A Matrimonial Murder by Meeti Shroff-Shah

 

First Line: On the quiet, gulmohar-lined slopes of Mumbai's posh Temple Hill, Sarla Seth is a powerful name.

 

Radhi, a writer and traveler, has returned home to Mumbai's posh Temple Hill district after spending years living in New York City. Radhi has many ghosts to deal with, among them the disappearance of her American lover and the death of her parents twenty years ago in which she's always held herself responsible. To top it all off, she's suffering from writer's block, so when her agent lines up a book project for her, Radhi decides to take it.

 

The subject of the book is Mumbai's thriving and ultra-competitive marriage bureau business, and Radhi will be spending a week with Sarla Seth, the best matchmaker of them all. 

 

Radhi has barely begun interviewing all the employees when Sarla's investigator is found dead in her office at the marriage bureau. The problem is, no one is sure if the dead woman was the intended victim... or was it Sarla Seth herself? Radhi may be contracted to write a book, but she finds herself investigating a murder instead.

 

~

 

A Matrimonial Murder is the second book in the author's contemporary Temple Hill mystery series, and at times I felt that it would have been better had I read the first book (A Mumbai Murder Mystery) beforehand. However, I felt that way not because I was getting lost among the characters and the story, I felt it would have given me a slightly better understanding of the main character and her backstory.

 

Radhi has money. She's driven around Mumbai by her chauffeur, and she's found herself the subject of gossip in the rarefied air of the (fictional) Temple Hill district of Mumbai. After all, she's a thirty-year-old divorcee; she's had a white boyfriend, and... she's lived in the United States! Her sister Madhavi is a treasure even though Madhavi does have the mother-in-law from hell, a woman filled with feelings of entitlement and all the old prejudices that should have died lonely deaths years ago.

 

I enjoyed following Radhi around because of the in-depth look she gave me of present-day Mumbai and the detailed look at the matrimonial business of arranged marriages. I could see the clothing, wonder at the boxes of brightly-colored, patterned tissues, and feel my mouth water at the descriptions of all the food. For armchair traveling sleuths who love to learn about the cultures of other countries, A Matrimonial Murder is a treat.

 

The book also has a strong mystery that kept me guessing. Unfortunately, it also did something that really annoys me. What was it? Several times, Radhi found an important piece of the puzzle, and instead of sharing it with readers, she kept it to herself until the reveal at the end. Do writers do this because they think sharing the clues will help readers solve the mystery too soon, or are they wanting to play Agatha Christie and gather everyone in a room so the main character can Reveal All? For whatever reason, it annoys me because Christie could do it without being so obvious.

 

Strong mystery. Marvelous sense of place. An interesting main character. Something tells me that I'll be visiting Radhi in Mumbai again in the future. I just hope she starts sharing the clues she finds.

A Matrimonial Murder by Meeti Shroff-Shah

eISBN: 9781835263358

Joffe Books © 2024

eBook, 298 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #2 Temple Hill mystery

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

Bad Day at the Vulture Club by Vaseem Khan

First Line: Perched on a rocky outcrop thrusting dramatically into the Arabian Sea halfway up the city's western flank, the Samundra Mahal-- the "palace by the sea"-- seemed to Inspector Ashwin Chopra (Retd) to encapsulate everything he had come to associate with the Parsees of Mumbai.

When prominent businessman Cyrus Zorabian is murdered on holy ground and his body dumped inside a Tower of Silence where the Parsee dead are consumed by vultures, his daughter is unconvinced that his death was a random killing. Enlisting the experience of retired police inspector Ashwin Chopra, she insists on knowing the truth.

The Parsees are among the oldest, most secretive, and most influential communities in Mumbai, India, and Chopra feels uneasy at entering this world of power and privilege, but he's soon plagued with doubts about the case, which is going to take him deep into the marriage of wealth and corruption that so often lies at the heart of his beloved city.

After the slapstick comedy of the last Baby Ganesh Agency mystery, Murder at the Grand Raj Palace, this latest book has a much more serious tone and is the best and tightest constructed mystery so far in the series. Although the tone is more serious, there are still scenes that gave me fits of the giggles, so those of you who prefer light-hearted mysteries, take note. I think one of my favorite chuckles was Khan's homage to Edgar Allan Poe with an injured vulture glaring at people from atop Chopra's bookcase.

The mystery in Bad Day at the Vulture Club kept me guessing, and Chopra, with all his years of police work, is an excellent investigator-- even if his baby elephant sidekick does get into mischief occasionally. In fact, Chopra has such a good reputation with many in the Mumbai police force that his contacts and goodwill there stand him in good stead.

