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Vish Puri #3
The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken
Vish Puri is as fond of butter chicken as the next Punjabi. So when it’s served at the Delhi Durbar hotel at an India Premier League cricket match dinner, he’s the first to tuck in. Faheem Khan, father of Pakistani star cricketer Kamran Khan, can’t resist either. But the creamy dish proves his undoing. After a few mouthfuls, he collapses on the floor, dead...
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
134 people are currently reading
2168 people want to read
About the author
Tarquin Hall
15 books653 followersTarquin Hall is a British author and journalist who has lived and worked throughout South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. He is the author of The Case of the Missing Servant, dozens of articles, and three works of non-fiction, including the highly acclaimed Salaam Brick Lane, an account of a year spent above a Bangladeshi sweat shop in London’s notorious East End. He is married to Indian-born journalist, Anu Anand. They have a young son and divide their time between London and Delhi.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 602 reviews
September 4, 2012
Dear Mr. Vish Puri,
Last summer I had the good fortune to read two detailed accounts of your fine detective work, and since then, I have often wondered how you were doing.
I would even say to my husband, Jon, "What do you think Vish Puri is up to right now?"
So it was with great anticipation that I waited for the third account of your work to come out this summer.
And for the most part, you did not disappoint. Good work, Mr. Puri.
However, this third account felt crowded and rushed, and I really had a hard time with the absence of Rumpi in the latter half of the book. How could you not find time to talk to your wife after your trip to Pakistan? You almost lost your life, and still, you discussed nothing with Rumpi. She is an afterthought, and I could not believe that you told her everything over dinner at the end. Too neat, too forced.
I appreciated the history lesson of Pakistan and India's horrible division, but again, there was so much of it and it made the book all crowded. And the whole diamond scheme added more crowdedness.
Still, I look forward to the next account of your great work. You are one of my favorite people, and I love your descriptions of India and its food and culture.
One word of caution, I think Mummy-ji will break her oath: she will continue to do detective work. As she should.
Sincerely,
Katie
Last summer I had the good fortune to read two detailed accounts of your fine detective work, and since then, I have often wondered how you were doing.
I would even say to my husband, Jon, "What do you think Vish Puri is up to right now?"
So it was with great anticipation that I waited for the third account of your work to come out this summer.
And for the most part, you did not disappoint. Good work, Mr. Puri.
However, this third account felt crowded and rushed, and I really had a hard time with the absence of Rumpi in the latter half of the book. How could you not find time to talk to your wife after your trip to Pakistan? You almost lost your life, and still, you discussed nothing with Rumpi. She is an afterthought, and I could not believe that you told her everything over dinner at the end. Too neat, too forced.
I appreciated the history lesson of Pakistan and India's horrible division, but again, there was so much of it and it made the book all crowded. And the whole diamond scheme added more crowdedness.
Still, I look forward to the next account of your great work. You are one of my favorite people, and I love your descriptions of India and its food and culture.
One word of caution, I think Mummy-ji will break her oath: she will continue to do detective work. As she should.
Sincerely,
Katie
February 1, 2025
The Case Of The Deadly Butter Chicken is the third book in the Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator series by British journalist and author, Tarquin Hall. At a celebration dinner for a nephew’s cricketing success, Vish Puri is enjoying some illicit Butter Chicken on the terrace when he witnesses an exchange between the father of up-coming Pakistani fast bowler, Kamran Khan, and a man with an envelope. And he’s not the only one to observe it. A short time later, having enjoyed a plate of the same delicious dish, Faheem Khan suddenly collapses: his Butter Chicken was poisoned.
Puri is furious to be summarily excluded from the investigation by Delhi’s Police Chief, but then finds that English former Deputy Police Commissioner (recently departed from an investigative role with the International Cricket Federation) James Scott wants him to investigate on behalf of a new body, Clean Up Cricket. He’ll have to tread carefully: amongst the obvious suspects at Faheem’s table, there are some powerful individuals.
Some efficient legwork allows him to strike a few names from the list, but he is leaning towards a motive involving match-fixing: the envelope in Faheem’s pocket contained a lot of cash. In the interests of investigation, Puri has to place a bunch of losing bets on a cricket match at the home of a Syndicate bookie but, despite Facecream’s brilliant acting skills as his young girlfriend, his disguise isn’t sufficient. Were it not for an aconite-laced paan his host chewed, a sticky end had been in store for them; Mohib Alam was the second Syndicate bookie to meet this fate.
Worrying is Mummy-ji’s strange behaviour after meeting Kamran Khan and his father: is it because they are Pakistani? Before the partition, his mother grew up in Rawalpindi, so might she have known Faheem Khan? And distracting Puri from it all is the case he wishes he hadn’t agreed to take: record-length moustaches are being shaved off without the wearer’s consent. And, of course, there’s Puri’s ongoing battle with his weight…
Puri somehow manages to tie in a dog that dies in the middle of a cricket match, a lost expensive earring, and a slip of coded numbers with which his father-in-law, Brigadier Mattu might be able to help. Puri is forced to go to Pakistan to learn more, something he initially dreads, until he finds the people are friendlier than expected and the kadai gosht is as delicious as it was described. Over the course of his investigations, he is abducted, shot at, and threatened, but also gets to enjoy the luxury of the VVIP stand at Kotla Stadium.
As always, the stereotypically-Indian dialogue is a delight. When asked will she have a meal, Mummy-ji replies “Some hunger is there. I’ll be joining you shortly, na. Just I’ll take a bath. Ten minutes only is required.” In this instalment, Hall’s protagonist manages to expose an illegal betting syndicate, solve the moustache-theft mystery, and learn some surprising facts about Mummy-ji’s past. Once again, entertaining Indian cosy crime fiction. Bring on #4, The Case of the Love Commandos.
Puri is furious to be summarily excluded from the investigation by Delhi’s Police Chief, but then finds that English former Deputy Police Commissioner (recently departed from an investigative role with the International Cricket Federation) James Scott wants him to investigate on behalf of a new body, Clean Up Cricket. He’ll have to tread carefully: amongst the obvious suspects at Faheem’s table, there are some powerful individuals.
Some efficient legwork allows him to strike a few names from the list, but he is leaning towards a motive involving match-fixing: the envelope in Faheem’s pocket contained a lot of cash. In the interests of investigation, Puri has to place a bunch of losing bets on a cricket match at the home of a Syndicate bookie but, despite Facecream’s brilliant acting skills as his young girlfriend, his disguise isn’t sufficient. Were it not for an aconite-laced paan his host chewed, a sticky end had been in store for them; Mohib Alam was the second Syndicate bookie to meet this fate.
Worrying is Mummy-ji’s strange behaviour after meeting Kamran Khan and his father: is it because they are Pakistani? Before the partition, his mother grew up in Rawalpindi, so might she have known Faheem Khan? And distracting Puri from it all is the case he wishes he hadn’t agreed to take: record-length moustaches are being shaved off without the wearer’s consent. And, of course, there’s Puri’s ongoing battle with his weight…
Puri somehow manages to tie in a dog that dies in the middle of a cricket match, a lost expensive earring, and a slip of coded numbers with which his father-in-law, Brigadier Mattu might be able to help. Puri is forced to go to Pakistan to learn more, something he initially dreads, until he finds the people are friendlier than expected and the kadai gosht is as delicious as it was described. Over the course of his investigations, he is abducted, shot at, and threatened, but also gets to enjoy the luxury of the VVIP stand at Kotla Stadium.
