Meet Vish Puri, India's most private investigator. Portly, persistent, and unmistakably Punjabi, he cuts a determined swathe through modern India's swindlers, cheats, and murderers. In hot and dusty Delhi, where call centers and malls are changing the ancient fabric of Indian life, Puri's main work comes from screening prospective marriage partners, a job once the preserve of aunties and family priests. But when an honest public litigator is accused of murdering his maidservant, it takes all of Puri's resources to investigate.
How will he trace the fate of the girl, known only as Mary, in a population of more than one billion? Who is taking pot shots at him and his prize chilli plants? And why is his widowed "Mummy-ji" attempting to play sleuth when everyone knows Mummies are not detectives? With his team of undercover operatives—Tubelight, Flush, and Facecream—Puri ingeniously combines modern techniques with principles of detection established in India more than two thousand years ago, long before "that Johnny-come-lately" Sherlock Holmes donned his Deerstalker. The search for Mary takes him to the desert oasis of Jaipur and the remote mines of Jharkhand. From his well-heeled Gymkhana Club to the slums where the servant classes live, Puri's adventures reveal modern India in all its seething complexity.
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"I received this as a First Reads giveaway and loved it. I loved the amusing and unusual characters and enjoyed the mystery so much that I had to run out and pick up the second book too. It was fun to read about India from this detective's point of view. I also really liked the supporting characters as well."
— Allie (4 out of 5 stars)
" Good mystery. Light. Interesting to learn a bit about India. Good for commuting. "
— Nan, 2/15/2014" I really wanted to like this one, but it just didn't gel. A large part of the problem for me was the extremely poor sentence structure. I expected it in the dialogue, having worked with a large number of people from the Indian sub-continent. However, it was extremely off-putting in the narrative. There were several places where I had to re-read sentences multiple times and still had no clue what the author was trying to say. I expected much better considering the author is a journalist. "
— Sue, 2/14/2014" Vish Puri is India's "Most Private Detective." I'm glad this is the first in a series, because that way I know there will be more to enjoy. Easy, fun reading, but with the added bonus that you learn about the minutae of the lives of Jains, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and even the native Adivasis of India. "
— Tomi-Ann, 2/12/2014" I liked this book very much. I prefer this author to Alexander McCall Smith, by a wide margin. "
— Carolyn, 2/12/2014" I enjoyed this book for it's fun play on detective work. At parts it reminded me of No 1 Ladies and the killer was very contrived but still a fun book. As my mother and I call it - a subway book. I would read the next in the series. "
— Julia, 1/31/2014" Loved the characters and the setting. It's a fun detective novel but even more because you get a good flavor for the Indian culture, too. "
— Judy, 1/25/2014" So fun to listen to! Laugh out loud funny, and a mystery too! "
— Gaye, 1/20/2014" A great whodunnit and an insight into a different culture "
— Mike, 1/9/2014" A picture of contemporary India that is simultaneously sympathetic and hysterically funny. Vish Puri and his wonderful family are the best way I can think of to spend time. The audio version is absolutely perfect. "
— Janet, 1/6/2014" Fun little detective yarn (in the Sherlock Holmes tradition) based in the back alleys of modern day India... "
— Amos, 12/25/2013Tarquin Hall is a writer and journalist who has lived and worked in much of South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States. He is the author of Mercenaries, Missionaries, and Misfits: Adventures of an Underage Journalist; To the Elephant Graveyard; Salaam Brick Lane: A Year in the New East End; and the Vish Puri series of mystery novels.
Sam Dastor studied English at
Cambridge and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His early theatrical experience includes a spell
at the National Theatre under Sir Laurence Olivier and time spent acting in the
West End. For the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has been seen in Timon of Athens, Tales from Ovid, and a world tour of A Servant to Two Masters. His many television appearances include I, Claudius; Yes, Minister; Mountbatten;
Julius Caesar; and Fortunes of War. He has also appeared in
the films Made, Jinnah, and Such a Long
Journey, recorded over a thousand broadcasts for the BBC, and narrated
numerous audio books.