One of the things I enjoy most about this series is the way the character of Chopra's wife, Poppy, has grown. Chopra has a one-track mind and focuses on his investigations while Poppy adds her social issues and causes to the mix. This makes Poppy a very important part of the series because what she's involved in really give readers a true feel for Mumbai-- armchair travel at its best. She and her mother are also gifted with some of Khan's wonderful sense of humor.

After reading Sujata Massey's two Perveen Mistry historical mysteries and now Bad Day at the Vulture Club, I feel that I'm getting to know the Parsees, a group that continues to play such an important part in Mumbai's past, present, and future. In addition, my appreciation of vultures has grown (they may be ugly but they are an important part of life on our planet), and my learning about the Poo2Loo movement (pun intended) has enriched my knowledge of one of the most fascinating countries in the world.

Yes, I highly recommend Vaseem Khan's Baby Ganesh Agency mysteries. Read them and you'll enjoy, learn, and laugh. It doesn't get much better than that.

Bad Day at the Vulture Club by Vaseem Khan

eISBN: 9781473685390

Mulholland Books © 2019

eBook, 384 pages

Private Investigator, #5 Baby Ganesh Agency mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

Murder at the Grand Raj Palace by Vaseem Khan

First Line: As Inspector Ashwin Chopra (Retd) stood below the soaring arch of the Gateway to India, gazing up at the Grand Raj Palace Hotel, he couldn't help but reflect on the history of that architectural marvel that, over the decades, had graced countless covers of countless magazines around the world.

When American billionaire Hollis Burbank is found dead in the Grand Raj Palace Hotel a day after buying India's most expensive painting, it would suit all the powers that be to have the investigation handled quickly and any potentially embarrassing facts to "disappear." It simply has to be a suicide.  But no matter how much the police officer in charge is pressured, he's not so sure Burbank took his own life. Since he's under too much scrutiny to follow his instincts, he calls in a man he knows he can trust: retired Inspector Ashwin Chopra, now head of the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency. In no time at all, Chopra discovers that there's a hotel filled with people who have a reason to want Burbank dead. Now all he has to do is prove which one actually carried out the murder.

When this series began with The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, I wasn't entirely sure which direction it would take. There was a supernatural element that really didn't fit well with the rest of the story. However, with each new book, this series has gotten stronger and stronger, and now I have to get my hands on each new installment as quickly as possible. I first began reading because I was desperately missing my Vish Puri fix-- the superb series written by Tarquin Hall. Now I still miss Vish Puri, but I've found that Ashwin Chopra does not stand in the shadow of the wily investigator from New Delhi. Not at all.

Khan always includes interesting bits of Mumbai history in his books, and Murder at the Grand Raj Palace is no exception. There are several things going on at this opulent hotel, and one of the most important involves Chopra's wife, Poppy, who wants their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary to be very special. There's only one problem: her husband refuses to cooperate, so she finds herself drawn into the mystery of a young woman who's run away from an arranged marriage. This runaway bride subplot is the weaker of the two, but I cut Poppy some slack because it's her first real investigation-- and it provides some fantastic laugh-out-loud comic relief.

The major investigation concerning the billionaire is as twisty-turny as any crime fiction lover can want, and it really kept me guessing. To this first-rate mystery, readers can then add uproarious scenes of a baby elephant tracking someone through the hotel, and characters like Big Mother (Shubnam Tejwa Parwardhan, former maharani of Tejwa, and her Panzer-like wheelchair). Murder at the Grand Raj Palace is a wonderful puzzle for the mind and the perfect balm for the spirit. If you haven't tried the series yet, I urge you to do so. Begin at the beginning with The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra because these characters do grow and change. Now... follow that elephant!

Murder at the Grand Raj Palace Hotel by Vaseem Khan

ISBN: 9781473612372

Hodder & Stoughton © 2018

Hardcover, 375 pages

Private Investigator, #4 Baby Ganesh Agency mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.


 

The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan

First Line: On a sultry March evening, in the great hive-city of Mumbai, Inspector Ashwin Chopra (Retd) was once again discovering the futility of reasoned discourse with his fellow countrymen.

The city of Mumbai loves extravaganzas and larger-than-life characters, which is fitting since it is home to Bollywood, India's film industry.

Private detective (and retired police inspector) Ashwin Chopra has been hired by film legend Bijli Verma to find her missing son, Vikram. Playboy Vikram is a rising star, and his disappearance has put the fate of his latest film in jeopardy.

Chopra takes the case, and when he and his sidekick, baby elephant Ganesha, begin to investigate, they find feuding movie stars, bad investments, and death threats. It would seem that there are a lot of people who want Vikram Verma out of the picture. Permanently.