As always, the stereotypically-Indian dialogue is a delight. When asked will she have a meal, Mummy-ji replies “Some hunger is there. I’ll be joining you shortly, na. Just I’ll take a bath. Ten minutes only is required.” In this instalment, Hall’s protagonist manages to expose an illegal betting syndicate, solve the moustache-theft mystery, and learn some surprising facts about Mummy-ji’s past. Once again, entertaining Indian cosy crime fiction. Bring on #4, The Case of the Love Commandos.
July 18, 2012
The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken provides two mysteries, of course -- one involving the murder of the father of a Pakistani star cricketer and another, more light-hearted one on the murder of a mustache. Both mysteries are excellently handled. Smug detective Vish Puri might be overly self-satisfied, but he has reason to be. He really does always get his man. The book would be worth it just for Puri's amusing and skilled investigations and his clever Mummy-ji's machinations.
Puri and his family are fortuitously present when the elderly Faheem Khan is poisoned with aconite in his butter chicken. Puri's investigations lead into the world of illegal Indian betting and of cricket match fixing. But, secretly, Puri's mother begins looking into how the murder is related to the crimes committed during the bloody 1947 partition of India.
But where author Tarquin Hall excels is in introducing the new, conflicted India to foreigners -- a country both as wealthy as the Mugals and as poor as a begging street urchin, as technological advanced as an Indian call center and as rooted in time as a widow scattering her husband's remains into the fetid Ganges River. Every time I read Hall's books, I learn so much about modern India, where money, rather than birth, is creating the new caste system.
Some mysteries need to be read in order; however, Hall's mysteries, like those of Rex Stout, aren't that way. All of Hall's Vish Puri books are excellent: Don't miss the previous books, The Case of the Missing Servant and The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing: Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator.
Puri and his family are fortuitously present when the elderly Faheem Khan is poisoned with aconite in his butter chicken. Puri's investigations lead into the world of illegal Indian betting and of cricket match fixing. But, secretly, Puri's mother begins looking into how the murder is related to the crimes committed during the bloody 1947 partition of India.
But where author Tarquin Hall excels is in introducing the new, conflicted India to foreigners -- a country both as wealthy as the Mugals and as poor as a begging street urchin, as technological advanced as an Indian call center and as rooted in time as a widow scattering her husband's remains into the fetid Ganges River. Every time I read Hall's books, I learn so much about modern India, where money, rather than birth, is creating the new caste system.
Some mysteries need to be read in order; however, Hall's mysteries, like those of Rex Stout, aren't that way. All of Hall's Vish Puri books are excellent: Don't miss the previous books, The Case of the Missing Servant and The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing: Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator.
January 3, 2013
The Indian tourist commission really owes Tarquin Hall a debt of gratitude. Perhaps, even a fat check. In his Vish Puri Mystery series, Hall is able to exhibit the unusual, (to anyone not from India or familiar with its vernacular) and the sublime that the country has to offer. But with this installment of the series, The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken, Hall has stepped a bit further out into the cultural vibrancy that India can claim. Namely: cricket. The father of a Pakistani cricket hero has been murdered and Puri, “India’s Most Private Investigator,” tries to find the culprit and is led into the world of illegal gambling, blood diamond smuggling and thrown cricket matches.
But finding the murderer, who poisons yet another victim, isn’t the solitary mystery to unravel. There is also the peculiar subplot of the vanishing mustaches, a case that the investigator’s aptly capable Mummy-ji is eager to unravel.
There are also political hints in the novel, mentions of the 1947 partition of India, that led to Pakistan’s statehood and the massacres that resulted in the partition and Vish Puri, who is wary of venturing to Pakistan in an attempt to follows clues, returns from the trip with a broader, more accepting attitude of the Pakistani people.
The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken is a welcome addition to the Vish Puri series. Hall’s strength is the colorful characters he creates and the brilliant, funny background his characters thrive in. These novels are clever, humorous without relying on puns or common mystery tropes and are a testament to Hall’s very unique vision of the world and the characters in his own life. The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken gives the reader something unexpected: a subtle narrative of the historical context present in India and Pakistan and lush imaginings of the intricacies of Indian life.
Highly Recommended
But finding the murderer, who poisons yet another victim, isn’t the solitary mystery to unravel. There is also the peculiar subplot of the vanishing mustaches, a case that the investigator’s aptly capable Mummy-ji is eager to unravel.
There are also political hints in the novel, mentions of the 1947 partition of India, that led to Pakistan’s statehood and the massacres that resulted in the partition and Vish Puri, who is wary of venturing to Pakistan in an attempt to follows clues, returns from the trip with a broader, more accepting attitude of the Pakistani people.
The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken is a welcome addition to the Vish Puri series. Hall’s strength is the colorful characters he creates and the brilliant, funny background his characters thrive in. These novels are clever, humorous without relying on puns or common mystery tropes and are a testament to Hall’s very unique vision of the world and the characters in his own life. The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken gives the reader something unexpected: a subtle narrative of the historical context present in India and Pakistan and lush imaginings of the intricacies of Indian life.
Highly Recommended
September 16, 2019
There are several ways to get to know India. Naturally, you can move there and stay for, say, a couple of dozen years. (Anything much shorter won't do the trick.) You could also read all the travel guides ever written about the country, and that might give you a pretty good sense of the place. Or you could read the mystery novels featuring Vish Puri, "India's #1 private detective," by Tarquin Hall. The third book in Hall's series, The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken, may be the best introduction of all, at least to northern India. Hall will immerse you in the sights and sounds and smells of Delhi and other northern cities. He'll treat you to the taste of the distinctive local cuisine. He'll give you a peek into the country's history and into the way business (both legal and not) is done there. And along the way he'll make you laugh a lot.
Much more than a simple detective story
On one level, The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken is a simple mystery story about "India's #1 private detective." Well, not so simple, really, because Hall adroitly weaves together three subplots, maintaining suspense throughout. But it's so much more, really. Somehow, even though the author is an Englishman and lived in New Delhi for only six years, he has managed to gain an appreciation for the people and the culture and convey it all precisely in fewer than 400 pages.
India's #1 private detective is an unforgettable character
Vish Puri is what my friends here in the United States might call a character. He has adopted his own unique nicknames for all those around him. There's Handbrake, his driver; Tubelight, his assistant who drives a three-wheeler; Flush, a young IT wizard; and Facecream, whose principal job seems to be just to be a babe. Of course, Vish's own mother is, simply, Mummy, or Mummy-ji. And somehow this team of eccentrics has become recognized as the #1 private detective agency in all of India (although, naturally, Vish takes all the credit).
About the author
Tarquin Hall is an English author and journalist, the son of an English father and an American mother. He now lives with his Indian-American wife in the UK. Previously, working for a time as the South Asian bureau chief for the Associated Press, he lived in New Delhi for six years. To date, he has published a total of four books in the Vish Puri series.
