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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Avery clumsy mystery -
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A British cozy but in India. I enjoyed this story so much. It was a light and definitely cozy. I don't know how accurately it presents life in Mumbai (the author was born in England and moved to India to work in his late 20s-early 30s) but it is a lovely tale full of memorable characters, especially the titular Inspector Chopra and his wife Poppy. They have a delightful marriage.
If you can get a hold of the audio-book (my library had it in their digital online catalog) I highly recommend it. The voice acting by Sartaj Garewal is wonderful and warm. He's like your kindly uncle reading you to sleep.
If you can get a hold of the audio-book (my library had it in their digital online catalog) I highly recommend it. The voice acting by Sartaj Garewal is wonderful and warm. He's like your kindly uncle reading you to sleep.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As I suspected, I am now invested in another mystery series. 🤷🏼♂️ What surprised me most was not the moments of silliness and fun, or even the family melodrama, but rather how sobering a look at corruption, how seedy a sprawling city underbelly Chopra's investigations and reflections reveals. The author does not hold back, and this fictionalized (?) modern Mumbai is all the more vividly alive as a result.
I'm not interested in the traditional gender roles in evidence, the focus on getting and keeping a husband, and having children (in wedlock) determining a woman's value, but Chopra's wife having a backbone even amongst the weight of these societal expectations (and a constantly complaining mother) redeems the characterization somewhat. I was pleasantly surprised to see a flicker of transgender representation in the text, though mention of violence against transgender people, while statistically plausible, was disheartening, as was other terminology by which the transgender person was referred to which might be cultural but feels outdated/inaccurate and possibly unappreciated by that community.
Here's hoping as my reading of this series progresses from its first entry in 2015 that I see some of the improvements in minority representation one notes in contemporary fiction.
On the 'not broke, don't fix it' side:
Baby elephant side kick!
Dour detective bluffing his way through absurd circumstances with gruff demeanour even as his dignity quietly curls up and dies (see shopping mall escalator and unwilling elephant; attempted surveillance in brothel while fending off its employees)
Classic denouement where villains cheerily or dramatically reveal all aspects of crimes/dastardly plan
Pro-choice mother informing pregnant teenage daughter of the full range of options 👍🏻
⚠️Animal cruelty, child trafficking
I'm not interested in the traditional gender roles in evidence, the focus on getting and keeping a husband, and having children (in wedlock) determining a woman's value, but Chopra's wife having a backbone even amongst the weight of these societal expectations (and a constantly complaining mother) redeems the characterization somewhat. I was pleasantly surprised to see a flicker of transgender representation in the text, though mention of violence against transgender people, while statistically plausible, was disheartening, as was other terminology by which the transgender person was referred to which might be cultural but feels outdated/inaccurate and possibly unappreciated by that community.
Here's hoping as my reading of this series progresses from its first entry in 2015 that I see some of the improvements in minority representation one notes in contemporary fiction.
On the 'not broke, don't fix it' side:
Baby elephant side kick!
Dour detective bluffing his way through absurd circumstances with gruff demeanour even as his dignity quietly curls up and dies (see shopping mall escalator and unwilling elephant; attempted surveillance in brothel while fending off its employees)
Classic denouement where villains cheerily or dramatically reveal all aspects of crimes/dastardly plan
Pro-choice mother informing pregnant teenage daughter of the full range of options 👍🏻
⚠️Animal cruelty, child trafficking
The mystery part didn't do much for me, but I loved all the bits with the elephant.
I had begun to pick up on a few of the author's biases (e.g. stereotypes of fat people) and they were really starting to grate on me. I decided I wasn't invested enough in the plot or the characters to continue reading.
adventurous
slow-paced
A wonderfully written, gently paced detective novel. I loved the way Mumbai and Indian culture was portrayed, since I've not read many books set in India, I really enjoyed the imagery in this book. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the gentle pace of the story, it was such a lovely read. Great characters with a brilliant plot and the added bonus of an adorable baby elephant.