Somnath Batabyal worked for a decade in journalism, covering crime and criminality, hobnobbing with politicians and policemen, before entering the quieter world of Western academia. His first book, Making News in India: Star News and Star Ananda, was published in 2011 by Routledge India. He has also edited a volume, Indian Mass Media and the Politics of Change (2010) with the same publishers. Somnath has recently published his first novel, a crime thriller, The Price You Pay, with Harper Collins. He now lives in London where he teaches at the School of Oriental and African Studies.