Much more than a simple detective story
On one level, The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken is a simple mystery story about "India's #1 private detective." Well, not so simple, really, because Hall adroitly weaves together three subplots, maintaining suspense throughout. But it's so much more, really. Somehow, even though the author is an Englishman and lived in New Delhi for only six years, he has managed to gain an appreciation for the people and the culture and convey it all precisely in fewer than 400 pages.
India's #1 private detective is an unforgettable character
Vish Puri is what my friends here in the United States might call a character. He has adopted his own unique nicknames for all those around him. There's Handbrake, his driver; Tubelight, his assistant who drives a three-wheeler; Flush, a young IT wizard; and Facecream, whose principal job seems to be just to be a babe. Of course, Vish's own mother is, simply, Mummy, or Mummy-ji. And somehow this team of eccentrics has become recognized as the #1 private detective agency in all of India (although, naturally, Vish takes all the credit).
About the author
Tarquin Hall is an English author and journalist, the son of an English father and an American mother. He now lives with his Indian-American wife in the UK. Previously, working for a time as the South Asian bureau chief for the Associated Press, he lived in New Delhi for six years. To date, he has published a total of four books in the Vish Puri series.
January 23, 2021
Another comic tale of murder mystery
Nice story and wonderful narration by Sam Dastor
Nice story and wonderful narration by Sam Dastor
June 13, 2016
My first Vish Puri book, No. 3 in the series.
Vish Puri is a chubby, bubbly detective, possibly in his late fifties to early sixties, who is mortally afraid of his petite wife Rumpi, who is behind him to lose weight. In between trying to evade her he tries to solve murders and thefts, aided (unasked for) by his senile mother, who appears to be more clever and sprightly.
This mystery involves theft as well as murder:
-the stealing of moustaches (yes, moustache) from men who keenly and lovingly grow them to luxurious tresses after years of toil. When two rival moustache growers get their mouches shorn off while sleeping they naturally suspect each other and engage VIsh Puri to clear the mystery.
But then Puri is dragged into a high profile murder case
- the sleazy father of the dashing 20-20 cricketer from Pakistan keels and dies at a high profile party while eating butter chicken. Later it is found that he was poisoned, and the suspects consist of creme de la creme of corrupt Indian higher classes including politicians, polyester kings, IT kings, cricketers, judges and whatnots.
Puri has to move with caution amidst them and try to find out why he was murdered, and whether the murder is associated with the rampant match fixing and betting that accompanies cricket in the Indian subcontinent.
For this he has to visit Pakistan, a country which he despises because he is the first generation product of parents who had to flee from Pakistan.
And we get to know some about IndoPak division chaos and its effect too, as many of the chief suspects had infact fled Pakistan during 1947-48
I loved the unconventional names of Puri's associates - Facecream, Handbreak, Tubelight , to name a few, and the obvious slang with which they conversed.
Not a very scintillating mystery, but immensely readable to while away time, especially if one's brain is overworked and is resisting heavier literature.
Vish Puri is a chubby, bubbly detective, possibly in his late fifties to early sixties, who is mortally afraid of his petite wife Rumpi, who is behind him to lose weight. In between trying to evade her he tries to solve murders and thefts, aided (unasked for) by his senile mother, who appears to be more clever and sprightly.
This mystery involves theft as well as murder:
-the stealing of moustaches (yes, moustache) from men who keenly and lovingly grow them to luxurious tresses after years of toil. When two rival moustache growers get their mouches shorn off while sleeping they naturally suspect each other and engage VIsh Puri to clear the mystery.
But then Puri is dragged into a high profile murder case
- the sleazy father of the dashing 20-20 cricketer from Pakistan keels and dies at a high profile party while eating butter chicken. Later it is found that he was poisoned, and the suspects consist of creme de la creme of corrupt Indian higher classes including politicians, polyester kings, IT kings, cricketers, judges and whatnots.
Puri has to move with caution amidst them and try to find out why he was murdered, and whether the murder is associated with the rampant match fixing and betting that accompanies cricket in the Indian subcontinent.
For this he has to visit Pakistan, a country which he despises because he is the first generation product of parents who had to flee from Pakistan.
And we get to know some about IndoPak division chaos and its effect too, as many of the chief suspects had infact fled Pakistan during 1947-48
I loved the unconventional names of Puri's associates - Facecream, Handbreak, Tubelight , to name a few, and the obvious slang with which they conversed.
Not a very scintillating mystery, but immensely readable to while away time, especially if one's brain is overworked and is resisting heavier literature.
February 16, 2013
I read all three books in a row and find that plots are improving, which is a good sign. Tarquin Hall is well aware of the sub-continents ills and issues and love for cricket and also the controversies around it. The special twist of course is the personal revenge bit and what a difference it has made to the plot.
Vish Puri is the most unlikely detective you can imagine but he has an unique way to look into the problems and solving the mysteries.His Mummyji is getting greater role as a detective gradually, who views the problems in an intelligent and simple way, otherwise who could have thought to check the papers of family tree held by a panda to trace out people and where they came from.
The characters feel familiar as there are whole lot of similar characters are seen or heard every day.
The conclusion that people of Pakistan are as normal as anybody in India and more similar to Indians despite the "enemy" tag, is so right!
I would look forward to some more by Tarquin Hall, since there is no shortage of subjects equally intriguing in India.
If you want a light reading and not a romantic/fantasy/vampire thing, go for his books.
Vish Puri is the most unlikely detective you can imagine but he has an unique way to look into the problems and solving the mysteries.His Mummyji is getting greater role as a detective gradually, who views the problems in an intelligent and simple way, otherwise who could have thought to check the papers of family tree held by a panda to trace out people and where they came from.
The characters feel familiar as there are whole lot of similar characters are seen or heard every day.
The conclusion that people of Pakistan are as normal as anybody in India and more similar to Indians despite the "enemy" tag, is so right!
I would look forward to some more by Tarquin Hall, since there is no shortage of subjects equally intriguing in India.
If you want a light reading and not a romantic/fantasy/vampire thing, go for his books.
August 25, 2018
The 3rd book in the Vish Puri series, this was pretty good but could not match up to its predecessors. Vish Puri is called to investigate the theft of a moustache, then he gets embroiled in a match fixing scandal, and then ends up researching a 60-year old case in Pakistan with the help of Mummy. The book was a mishmash of all these cases and consequently quite lost the plot. It was as if the author had too many ideas and decided to cram them all into the same book.
The Mafia got involved, the entire cricket scene was described in detail, the Partition and its aftermath was discussed, and a few pages were also given to the workings of the diamond industry. I really enjoyed the parts where Mummy goes detecting, as well as the whole Partition and Pakistan stuff. But when Hall involved the Mafia and big business moguls in the plot, it got less interesting as it became an entirely different genre altogether.
I look forward to the next book in the series and I hope the author gets his act together the next time. Though this book could have done with some proper editing, it was still enjoyable.
The Mafia got involved, the entire cricket scene was described in detail, the Partition and its aftermath was discussed, and a few pages were also given to the workings of the diamond industry. I really enjoyed the parts where Mummy goes detecting, as well as the whole Partition and Pakistan stuff. But when Hall involved the Mafia and big business moguls in the plot, it got less interesting as it became an entirely different genre altogether.
I look forward to the next book in the series and I hope the author gets his act together the next time. Though this book could have done with some proper editing, it was still enjoyable.
