chief Rajkumar is under heavy pressure to make an arrest. With his role identified as a consultant, Patel works closely with Assistant Commissioner Chandra Subramanium, a tough woman who has had to survive in a profession that is heavily male dominated. He finds himself part of a murder inquiry where there are no leads, unable to speak the language and a colourful vibrant culture he is unfamilar with, and a spicy cuisine that he is struggling to stomach. He is helped back in London by Inspector Rima Seth.

Patel finds himself being the intense focus of the media, but the murders continue at a faster rate, and he has caught the eye of the killer, Manu, a unreconstructed man who has traditional ideas on the role of women and how they should behave. This is an entertaining crime read primarily for its great sense of location in India and the great character of Chandra. It is marred slightly by the identity of Manu being far too easy to decipher early on, but otherwise this a good crime mystery, although I am wondering where the author will take Patel on his next outing. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Police procedures in India are structurally similar to those in the UK, but functionally a world apart – as Detective Sergeant Vijay Patel is about to find out. Born and bred in Leicester, his parents having been part of Amin’s expulsion of Asians from Uganda, he became a star bowler for England’s Test Team. A wrist injury ended that career and he is now a DS at Scotland Yard. Having solved a major case he is feted by all – except his boss, Superintendent Skinner. In his personal life he is caught between Sarah, his long term girlfriend, and Inspector Rima, his Immediate boss with whom he is heavily ‘flirting’.
At the same time, in Bengaluru, a fanatical serial killer is using a sort of captive bolt pistol to kill, and thus ‘purify’, the rich, westernised, women he targets. This would normally have no impact on the UK except that the latest victim is the ex-wife of the Foreign Minister. Help is requested of Scotland Yard and Skinner, anticipating ignominious failure, assigns Patel as a consultant.
Arriving in Bengaluru, he quickly becomes aware that the local police hierarchy, resent his presence. This is especially so for Assistant Commissioner Chandra Subramanium , the SIO, a highly intelligent, westernised and very attractive, woman. The clash of professional cultures, and the underlying sexual frisson, provide an interesting dynamic. So too does the clash between Patel’s totally anglicised ‘Indian’ background and the reality of the real India; described in glorious detail with all its mess, and colour, and noise and smells.
In some respects this is a slow build story as Vijay and Chandra become settled as a team and try to identify the killer. As it progresses, the action speeds up as we head towards the action packed denouement. The writer shows considerable skill in assembling and relating her tale, as she here takes off in a surprising direction – very different from her previous works of history and poetry. Although all is resolved, there is a feeling that Patel, as a character, has a lot left to develop and I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes the start of a series.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.
Police procedures in India are structurally similar to those in the UK, but functionally a world apart – as Detective Sergeant Vijay Patel is about to find out. Born and bred in Leicester, his parents having been part of Amin’s expulsion of Asians from Uganda, he became a star bowler for England’s Test Team. A wrist injury ended that career and he is now a DS at Scotland Yard. Having solved a major case he is feted by all – except his boss, Superintendent Skinner. In his personal life he is caught between Sarah, his long term girlfriend, and Inspector Rima, his Immediate boss with whom he is heavily ‘flirting’.
At the same time, in Bengaluru, a fanatical serial killer is using a sort of captive bolt pistol to kill, and thus ‘purify’, the rich, westernised, women he targets. This would normally have no impact on the UK except that the latest victim is the ex-wife of the Foreign Secretary. Help is requested of Scotland Yard and Skinner, anticipating ignominious failure, assigns Patel as a consultant.
Arriving in Bengaluru, he quickly becomes aware that the local police hierarchy, resent his presence. This is especially so for Assistant Commissioner Chandra Subramanium , the SIO, a highly intelligent, westernised and very attractive, woman. The clash of professional cultures, and the underlying sexual frisson, provide an interesting dynamic. So too does the clash between Patel’s totally anglicised ‘Indian’ background and the reality of the real India; described in glorious detail with all its mess, and colour, and noise and smells.
In some respects this is a slow build story as Vijay and Chandra become settled as a team and try to identify the killer. As it progresses, the action speeds up as we head towards the action packed denouement. The writer shows considerable skill in assembling and relating her tale, as she here takes off in a surprising direction – very different from her previous works of history and poetry. Although all is resolved, there is a feeling that Patel, as a character, has a lot left to develop and I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes the start of a series.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