The more Vaseem Khan's Baby Ganesh Agency mystery series develops, the more assured, complex, and enjoyable it becomes. The three books that have been published so far are doing a wonderful job filling the gap left by Tarquin Hall's excellent Vish Puri series. Khan has even begun featuring Indian cuisine via Chopra's restaurant, although I don't feel strong enough to try even the tiniest nibble of one of the chef's "Rocket Fuel pickles."

The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star showcases culture, humor, strong characters, a hair-raising escape, and two separate investigations. While Chopra looks for the missing movie star, his associate Rangwalla is working on a case for a group of eunuchs. This investigation has a lot to teach readers (and Rangwalla) about this group of people in Indian society and how they're treated. It is a strong investigation in its own right.

Chopra's case is complex and sometimes frightening, and it's amazing how a baby elephant can actually have a part to play in all the action and not make the book seem ridiculous-- but Khan pulls it off with panache. He also shows us a bit of the history of Bollywood-- a film industry many times larger than the American Hollywood-- and fascinating tidbits like the relationship Indian families have with their jewelers.

Good story, good setting, good food, and the type of characters that bind all the pieces together. Rangwalla has a large part in the book, and we also see more of the relationship between Chopra and his wife Poppy. One of the things I enjoy most about these books is Khan's uncanny ability to describe a character in one (often hilarious) line. The film legend Bijli Verma is "a vision of immaculate fury in a sari," and Chopra's mother-in-law mans the restaurant's cash register "as though it were a gun turret." 

I think I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star. Give it a try. I'll bet you will, too.

The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan

ISBN: 9781473612334

Mulholland Books © 2017

Hardcover, 370 pages

Private Investigator, #3 Baby Ganesh Agency mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.

The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan

First Line: "Arise, Sir Chopra."

Gandhi may be Ashwin Chopra's hero, but the retired police inspector isn't above a daydream or two-- especially when he's knocked unconscious when the Koh-i-Noor diamond is stolen from the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai. The Queen of England, who put her jewels on loan for the exhibit, flies home immediately. The entire country of India is in an uproar, and no matter how hard the police are working to recover the stolen property, it soon becomes clear that there's only one man for the job: Inspector Ashwin Chopra (Ret.).

Vaseem Khan has written another enjoyable mystery in his Baby Ganesh series-- the only series I know of that has a baby elephant as a sleuth (and Ganesha does good work). In many ways, this series reminds me of Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri mysteries set in New Delhi. It gives readers the same wonderful cultural flavor (minus the mouth-watering food). If you love books that give a real feel for the climate and culture of another country, this is a series that you should enjoy, especially if you start with the first book, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra. 

In this second book, there's so much work that needs to be done that Chopra has to hire another investigator. Rangwalla also worked on the Mumbai police force, and he's a person Chopra likes and trusts. While Chopra focuses on the jewel theft to clear the name of an old friend, Rangwalla is put to work with Chopra's wife, Poppy, to solve a series of crimes occurring at the school in which Poppy teaches. This leaves the young elephant Ganesha at home being cared for by young Irfan, a boy who also helps out at Chopra's restaurant. When Irfan disappears and disreputable people take advantage of the adults' absence to haul away Ganesha, a rather surprising (and endearing) hero rises up to save the day.

The mystery involving the jewel theft is engaging, and I'd say that the series as a whole is almost perfect... except for one area of blight. Chopra's mother-in-law, Poornima, is the darkness in this series. This woman lives to hate, find fault, belittle people, and cause endless trouble simply because she can. Thankfully the woman has a lesser role in this book than she did the first, but she's also been given a larger scope to do damage. I'd love to pick up the next book to discover that Chopra is working to solve Poornima's murder, but I fear the suspect pool would be insurmountable. Oops, I think my involvement with the characters and stories is showing!

Yours just might, too, if you give Chopra and his baby elephant a test read-- and I hope you will!

 

The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan

ISBN: 9780316386845

Redhook Books © 2016

Paperback, 368 pages

Private Investigator, #2 Baby Ganesh Agency

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen  


   

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan

First Line: On the day that he was due to retire, Inspector Ashwin Chopra discovered that he had inherited an elephant.

On the day he is to retire, Inspector Ashwin Chopra of the Mumbai police inherits a baby elephant, but he has little time to think of it as anything other than a joke. His last day on the job is strangely unfulfilling, partly because a boy has drowned under suspicious circumstances, and no one seems to care. Yes, the boy lived in an extremely poor part of the city, but that means nothing to Chopra. Everyone is entitled to justice in his book.