January 10, 2013
Just finished. In the midst learned something of the partition of India, incredable suffering. He cites the book 'The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India' as a reference.
I like the Vish Puri dectective stories, this is Tarquin Hall's third one.
BTW The Butter Chicken recipe in the back of the book is delicious! My daughter made it for us over the Holidays. http://www.cravebyrandomhouse.ca/2012...
Also a helpful Glossary in the back explaining some of the terms used in the book.
I like the Vish Puri dectective stories, this is Tarquin Hall's third one.
BTW The Butter Chicken recipe in the back of the book is delicious! My daughter made it for us over the Holidays. http://www.cravebyrandomhouse.ca/2012...
Also a helpful Glossary in the back explaining some of the terms used in the book.
April 19, 2022
I am really enjoying this series. Book three also addresses the Partition in India which I found fascinating not knowing much about it. Mr. Puri, his wife Rumpi, and his Mummy-ji are wonderful characters, interacting with each other and the cases of the Most Private Investigator. The case of the stolen moustache and Puri's attempts at dieting are so amusing. Besides the usual glossary (so helpful) there are a few recipes including one for Butter Chicken. In a side note, a map would be most welcome!
October 3, 2021
"Puri would never forget the meal as long as he lived. The marinated mutton was so tender, so succulent, that it melted in his mouth. The yogurt-based gravy was a revelation; creamy with a perfect blend of coriander and chilli and just a hint of lemon. He lapped it all up with the crisp pieces of roghini naan, wiped the container clean with his finger and sucked every last bit of marrow from the mutton bones."
I read The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken (2012) by Tarquin Hall on a recommendation from an outstanding student of mine. It has been a very interesting read, less so in terms of a crime/mystery novel, but much more as a primer on life in Kashmir, India. I have never been to the soon-to-be most populous country in the world, and despite having Indian students and faculty colleagues, I have never known much about the country. Obviously, one should not readily generalize one author's observations, but Mr. Hall, originally a news reporter, had lived in India for many years, and has garnered quite a reputation among literary community for the accuracy of his social commentary, so I tend to have a high degree of confidence in the picture of the country he paints.
This is the third installment in the series of mysteries featuring Vish Puri, "India's Most Private Investigator." We meet Vish (a gourmet, nicknamed "Chubby" by his wife), as he commences work on a strange case where the owner of the longest moustache in the world, nurtured and groomed for more than thirty years, has his treasure stolen "from right under his nose."
Yet this is not the main case whose solution we are following in the novel. The father of an internationally famous Pakistani cricket star dies of poisoning during a well-attended dinner at a luxury hotel in Delhi. Mr. Puri's British friend, the head of the anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Federation, asks him to help solve the case. There are suspicions that the victim's son participated in a match fixing scheme. As the captivating plot progresses, we learn that the case may have connections to historical events from the past.
For me, the vivid and compelling portrait of Indian life and society is the most valuable aspect of the novel. I found precious the social commentary about the basic ways of life in India (the story happens in the Punjab area; I am not sure how representative it is for other regions of India). The ways of "getting things done," are so very different from our Western norms. Using family and personal contacts is the main way of achieving most objectives in life. The ubiquity of bribery and corruption must be a bit stunning for a Western-born reader (not for me, accustomed to moderate degrees of corruption and bribery in my native country). It is also illuminating how different the crime solving process by a private investigator in India is from the one in UK or US. More importantly, the reader will learn about the horrors of the 1947 Partition of British India into independent India and Pakistan, when at least half a million people lost their lives.
My opinions about the literary aspect of the novel are mixed. I did not particularly care for the prose - I found it hard to focus on the text, generously peppered with Hindi/Punjabi words and phrases. True, it added to the overall feeling of authenticity, yet it made it difficult for me to focus. While the glossary of Hindi/Punjabi phrases at the end helped, I found using it disruptive in my reading.
Also on the negative side, Vish's miraculous escape from the near-death situation seems artificial and not fitting the rather somber tone of the story at that juncture of the plot. It sort of reads as a contrived way of adding "excitement" to the plot. Also, while I like how irreverent the narrator's approach to Mr. Puri's investigating excellence is, the presence of a big army of his helpers offsets the humor.
The best thing in the book, from the literary point of view, is - to me - the author's ability to gradually change the mood of the novel from light and full of humor to very dark and serious. I did not expect this, and I appreciated it a lot! I love when the author does things that I do not expect they will do.
Compellingly readable novel, highly recommended! Thank you, LF!
Three-and-a-half stars.
I read The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken (2012) by Tarquin Hall on a recommendation from an outstanding student of mine. It has been a very interesting read, less so in terms of a crime/mystery novel, but much more as a primer on life in Kashmir, India. I have never been to the soon-to-be most populous country in the world, and despite having Indian students and faculty colleagues, I have never known much about the country. Obviously, one should not readily generalize one author's observations, but Mr. Hall, originally a news reporter, had lived in India for many years, and has garnered quite a reputation among literary community for the accuracy of his social commentary, so I tend to have a high degree of confidence in the picture of the country he paints.
This is the third installment in the series of mysteries featuring Vish Puri, "India's Most Private Investigator." We meet Vish (a gourmet, nicknamed "Chubby" by his wife), as he commences work on a strange case where the owner of the longest moustache in the world, nurtured and groomed for more than thirty years, has his treasure stolen "from right under his nose."
Yet this is not the main case whose solution we are following in the novel. The father of an internationally famous Pakistani cricket star dies of poisoning during a well-attended dinner at a luxury hotel in Delhi. Mr. Puri's British friend, the head of the anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Federation, asks him to help solve the case. There are suspicions that the victim's son participated in a match fixing scheme. As the captivating plot progresses, we learn that the case may have connections to historical events from the past.
For me, the vivid and compelling portrait of Indian life and society is the most valuable aspect of the novel. I found precious the social commentary about the basic ways of life in India (the story happens in the Punjab area; I am not sure how representative it is for other regions of India). The ways of "getting things done," are so very different from our Western norms. Using family and personal contacts is the main way of achieving most objectives in life. The ubiquity of bribery and corruption must be a bit stunning for a Western-born reader (not for me, accustomed to moderate degrees of corruption and bribery in my native country). It is also illuminating how different the crime solving process by a private investigator in India is from the one in UK or US. More importantly, the reader will learn about the horrors of the 1947 Partition of British India into independent India and Pakistan, when at least half a million people lost their lives.
My opinions about the literary aspect of the novel are mixed. I did not particularly care for the prose - I found it hard to focus on the text, generously peppered with Hindi/Punjabi words and phrases. True, it added to the overall feeling of authenticity, yet it made it difficult for me to focus. While the glossary of Hindi/Punjabi phrases at the end helped, I found using it disruptive in my reading.
Also on the negative side, Vish's miraculous escape from the near-death situation seems artificial and not fitting the rather somber tone of the story at that juncture of the plot. It sort of reads as a contrived way of adding "excitement" to the plot. Also, while I like how irreverent the narrator's approach to Mr. Puri's investigating excellence is, the presence of a big army of his helpers offsets the humor.
The best thing in the book, from the literary point of view, is - to me - the author's ability to gradually change the mood of the novel from light and full of humor to very dark and serious. I did not expect this, and I appreciated it a lot! I love when the author does things that I do not expect they will do.
