The Case of the Missing Servant (Vish Puri 1) [Kindle Edition]

Whodunit meets travel book, with the best of both, this is Gourmet reading at its most enjoyable. We plunge into the intimate life of Indian culture, with a truthful yet endearing look at this multilayered society where abject poverty rubs shoulders with enviable wealth. Like all expert storytellers the writer vanishes, we forget about Tarquin Hall and quickly empathise with Vish Puri, this most skilled detective, even if we are often appalled by his environment. He takes us with him into the bowels of Indian life where all is exposed: corruption, the honest man who fights on against the odds, the marriage market, the struggle of day to day life for rich and poor alike. No tourist will ever see this India, and perhaps that's the way I would like to keep it as it is far removed from the glossy Bollywood image that is often projected by travel brochures. Through Vish Puri's eyes we also become accustomed to the extremes of lifestyle as the background to everyday experiences. Soon it is the "crime that must be solved" that grips us while our senses are caressed by Indian colour and spices. Don't rush this book; savour it as a subtle and intriguing read, full of humorous observations. Ration your consumption or, far too soon, it will be over and all that will be left to do is bang on Mr Hall's door for another one. I hope he is already putting the finishing touches on volume two!

Uh oh, I've got another fun detective series to add to my "must read" list. The last time I felt this way was after reading Colin Cotterhill's The Coroner's Lunch, and before that it was Alexander McCall Smith's The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This series debut shares a good deal with those two -- such as compelling protagonist detectives, a keen sense of humor, colorful and finely depicted international settings, great supporting casts, and the right balance of dark subject matter and light tone.

Here, we are introduced to Vish Puri, who is (at least by his accounting) India's most renown and successful private detective. Although his bread and butter cases are essentially background checks on prospective grooms and bridges, he also tangles with more ruthless villains. This debut finds him checking out the suspiciously squeaky-clean groom of the daughter of a strict military man, ducking bullets from an unknown assailants, and taking on a seemingly hopeless missing persons case.

It's this latter plotline that gives the book its title and its main story, as Puri must locate a "tribal" servant girl who might be anywhere in India -- if she's even alive. Atmosphere simply oozes from the pages, whether Puri's downing pakora and cocktails at an old-fashioned colonial-style club, driving around the clogged Delhi streets, or poking around the remote mining center of Jharkhand. Vish is a classic character who's sure to amuse, from his custom hats and disguises, to his sneaking of snacks and other cunning skills, he's a detective one wants to spend more time with (along with his amusing named band of employees, Handbrake, Tubelight, Flush, Doorstop, Facecream, etc.)

Spanning modern Indian society from high to low (ie. sleek call centers to mud huts), this is a real page-turner of a mystery filled with classic bits of detection and flavored with plenty of Hindi and Punjabi phrases (don't worry, there's a great glossary if you need it). At times some of the comedic elements get a touch too broad, but that's a minor quibble with an utterly enjoyable debut. I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for the next in the series.

I enjoyed this book immensely, so much so, that I unselfishly gave my copy away at random on the bus!
As I feel this is a story not only be read but shared.
I urge discerning readers of detective stories or even those new to the genre to buy this title and enjoy.
Be transported to a modern India, with its vast cities and all the hustle and bustle, smells and sights and characters that entails.
Our protagonist is the likeable, chubby character called `Vish Puri', who runs a detective agency.
His routine cases mainly involve investigations of either the bride or grooms families of a proposed arranged marriage.
Throw in some villainous enemies and an interfering mother and life is far from humdrum!
At the centre of the story is the case of a top Lawyer who has been accused of murdering one of his maidservants.
Our detective and his undercover accomplices, must investigate and find the missing servant, whom if indeed alive could be anywhere, in a population as large as this, it is no easy feat.
Vish puri is highly acute, complex, and funny, with plenty of history. A well rounded character in every sense!
Mr Hall is a brilliant writer.
I loved the characters of Puri's accomplices, nicknamed, Face cream, Flush, Handbrake, Tube light and Doorstop!
I hope to see more of their characters in the next possible outing of Mr Vish Puri, `Owner of Delhi's most private' Detective agency.