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A review by dqan
The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator by Tarquin Hall
5.0
I've found a new, favorite private detective: Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri.
"The Case of the Missing Servant" is the first title in the series which chronicles the adventures of India's Most Private Investigator, Vish Puri. Centered in Delhi, India, the novel takes us along as Puri and his team of operatives seek to clear the name of Ajay Kasliwal, a successful attorney who has set out to expose the corruption rooted so deeply in the judicial system. Kasliwal's political opponents accuse him or killing one of his servant girls. Do they have proof? Nothing conclusive, but the accusations are bound to take a toll. And so he turns to Vish Puri for help.
Who is Vish Puri? As the novel opens, we find him sitting at a desk about to tuck into an order of green chili pakoras. He has to eat them on the sly to avoid detection by his wife and his doctor, both of whom insist that he needs to eat more healthily. Of course, he can't hide the results of his dietary indiscretion: every one in his family calls him Chubby, and he doesn't seem to mind. Puri has his foibles, of course, but he is also a clever, compassionate man who finds himself feeling increasingly out of place in a fast changing world. He likes to write letters to the editor of the newspaper decrying the social decay, but Puri is also a man of the world (parts of it anyway), and he isn't totally unwilling to learn some new tricks or adjust his thinking. And we will, on occasion, find him skirting the law, though always in the pursuit of Justice.
Puri doesn't work alone. He has a team of operatives that he calls on whenever he needs a specialty service. Most go by a nickname that Puri has given them: Tubelight, Face Cream, Door Stop, etc. The nicknames, I'm sure, make it easier to for Westerners to keep track of who is who, but the names also allow Puri (and us) to keep them at a distance. They have families, passions, and histories that we are not immediately privy to. They are colorful characters and powerful tools in the hands of Vish Puri. Puri prefers to let them have their privacy. The reader may well want to pry a little deeper.
All this is set in India, a vibrant, bustling hive of activity. Few mystery novels have fired my imagination as much as this one. Whether we are in a crowded slum or a quiet social club for the privileged, I want to explore every corner and examine every detail. I think a book like this would be enhanced greatly if I could easily access the internet while reading. Fortunately, Hall has included a glossary at the end of the book to give us a few more details should we want them. (The glossary for the first book is quite comprehensive. Glossaries in subsequent novels seem to leave out some words mentioned in previous novels, so keep the set handy.)
For the most part, the Vish Puri novels fit well within the International Cozy Mystery Genre -- there is such a thing, right? There is more history and social commentary than you will find in the average cozy, and we also learn how to say 'b*stard m*therf*cker' in Punjabi (a bit over the top, perhaps, but such uncouth language is really quite rare). But we also have the lovable, grumpy detective, his meddling Mummi, and lots of delicious food.
I've read all three of the current V.P. novels and I'm looking forward to the fourth. It's definitely a series worth checking out.
[I received a copy this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.]
"The Case of the Missing Servant" is the first title in the series which chronicles the adventures of India's Most Private Investigator, Vish Puri. Centered in Delhi, India, the novel takes us along as Puri and his team of operatives seek to clear the name of Ajay Kasliwal, a successful attorney who has set out to expose the corruption rooted so deeply in the judicial system. Kasliwal's political opponents accuse him or killing one of his servant girls. Do they have proof? Nothing conclusive, but the accusations are bound to take a toll. And so he turns to Vish Puri for help.
Who is Vish Puri? As the novel opens, we find him sitting at a desk about to tuck into an order of green chili pakoras. He has to eat them on the sly to avoid detection by his wife and his doctor, both of whom insist that he needs to eat more healthily. Of course, he can't hide the results of his dietary indiscretion: every one in his family calls him Chubby, and he doesn't seem to mind. Puri has his foibles, of course, but he is also a clever, compassionate man who finds himself feeling increasingly out of place in a fast changing world. He likes to write letters to the editor of the newspaper decrying the social decay, but Puri is also a man of the world (parts of it anyway), and he isn't totally unwilling to learn some new tricks or adjust his thinking. And we will, on occasion, find him skirting the law, though always in the pursuit of Justice.
Puri doesn't work alone. He has a team of operatives that he calls on whenever he needs a specialty service. Most go by a nickname that Puri has given them: Tubelight, Face Cream, Door Stop, etc. The nicknames, I'm sure, make it easier to for Westerners to keep track of who is who, but the names also allow Puri (and us) to keep them at a distance. They have families, passions, and histories that we are not immediately privy to. They are colorful characters and powerful tools in the hands of Vish Puri. Puri prefers to let them have their privacy. The reader may well want to pry a little deeper.
All this is set in India, a vibrant, bustling hive of activity. Few mystery novels have fired my imagination as much as this one. Whether we are in a crowded slum or a quiet social club for the privileged, I want to explore every corner and examine every detail. I think a book like this would be enhanced greatly if I could easily access the internet while reading. Fortunately, Hall has included a glossary at the end of the book to give us a few more details should we want them. (The glossary for the first book is quite comprehensive. Glossaries in subsequent novels seem to leave out some words mentioned in previous novels, so keep the set handy.)
For the most part, the Vish Puri novels fit well within the International Cozy Mystery Genre -- there is such a thing, right? There is more history and social commentary than you will find in the average cozy, and we also learn how to say 'b*stard m*therf*cker' in Punjabi (a bit over the top, perhaps, but such uncouth language is really quite rare). But we also have the lovable, grumpy detective, his meddling Mummi, and lots of delicious food.
I've read all three of the current V.P. novels and I'm looking forward to the fourth. It's definitely a series worth checking out.
[I received a copy this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.]