Compellingly readable novel, highly recommended! Thank you, LF!
Three-and-a-half stars.
January 30, 2021
I’ve really enjoyed this series: a quirky, Indian detective with a great supporting cast of associates and family. But this third installment went from solid detective novels to bringing extra history and depth that made this book top notch.
I learned so much about the history of conflict between India and Pakistan, about Partition and how that history continues to affect present day people. There was a much deeper storyline beneath the mystery in this one that I don’t want to spoil, but it was really powerful.
The food descriptions literally made me order Indian food this week while reading. The humor was still there, but I loved seeing Mummy get to play such a major role in important ways. These books bring modern India to vivid, vibrant life, in a way that makes me want to visit.
I learned so much about the history of conflict between India and Pakistan, about Partition and how that history continues to affect present day people. There was a much deeper storyline beneath the mystery in this one that I don’t want to spoil, but it was really powerful.
The food descriptions literally made me order Indian food this week while reading. The humor was still there, but I loved seeing Mummy get to play such a major role in important ways. These books bring modern India to vivid, vibrant life, in a way that makes me want to visit.
February 17, 2017
I had heard about this series before and so when the book was up for review, I quickly grabbed my chance to snag a copy. I was intrigued by the idea of a British writer writing about Indian Detective.
When a famous Pakistani cricketer’s father is murdered at the Delhi Durbar hotel at an India Premier League cricket match dinner, Vish Puri and his family was present at the event. So, the “Most Private Investigator” takes up the case. But that is not the only mystery and investigator around. There’s also the case of missing moustache and Vish Puri’s Mummyji’s insights to keep you involved. But things start boiling up as Vish Puri starts his investigation… Match-fixing and smuggling are no simple matters to deal with. Will our detective be up to the task?
First things first… Characters! Vish Puri is such an unorthodox figure in the detective world. Nicknamed chubby by his wife, Vish Puri is put on diet but irrespective of his diet pills, he is unable to lose weight. The gobbled up snacks here and there and the occasional binge of Butter chicken is not helping. He is more of an old fashioned detective who relies on clues and information directly available to him than scientific measures. His Mummyji also an asset with her vast experience and insight into life and human nature, she is often able to steer him into the right direction. The plot is quite good. With the help of his trusted employees of the Investigation firm, Tubelight, Facecream, Handbrake [Have to read the previous books to find out what lead to such nicknames] his father-in-law and Mummyji he makes steady progress. Also, Vish Puri’s trip to Pakistan and his change in mentality/outlook was impressive.
What I loved the most is the bulk of information about the two countries and a small recap on the situation during partition of India. I enjoyed taking this journey with Vish Puri and will surely be picking up the previous books in the series.
When a famous Pakistani cricketer’s father is murdered at the Delhi Durbar hotel at an India Premier League cricket match dinner, Vish Puri and his family was present at the event. So, the “Most Private Investigator” takes up the case. But that is not the only mystery and investigator around. There’s also the case of missing moustache and Vish Puri’s Mummyji’s insights to keep you involved. But things start boiling up as Vish Puri starts his investigation… Match-fixing and smuggling are no simple matters to deal with. Will our detective be up to the task?
First things first… Characters! Vish Puri is such an unorthodox figure in the detective world. Nicknamed chubby by his wife, Vish Puri is put on diet but irrespective of his diet pills, he is unable to lose weight. The gobbled up snacks here and there and the occasional binge of Butter chicken is not helping. He is more of an old fashioned detective who relies on clues and information directly available to him than scientific measures. His Mummyji also an asset with her vast experience and insight into life and human nature, she is often able to steer him into the right direction. The plot is quite good. With the help of his trusted employees of the Investigation firm, Tubelight, Facecream, Handbrake [Have to read the previous books to find out what lead to such nicknames] his father-in-law and Mummyji he makes steady progress. Also, Vish Puri’s trip to Pakistan and his change in mentality/outlook was impressive.
What I loved the most is the bulk of information about the two countries and a small recap on the situation during partition of India. I enjoyed taking this journey with Vish Puri and will surely be picking up the previous books in the series.
September 6, 2013
I was a goodreads first reads winner of "The Case Of The Deadly Butter Chicken"I found this to be a very entertaining book. I do not read a lot of mysteries but enjoyed this one.
Vish Puri runs "The Most Private dectective" Right now Vish Puri is trying to solve three mysteries that have happened around the same time.
A man has been poisoned by eating Butter Chicken at a sort of convention.
A dog shows up at the Cricket Game Puri at acting "crazy" and dies.
A man who has taken pride in the "world's longest mustache" has been a victim of half his mustache being cut off.
He must find out if these three crimes are connected or separate.
Vish Puri who is called by the nickname by some as "Chubby" loves Cricket and is at the game where the dog shows up. It turns out the man who is poisoned by the Butter Chicken, is the father of one of the more famous cricket stars.
During the book we find that Puri's mother is quite the sleuth herself. It turns out that the murder of the cricket star's dad may trace as far back to 1947 which is when the India-Pakistan partition took place.the answer to "who done it" may take place in Pakistan, the country that Puri's mother grew up in.
Puri's mother may have some answers to this mystery. One of my favorite parts of this book is about Puri's mother. I was very impressed by her secrets she kept and the hero like actions that took place involving her.
I want to be careful about not revealing any spoilers but to say every crime is solved.
I found the glossary at the back of the book helpful. and was pleased to see there are recipes offered, including the one for Butter Chicken!
Vish Puri runs "The Most Private dectective" Right now Vish Puri is trying to solve three mysteries that have happened around the same time.
A man has been poisoned by eating Butter Chicken at a sort of convention.
A dog shows up at the Cricket Game Puri at acting "crazy" and dies.
A man who has taken pride in the "world's longest mustache" has been a victim of half his mustache being cut off.
He must find out if these three crimes are connected or separate.
Vish Puri who is called by the nickname by some as "Chubby" loves Cricket and is at the game where the dog shows up. It turns out the man who is poisoned by the Butter Chicken, is the father of one of the more famous cricket stars.
During the book we find that Puri's mother is quite the sleuth herself. It turns out that the murder of the cricket star's dad may trace as far back to 1947 which is when the India-Pakistan partition took place.the answer to "who done it" may take place in Pakistan, the country that Puri's mother grew up in.
Puri's mother may have some answers to this mystery. One of my favorite parts of this book is about Puri's mother. I was very impressed by her secrets she kept and the hero like actions that took place involving her.
I want to be careful about not revealing any spoilers but to say every crime is solved.
I found the glossary at the back of the book helpful. and was pleased to see there are recipes offered, including the one for Butter Chicken!
July 5, 2013
I picked this up in the new books that you have to finish in a week shelf. It said "Alexander McCall Smith" at the bottom of the front cover and was surprised to find that he had a new series, about an Indian detective no less.
Got it home and looked more closely. It was a quote on the cover from AMS "These books are little gems. They are beautifully written, amusing, and intensely readable"
I would have to agree with Alexander. Very entertaining. Vish Puri, whose wife Rumpi has him on a diet is a clever guy. While he keeps popping his diet pills he's not losing weight. Perhaps it's the butter chicken that he sneaks, or the samosas that he gobbles. The book is sprinkled with Indian slang and references to delicious food. Fortunately there is both a glossary and recipes in the back.
