India – Tom Vater

From France to Thailand on foot – Western couple find global trek changes perspectives, in Nikkei Asia

June 24, 2022June 24, 2022tom

My latest story in Nikkei Asia follows a Canadian/French couple who set out to walk from Europe to Australia to remind the world that travel is more than a commodity. They sometimes walked up to 14 hours a day, got lost in the jungles of Laos and were involved in a fatal bus crash in […]

Single Book Review: Kolkata Noir

February 18, 2022February 18, 2022tom

Leah Lindeman at Single Book Review kindly reviewed Kolkata Noir, which she calls a love story steeped in mystery and intrigue against the backdrop of India’s rich culture. Big thanks. Watch the full review here. Buy Kolkata Noir.

Kolkata Noir reviewed at Colman’s Criminal Library

January 1, 2022January 1, 2022tom

Happy New Year! Very excited that Colman’s Criminal Library reviewed Kolkata Noir. Kolkata Noir was a really enjoyable outing for me, not least because of its setting of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). With the exception of a couple of Brian Stoddart books (A Madras Miasma and The Pallampur Predicament) read years ago I haven’t visited India at […]

Documenting music for The British Library – The musical pillars of a medieval Indian temple

November 30, 2021tom

In the 1990s and 2000s, I recorded & documented disappearing musical traditions from South and Southeast Asia for The British Library. British Library Audio Project Cataloguer Jim Hickson has written a wonderful article about one of my recordings from India – music performed not only in a temple, but also on a temple. The Shri […]

The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu reviewed at The Hard Hat Book Site

November 8, 2021November 8, 2021tom

The Hard Hat Book Site has a wonderful review of The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu/ Thanks! Young hippies growing old! As if it is not bad enough that we lose our youth and can’t go back, we also have to cope with the fact that our youth still reserves the right to hang around and […]

The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu reviewed at For The Novel Lovers

October 30, 2021October 30, 2021tom

Thanks for a great review: …The highlights of the novel for me were the unique and crazy characters as well as Vater’s keen eye for details. Vater definitely utilizes impressive descriptions coupled with believable and realistic dialogue to create an atmosphere that completely sucks you in from the very beginning. At times you really feel […]

Kokata Noir reviewed by Was Stanley

October 23, 2021October 23, 2021tom

Was Stanley reviewed Kolkata Noir this week. Thanks! At 148 pages in paperback, 150 pages in hardcover, and an estimated 208 swipes on your favourite eReader, Kolkata Noir is anything but a lengthy read. When picking up the book, I had only intended to read part one, then return to it later, for parts two […]

The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu – A Blackthorn Book Tour

October 21, 2021October 21, 2021tom

Coming soon – A Blackthorn Book Tour of: The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu ‘Acid trips, border crossings, road weariness, the adventurous optimism of youth and the limitations of middle aged wisdom…’ Buy The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu here.

Kolkata Noir reviewed at The Busy Shelf

October 18, 2021October 18, 2021tom

Anda at The Busy Shelf wrote a great review for Kolkata Noir At 148 pages, Kolkata noir surprises with its rich number of characters. Madhurima and Becker interact with lots of other people, be they recurring or specific to each story.… Madhurima is related to a very important personality in the police force. As a […]

Kolkata Noir reviewed at Read And Review It

September 21, 2021September 21, 2021tom

Read And Review It kindly read and reviewed Kolkata Noir, my new crime fiction novel. Kolkata Noir is an intriguing crime fiction following two protagonists – Becker and Madhurima, who are both detectives. The novella is split into three different parts (the past, present and future) and spans over a total of forty years. Each […]