A most interesting read set in India on the investigation into a serial killer with political and Indian religion overtones. As one of the victims is the ex-wife of a UK minister, Scotland yard gets to send a detective to India the help with the investigation. The detective being an English born Indian is viewed with mistrust which develops an interesting interplay between him, and the senior Indian officer assigned to take care of him. With high expectations and no leads, when a fourth victim a journalist that he had met is killed, it seem that it was for his benefit. This leads to a media and political frenzy, that he was no help but a liability, becoming persona non grata he must leave; at the last minute he has a brain wave that causes him to escape from taking a flight home, so to purse a last desperate attempt to crack the case. How the killer is finally identified when within a hair’s breadth of bloody disaster makes a dramatic end with reputations salvaged

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, for an advance copy of Cold Sun, the first novel to feature DS Vijay Patel set in Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), India.

When the former wife of the British Foreign Secretary becomes the fourth wealthy woman to be murdered in Bengaluru DS Vijay Patel is sent to India to consult with the local force. He joins forces with Assistant Commissioner Chandra Subramanium to find the killer.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cold Sun, which has a novel take on foreign detectives and a good plot that make it a fun read. It is mostly told from Patel’s point of view with the killer, who calls himself Manu, occasionally providing his thoughts. This is an interesting contrast as Manu is an unregenerate traditionalist while Patel is anything but. He is a former professional cricketer, forced to retire young through injury, turned detective, born and bred in Leicester and apart from a hotel stay for cricket has never been in India. Oh, and he doesn’t like spicy food. This throws up all sorts of questions, like why he was chosen to go, but you’ll have to read the novel to get the answers. I really like him with his ambivalence, occasional lack of motivation and ability to wholeheartedly throw himself into danger.

The plot held my attention throughout. Much of this is due to Patel’s introduction to Indian life and policing through the fiery Chandra Subramanium, a woman in a man’s world. The stereotypes keep falling in this novel. I loved the interaction between these two characters. The plot itself doesn’t offer anything new in terms of motive, or even in the strange murder weapon, but the window dressing keeps it fresh and entertaining. The only mild criticism I would have of the novel is the reveal of Manu’s identity and the final showdown. I guessed his identity about 60% in and he is revealed at 80% in. This latter is too soon as it detracts from the final action scene, which, in itself, is one of the least credible parts of the novel.

Cold Sun is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

This is the first of Anita Sivakumaran's books I've read and, I'm pleased to say, it won't be the last.
Well plotted with interesting characters, vivid description and a wonderfully rich setting, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cold Sun.
I do find that, at times, the book can be excessively wordy and that slows the pace and the drama.
As the first in the series, I expect the rest to get better and better and look forward to reading them.

A very interesting start to a gripping new series if this is anything to go by! A crime novel , and police procedural with the flavour of the UK and Bangalore mixed into one. A murder case which unravels in Bangalore and involves Scotland Yard was always going to be interesting and this is a great mix. Very well drawn characters and there's some great conversations and cultural asides here too. Recommended!

My thoughts about Anita Sivakumaran's brilliant hard-hiting, breathtaking, Suspense Police Procedural Crime Thriller, Cold Sun was wow just incredible. Author Anita Sivakumaran not only she introduces a fantastic fearless detective Inspector, from Scotland Yard Vijay Patel, who goes to india to help the Bangolore police to catch a ruthless killer. She introduces a range of characters, that truly deserves appreciation. The story of Cold Sun is begins where we see Three high-profile women murdered, their bodies draped in identical red saris in Bangalore, the ruthless killer targets the British Foreign Minister’s ex-wife, Scotland Yard sends the troubled, brilliant DI Vijay Patel to lend his expertise to the Indian police investigation was fantastic. While in the investigation we see DI Vijay Patel team up with Chandra Subramanium, the fierce female detective he is working with in Bangalore is brilliant. Author Anita Sivakumaran has written a powerful story, that blow me away, when I found out the killer's identity just took my breath away which is incredible. Cold Sun is a well written police procedural murder mystery thriller, that has breathtaking suspense and mystery that will blow you away. A brilliant start of a great series, which is highly recommended. I would like to say thank you to Author Anita Sivakumaran, Publishers Dialogue Books and netgalley for giving me a chance to read and review this outstanding unique thriller. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💥💥💥💥💥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