But there's more than fun and clues. He skillfully weaves in a history lesson about the impact of the 1947 Partition of India, the displacement of thousands of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim families and the dreadful violence that followed. Puri's Mummy-ji finally tells him the secrets that she had never told about her work with the women who saved hundreds of abductees after the chaos.
I will definitely check out the author's other books in this series.
Got it home and looked more closely. It was a quote on the cover from AMS "These books are little gems. They are beautifully written, amusing, and intensely readable"
I would have to agree with Alexander. Very entertaining. Vish Puri, whose wife Rumpi has him on a diet is a clever guy. While he keeps popping his diet pills he's not losing weight. Perhaps it's the butter chicken that he sneaks, or the samosas that he gobbles. The book is sprinkled with Indian slang and references to delicious food. Fortunately there is both a glossary and recipes in the back.
But there's more than fun and clues. He skillfully weaves in a history lesson about the impact of the 1947 Partition of India, the displacement of thousands of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim families and the dreadful violence that followed. Puri's Mummy-ji finally tells him the secrets that she had never told about her work with the women who saved hundreds of abductees after the chaos.
I will definitely check out the author's other books in this series.
November 22, 2023
'The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken' (Vish Puri #3) by Tarquin Hall.
Rating: 3.0/5.
Review:
I wouldn't have picked up this book had I not stumbled upon it randomly in an online thrift bookshop. The unique title caught my eye, and when I decided to check out its blurb, I was intrigued enough to read it as a palate cleanser in between larger tomes. I mean, a murder mystery involving a cricket league (similar to the Indian Premier League), Indian cuisines, and set in an Indian background – all of it was enough to persuade me to check it out as soon as possible.
Firstly, despite its name, the story revolves around two mysteries. The primary one is the murder of a Pakistani cricketer's father during an after-match party event, and the second one is the mystery of the stolen mustache. Of these two, I was more invested in the mustache mystery, but unfortunately, both of these mysteries had a lackluster execution.
First and foremost, the ending of the Stolen Mustache mystery was highly unsatisfactory. It was as if the mystery was added to the plot as an afterthought and only served the purpose of increasing the page count. The culprit stole the mustache just to keep his job as a doorman. Why go to such great lengths and garner huge publicity by targeting the mustache of the two most popular individuals instead of stealing it from some unknown individual? Or even better, why not use a fake mustache to keep his job? After all, the culprit simply used an adhesive to tape the stolen mustache on his face. Oh boy, this mystery would have been a lot better had it been executed better or had it taken the hate crime route. But alas, it was not to be.
Coming back to the central mystery of the murder of the Pakistani cricketer's father. While the conclusion was satisfactory enough, the execution felt sloppy. I loved the slice-of-life elements in this book about Vish Puri's personal life, but it shouldn't have been included at the expense of the main investigation. Lots of important events like Mummyji's snooping, the life-threatening attack on Vish Puri, and much more were edited out of the story – which I felt was more necessary to the tale than the slice-of-life elements.
I do know that the author had stayed in India for a significant amount of time and has a spouse with Indian roots, but I think the story would have greatly benefitted had a local native expert been consulted. As an Indian, I do acknowledge that India isn't a perfect country, and there's a lot to do for us to reach the utmost perfection, but there were certain Indian elements here that felt exaggerated. India does have a stray dog problem in certain regions, but not to the extent that they are vehemently killed in road traffic accidents or put down in front of a live audience in a major sporting event. Certain Indian terms and dialects were incorrectly used in the story, and I think it would have been better had the author consulted a local expert to fine-tune the story.
The only redeeming aspects of the book, in my humble opinion, were the flashbacks to the aftereffects of the Partition of India and Mummji's mission during those times. It was eloquently written and was the heart of the story.
All in all, 'The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken' was a mediocre detective story filled with gross generalizations and barely enough intrigue to make one want to finish the story. The Partition flashbacks and the mustache mystery had me invested enough to want to check out more of the Vish Puri mysteries, but by the time the book ended, I didn't feel as inclined to explore more of the series as I did earlier.
Inevitably the conversation turned to cricket, with most of the men in the room gathered together discussing a recent controversial decision by an Australian umpire, which had almost certainly lost India an important international match.
Rating: 3.0/5.
Review:
I wouldn't have picked up this book had I not stumbled upon it randomly in an online thrift bookshop. The unique title caught my eye, and when I decided to check out its blurb, I was intrigued enough to read it as a palate cleanser in between larger tomes. I mean, a murder mystery involving a cricket league (similar to the Indian Premier League), Indian cuisines, and set in an Indian background – all of it was enough to persuade me to check it out as soon as possible.
Firstly, despite its name, the story revolves around two mysteries. The primary one is the murder of a Pakistani cricketer's father during an after-match party event, and the second one is the mystery of the stolen mustache. Of these two, I was more invested in the mustache mystery, but unfortunately, both of these mysteries had a lackluster execution.
First and foremost, the ending of the Stolen Mustache mystery was highly unsatisfactory. It was as if the mystery was added to the plot as an afterthought and only served the purpose of increasing the page count. The culprit stole the mustache just to keep his job as a doorman. Why go to such great lengths and garner huge publicity by targeting the mustache of the two most popular individuals instead of stealing it from some unknown individual? Or even better, why not use a fake mustache to keep his job? After all, the culprit simply used an adhesive to tape the stolen mustache on his face. Oh boy, this mystery would have been a lot better had it been executed better or had it taken the hate crime route. But alas, it was not to be.
Coming back to the central mystery of the murder of the Pakistani cricketer's father. While the conclusion was satisfactory enough, the execution felt sloppy. I loved the slice-of-life elements in this book about Vish Puri's personal life, but it shouldn't have been included at the expense of the main investigation. Lots of important events like Mummyji's snooping, the life-threatening attack on Vish Puri, and much more were edited out of the story – which I felt was more necessary to the tale than the slice-of-life elements.
I do know that the author had stayed in India for a significant amount of time and has a spouse with Indian roots, but I think the story would have greatly benefitted had a local native expert been consulted. As an Indian, I do acknowledge that India isn't a perfect country, and there's a lot to do for us to reach the utmost perfection, but there were certain Indian elements here that felt exaggerated. India does have a stray dog problem in certain regions, but not to the extent that they are vehemently killed in road traffic accidents or put down in front of a live audience in a major sporting event. Certain Indian terms and dialects were incorrectly used in the story, and I think it would have been better had the author consulted a local expert to fine-tune the story.
The only redeeming aspects of the book, in my humble opinion, were the flashbacks to the aftereffects of the Partition of India and Mummji's mission during those times. It was eloquently written and was the heart of the story.
All in all, 'The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken' was a mediocre detective story filled with gross generalizations and barely enough intrigue to make one want to finish the story. The Partition flashbacks and the mustache mystery had me invested enough to want to check out more of the Vish Puri mysteries, but by the time the book ended, I didn't feel as inclined to explore more of the series as I did earlier.
“Welcome to the real world!” he often felt like saying to them. “Welcome to India!” And yet somehow Puri always found himself adopting a subservient manner when dealing with the British. India was free and independent, had been for more than sixty years now, but he couldn’t help trying to impress upon them that he, too, was civilized.
