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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Book Review: Vish Puri ja kadonneen palvelijattaren tapaus (The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, India's "Most Private Investigator")

Vish Puri ja kadonneen palvelijattaren tapaus (The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, India's "Most Private Investigator")
by Tarquin Hall
translated to Finnish by Tero Valkonen
Pocket book edition; Gummerus, 2013.
This review is based on the Finnish paperback edition (Vish Puri ja kadonneen palvelijattaren tapaus).

Vish Puri, "Chubby", is a middle-aged private investigator from India. He likes good food, nice whiskey and nice clothes. He values traditional Indian values and is concerned about western bad habits coming to India. He is also concerned about the class inequality, that may someday result to rioting. His guru is Chanakyaa who lived 300 B.C. and invented  espionage.

Vish Puri is hired to help lawyer Ajay Kasliwal whose maid servant has gone missing. Kasliwal is accused of murdering her, so Vish must find the servant. It is not an easy task because only the servants first name is known, Mary.

Vish has a team of undercover operatives codenamed Tubelight (undercover operative who knows the streets), Flush (expert in hacking and wire tapping), Facecream (woman operating undercover) and driver Handbrake. There is also Vish's old friend Rinku who became rich through some shady businesses.

Vish also has to investigate if some husband candidates have something to hide or try to fool the brides' families. Someone also tries to murder Vish. For Vish it is just another attempt more and he does not have much time to find the culprit. Vish's mother goes on investigating the case although Vish thinks that mothers should not play detective.

The Case of the Missing Servant is funny and entertaining mystery in exotic India with some social commentary. Compared to Mma Ramotswe books, Vish Puri adventure contains more action and more technical methods. There is a vocabulary of Indian words in the end of the book.

Rating:Good

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