Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line

'Anappara creates an endearing and highly engaging narrator to navigate us through the dark underbelly of modern India' Observer

We children are not just stories. We live. Come and see.

Nine-year-old Jai watches too many reality cop shows, thinks he's smarter than his friend Pari (even though she always gets top marks) and considers himself to be a better boss than Faiz (even though Faiz is the one with a job).

When a boy at school goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from episodes of Police Patrol to find him. With Pari and Faiz by his side, Jai ventures into some of the most dangerous parts of the sprawling Indian city; the bazaar at night, and even the railway station at the end of the Purple Line. But kids continue to vanish, and the trio must confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force and soul-snatching djinns in order to uncover the truth.

'A heartrending tale' The Times

'A drama of childhood that is as wild as it is intimate' Chigozie Obioma, Booker Prize shortlisted author of An Orchestra of Minorities

'Extraordinarily good, deeply moving and thought provoking with brilliant characterisation. A very important book' Harriet Tyce, bestselling author of Blood Orange

'A terrific debut' Daily Mail, Christmas Fiction Picks 2020

**A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020**

Genre: Mystery

"Storytelling at its best—not just sympathetic, vivid, and beautifully detailed, but completely assured and deft . . . We care about these characters from the first page and our concern for them is richly repaid." - Anne Enright

"Deepa Anappara is a writer of considerable talent. This is a wonderful, energetic book filled with humour and pathos. Charming, sensitive and deeply moving." - Nathan Filer

"A brilliant debut." - Ian McEwan

"A magnificent achievement: the endeavours of the Djinn Patrol offer us a captivating world of wit, warmth and heartbreak, beautifully crafted through a child’s unique perspective." - Mahesh Rao

"A stunningly original tale . . . I stayed up late every night until I finished, reluctant to part from Deepa Anappara’s heart-stealing characters." - Etaf Rum

"Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is a moving and confident novel about the preciousness of life. The storytelling is distinctive and immersive." - Nikesh Shukla

"Extraordinarily good, deeply moving and thought provoking with brilliant characterization . . . A very important book." - Harriet Tyce

"The children at the heart of this story will stay with you long after you turn the last page . . . A wonderful debut." - Christie Watson