June 16, 2019
I love the Vish Puri series. Also the third band did not disappoint. This time it was about bet fraud in the millions in cricket. Puri and his family attended a cricket game where a nephew took part. At the subsequent banquet, a rich Pakistani was poisoned. Puri's mother, behaved strangely all the time. During the investigation, Puri's way not only led to the hated Pakistan, no, he also found that his mother determined on his own and he learned while knowing her past. Of course, Puri's passion for food was not forgotten. His wife monitors his weight with an eye for hope and he tried to continue to enjoy the food with pills for weight loss, which of course rather the opposite effect.
This story is about corruption, betting fraud, blood diamonds and the history of women in connection with the separation of Pakistan and India in 1947.
(4½)
This story is about corruption, betting fraud, blood diamonds and the history of women in connection with the separation of Pakistan and India in 1947.
(4½)
May 11, 2025
Great sense of place and cast of characters. The only thing keeping this from a five-star rating for me was that the plot could have been tighter with fewer detours. I would definitely try another book in this series.
November 2, 2021
It is very clear that Tarquin Hall has a really intimate connection with India and Delhi in particular. He delights in the quirkiness and chaos of modern Delhi. This book amazed me with its "native" knowledge of Delhi Punjabis, cricket, and many other topics. His detailed description of the garbage dumps and the desperate ragpickers was rich and authentic. He certainly understands the real India better than many nouveau riche of Delhi I've met. His descriptions of the horrors of the 1947 Partition were unsparing in their indictment of all parties. Vish Puri's travels to Lahore made for interesting reading too - the realization that very little divides North India and Pakistan culturally despite the politicians the bigots on both sides loudly proclaiming the opposite.
Very enjoyable book although some of Vish Puri's escapades were a bit over the top.
Very enjoyable book although some of Vish Puri's escapades were a bit over the top.
July 2, 2012
I really like this mystery series set in India starring Vish Puri, who is not just a Private Investigator, but a Most Private Investigator!
I like how it shows the language of those living in India.
For example, the comment of one person: "Some hunger is there. I'll be joining you shortly, na. Just I'll take bath. Ten minutes only is required."
I think it's fascinating how people have different speech patterns in different places, but the same idea is expressed.
Where I live, those thoughts would normally be expressed more like: "I'm hungry. I'll join you shortly. I'm just going to take a bath. It'll only take me ten minutes."
The contrast is so interesting!
I also really liked a passage where the author explained the subtext of what one of the characters were really saying.
"Her husband's back at home," Rumpi rold Puri.
Subtext: Malika's layabout, good-for-nothing husband had lost yet another job and was sittting around drinking Double Dog whisky while watching saucy item numbers on Bollywood video channels.
"Malika's asked for salary advance," added Rumpi.
Subtext: she didn't have enough to pay the doctor.
I like how Vish Puri's nickname is Chubby.
I like how Vush Puri's mother sleuths around and helps solve the mystery, even though Vish Puri doesn't think she should get involved. He wholly underestimates the abilities of Mummy-ji!
Puri says, "Mummy-ji, how many times I've told you: detective work is for professionals, not mummies. Years of experience are required."
And Mummy-ji says, "Case will not get solved without my know-how."
I also like that there is a major and a minor mystery in this book, and the minor mystery is trying to solve who is stealing famous mustaches!
I like how it shows the language of those living in India.
For example, the comment of one person: "Some hunger is there. I'll be joining you shortly, na. Just I'll take bath. Ten minutes only is required."
I think it's fascinating how people have different speech patterns in different places, but the same idea is expressed.
Where I live, those thoughts would normally be expressed more like: "I'm hungry. I'll join you shortly. I'm just going to take a bath. It'll only take me ten minutes."
The contrast is so interesting!
I also really liked a passage where the author explained the subtext of what one of the characters were really saying.
"Her husband's back at home," Rumpi rold Puri.
Subtext: Malika's layabout, good-for-nothing husband had lost yet another job and was sittting around drinking Double Dog whisky while watching saucy item numbers on Bollywood video channels.
"Malika's asked for salary advance," added Rumpi.
Subtext: she didn't have enough to pay the doctor.
I like how Vish Puri's nickname is Chubby.
I like how Vush Puri's mother sleuths around and helps solve the mystery, even though Vish Puri doesn't think she should get involved. He wholly underestimates the abilities of Mummy-ji!
Puri says, "Mummy-ji, how many times I've told you: detective work is for professionals, not mummies. Years of experience are required."
And Mummy-ji says, "Case will not get solved without my know-how."
I also like that there is a major and a minor mystery in this book, and the minor mystery is trying to solve who is stealing famous mustaches!
December 1, 2012
I can't really help myself. When a new Tarquin Hall comes out I have to read it, even though I groan with the obvious puns and the smug, self-importance in which Indian detective, Mr. Vish Puri, goes about solving crimes in his beloved country.
Called Chubby by his wife, mother and friends, Puri loves his butter chicken, warm Peshawari naan and of crisp aloo parantha. His detective work slips and slides around buffet tables, street vendors and posh parties.
In the Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken, Puri and his family are there when the father of a Pakistani cricket star is murdered. This set his mother, Mommy-ji and Puri in opposite directions to find the killer. Mommy-ji knows something about the dead man from the dark days when Pakistan and India were divided and she had to leave her homeland of Rawalpindi.
Under a veneer of light-hearted sleuthing and the cricket Howzats, this story delivers a sober reminder of the human suffering endured during the 1947 India-Pakistan Partition. Mommy-jis, Aunties and socialite women on both sides of the rift bear deep and horrific scars.
Hall uses the tongue-in-cheek investigation into cricket fraud, moustache thieving and diet pills to reveal a more powerful human story. Fantastic read.
Called Chubby by his wife, mother and friends, Puri loves his butter chicken, warm Peshawari naan and of crisp aloo parantha. His detective work slips and slides around buffet tables, street vendors and posh parties.
In the Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken, Puri and his family are there when the father of a Pakistani cricket star is murdered. This set his mother, Mommy-ji and Puri in opposite directions to find the killer. Mommy-ji knows something about the dead man from the dark days when Pakistan and India were divided and she had to leave her homeland of Rawalpindi.
Under a veneer of light-hearted sleuthing and the cricket Howzats, this story delivers a sober reminder of the human suffering endured during the 1947 India-Pakistan Partition. Mommy-jis, Aunties and socialite women on both sides of the rift bear deep and horrific scars.
Hall uses the tongue-in-cheek investigation into cricket fraud, moustache thieving and diet pills to reveal a more powerful human story. Fantastic read.
January 8, 2013
Dilli-boy Vish Puri is on his third outing as India’s “Most Private Investigator” in Tarquin Hall’s The case of the deadly butter chicken and yet, this is only the first book of the series that I have read. The previous two books definitely feature quite prominently in my to-read list now.
Think of the perfect detective, and your mind might just veer towards the likes of Sherlock Holmes. Vish Puri is nothing of the sorts. A mustachioed detective with a hearty appetite, our Punjabi munda from Dilli is to be depended upon for anything that goes wrong with the world around him. A moustache-record holder’s moustache is stolen? No worries, Vish Puri is right on the job. A Pakistani cricketer’s father is murdered with poisoned butter chicken? Not to worry again. Hall creates a very interesting character in Puri. At one time, quite ordinary- as ordinary as any other man in Delhi- and at another time, extremely unique. It is this unique ordinariness that makes Vish Puri so appealing....