At the end of his last day, Chopra's now ex-boss tells him that under no uncertain terms is he to investigate the boy's death. But Chopra simply cannot leave it alone-- even when he returns home to find a crowd of neighbors and a baby elephant waiting for him. His own private investigation takes him from one corner of Mumbai to the next, from posh high-rises to slums to Mumbai's thriving underworld. It's a case fraught with peril, and Chopra soon begins to understand that a determined elephant can be just the sort of partner he needs.

I doubt that I am the only reader out there who's been missing Tarquin Hall's excellent Vish Puri mystery series set in New Delhi, India. When I came across this book, I simply had to read it. What did I learn from it? That Vaseem Khan's new series has every hallmark of being a good alternative to the missing New Delhi private investigator (but without the mouthwatering food).

Ashwin Chopra is a dedicated police officer and a thoroughly honest man. He and the men in his department knew what to expect from each other, and they enjoyed working with each other. Chopra and his men certainly have a period of adjustment to undergo. His wife Poppy and his totally obnoxious mother-in-law also have this same period of adjustment, especially Poppy because Chopra just isn't capable of turning into a man of leisure, which is what Poppy wanted.

Khan shows us many faces of modern Mumbai: how it's changing, its politics, and its corruption. I look forward to getting to know this city even better in future books.

This is a first book, and it shows from time to time. The writing doesn't always flow smoothly, and Khan does something that always annoys me by sharing a couple of the clues after the investigative dust has settled. But all in all, this is a good read. You'll be surprised by how well a baby elephant can fit into a murder investigation-- and not just by adding humor. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra has set up this new series nicely, and I look forward to seeing him and his elephant in action again soon.
  

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan

ISBN: 9780316386821 

Redhook Books © 2015

Paperback, 320 pages

Private Investigator, #1 Baby Ganesh Agency mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen. 


    

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Curious Indian Cadaver by Shamini Flint

First Lines: 31 October 1984. In India, word of disaster spreads like head lice.

Unfortunately our Inspector Singh of the snowy white sneakers is on compulsory sick leave from the Singapore police, so he can't plead work and escape accompanying Mrs. Singh to India for a family wedding. When the couple arrives in Mumbai, they learn that the bride-to-be has disappeared, and since the last thing the family wants is publicity and police involvement, Singh is asked to conduct a discreet search. 

Convinced that the young woman ran away to avoid an arranged marriage, Singh begins interviewing those who knew her best. His investigation takes on a much more serious turn when a corpse is found. Now he's conducting a murder investigation-- with absolute instructions from his wife (she of the "Stalinist tendencies") to cast no blame upon her family. The one thing Inspector Singh knows as he begins to descend through layer after layer of deceit is that it's going to be far from easy to obey his wife.

Shamini Flint has created a series that I love to read. The character of Inspector Singh is the perfect blend of humor and intelligence, and there's the added bonus of following him from case to case throughout Southeast Asia. In many ways this series is comparable to Tarquin Hall's which is set in India and features private investigator Vish Puri. Both give Westerners insight into incredibly rich cultures so very different from their own.

A Curious Indian Cadaver begins with an emotional blockbuster of a scene set in 1984 immediately after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. When the news spread that she was killed by her Sikh bodyguards, it led to massive reprisals against anyone of that religious faith. This scene casts a long shadow of foreboding over the entire book. Any reader will know that what happens will never be forgotten. There will be consequences. 

This fifth book in the series lets us see much more of the dreaded Mrs. Singh, a woman of the strongest opinions who is the main reason why the inspector loves to be constantly on the job. (She's a marvelous cook, so he does like to be home at meal time however.) Readers get to see how this odd couple fits in with their relatives in Mumbai-- those family connections which are so all-important in India-- and it gives Mrs. Singh a chance to see her husband in action... even to put herself in his shoes for a second or two. After being in her company for such an extended period, the inspector begins to see his wife in a different light as well. Will they get along better in future? Only time will tell.

The powerful opening scene that I mentioned earlier in many ways weakened the mystery for me. I knew that "payment" was due for 1984, and that made certain aspects of the plot rather predictable. But as I've stated in other reviews, the best crime fiction isn't merely about crime. It's also about characters, setting, and motivations. A Curious Indian Cadaver brought India to life for me and gave me a greater appreciation of its culture. I thought about how some people never seem to realize that two wrongs don't make a right, as tired as that phrase may be. It also allowed me to spend time with one of my favorite characters. Inspector Singh never ever disappoints!
 

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Curious Indian Cadaver by Shamini Flint

ISBN: 9780749953423

Piatkus Books © 2012
Paperback, 308 pages

Police Procedural, #5 Inspector Singh mystery
Rating: B+
Source: the author