For the full review, visit IndiaBookStore
Think of the perfect detective, and your mind might just veer towards the likes of Sherlock Holmes. Vish Puri is nothing of the sorts. A mustachioed detective with a hearty appetite, our Punjabi munda from Dilli is to be depended upon for anything that goes wrong with the world around him. A moustache-record holder’s moustache is stolen? No worries, Vish Puri is right on the job. A Pakistani cricketer’s father is murdered with poisoned butter chicken? Not to worry again. Hall creates a very interesting character in Puri. At one time, quite ordinary- as ordinary as any other man in Delhi- and at another time, extremely unique. It is this unique ordinariness that makes Vish Puri so appealing....
For the full review, visit IndiaBookStore
May 10, 2012
With this third installment, Tarquin Hall firmly establishes Vish Puri as one of the most entertaining Private Detectives in modern fiction. Additionally, in The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken, Hall displays a growing skill of blending the delicious ingredients of puzzle, relevant historical background and humor.
It took me much longer than normal to finish this latest Vish Puri adventure because I was so intrigued by Hall's historical background descriptions that I sought out as much online information as I could find about the partitioning of India and Pakistan. It is the subtle yet powerful narrative related by Hall's characters that gives life to a period of history that most of the Western World is ignorant of its existance. That fact alone should make this required reading.
Still, there is plenty of fun to go along with the serious. From Vish Puri's meddling Mummy-ji to the always wacky yet brilliant crew of India's Most Private Investigator, Hall dishes out a wonderful curry of mystery and history.
Unfortunately, I still know nothing about Cricket.
It took me much longer than normal to finish this latest Vish Puri adventure because I was so intrigued by Hall's historical background descriptions that I sought out as much online information as I could find about the partitioning of India and Pakistan. It is the subtle yet powerful narrative related by Hall's characters that gives life to a period of history that most of the Western World is ignorant of its existance. That fact alone should make this required reading.
Still, there is plenty of fun to go along with the serious. From Vish Puri's meddling Mummy-ji to the always wacky yet brilliant crew of India's Most Private Investigator, Hall dishes out a wonderful curry of mystery and history.
Unfortunately, I still know nothing about Cricket.
December 31, 2013
What a fall! There’s a complete disintegration of the charm present in the previous two installments. While those two felt like an organic introduction to the idiosyncrasies of daily Indian life, this feels like a lecture rammed down the throat. The characters take a secondary place to the India-Pakistan divide and this author does not handle it well.
Worse still are the James Bond like moves displayed when dealing with organized crime. Ridiculous! At some point near the end a character says - "you’ve strayed into the realm of bollywood'. EXACTLY! Pity, this had all the hallmarks of a fun series until this installment.
Worse still are the James Bond like moves displayed when dealing with organized crime. Ridiculous! At some point near the end a character says - "you’ve strayed into the realm of bollywood'. EXACTLY! Pity, this had all the hallmarks of a fun series until this installment.
March 3, 2018
An Indian novel that’s not “an Indian novel”! Having read A Fine Balance, I’m wary of novels set in India that may have that same grimness to them - this one most certainly doesn’t.
A great, colourful read.
A great, colourful read.
February 3, 2017
Mummyji, you rock. A little more serious than the other two Vish Puri mysteries, but doesn't lack the trademark Tarquin Hall humour. Looking forward to the next one. Soon?
June 27, 2023
This series is really so much fun!
October 24, 2017
This is my third of the series.
I have followed Vish Puri of Most Private Investigators through his cases and in some ways the two featured here wee the most interesting.
Unfortunately, however, I felt that I was missing much of the content because of what I felt was an overuse of 'native' words. I appreciate that the author includes a substantial glossary of these words but , especially on an e-reader, there would be too much to keep stoping, bookmarking, moving to the glossary, moving back to your bookmark, to allow any fluidity in the read. May be with a 'paper' edition it would be easier but for the rest of us, couldnt there be a translation in brackets immediately after (as there was in a spcific passage early in the book). The author spends much of his time in India and I expect knows these words - I am sure that most of his readers are not that knowledgeable)
I have found a slightly worrying coincidence between this book and my previous read 'Love songs from a shallow grave' by Colin Cotterill. Both books are from series which are, in the main, light and even humerous in places. But both have touched upon particularly brutal episodes in their respective histories of which I am rather ashamed to say, I was totally unaware.
Sorry, back to this book.
The story is a mixture of solving cases and Vish Puri's attempts to deceive his wife about his eating habits. A lesson for us all here; if you are going to try to cheat remember to remove all of the evidence. Once again it is set against the corrupt culture which the author treats as the norm.
A book certainly not sponsored by the Indian Tourist Board.
Even after all of my negativity about the book, I enjoyed it and will look forward to the fourth ( and I think the last so far) in the series.
I have followed Vish Puri of Most Private Investigators through his cases and in some ways the two featured here wee the most interesting.
Unfortunately, however, I felt that I was missing much of the content because of what I felt was an overuse of 'native' words. I appreciate that the author includes a substantial glossary of these words but , especially on an e-reader, there would be too much to keep stoping, bookmarking, moving to the glossary, moving back to your bookmark, to allow any fluidity in the read. May be with a 'paper' edition it would be easier but for the rest of us, couldnt there be a translation in brackets immediately after (as there was in a spcific passage early in the book). The author spends much of his time in India and I expect knows these words - I am sure that most of his readers are not that knowledgeable)
I have found a slightly worrying coincidence between this book and my previous read 'Love songs from a shallow grave' by Colin Cotterill. Both books are from series which are, in the main, light and even humerous in places. But both have touched upon particularly brutal episodes in their respective histories of which I am rather ashamed to say, I was totally unaware.
Sorry, back to this book.
The story is a mixture of solving cases and Vish Puri's attempts to deceive his wife about his eating habits. A lesson for us all here; if you are going to try to cheat remember to remove all of the evidence. Once again it is set against the corrupt culture which the author treats as the norm.
A book certainly not sponsored by the Indian Tourist Board.
Even after all of my negativity about the book, I enjoyed it and will look forward to the fourth ( and I think the last so far) in the series.
May 12, 2017
This was SO much fun! Exactly what I love in a mystery novel -- brilliant descriptions of India, lively and interesting characters, and a twisty plot that was funny and serious by turns.
When the elderly father of a up-and-coming young Pakistani cricket star dies after eating a plate of butter chicken at a fancy dinner, India's Most Private Investigator, Vish Puri, is called in to solve the murder. It's a big, important case, but his other client is pestering him to find out who shaved off his award-winning mustache. Was it his mustachioed rival, who covets his title?
It's a wild tale of food and family, criminals and computers and cricket, along with a somber look at a dark period of history: the partition of India and Pakistan.
And I can't wait to try the recipe for butter chicken in the back of the book! I sounds delicious.
When the elderly father of a up-and-coming young Pakistani cricket star dies after eating a plate of butter chicken at a fancy dinner, India's Most Private Investigator, Vish Puri, is called in to solve the murder. It's a big, important case, but his other client is pestering him to find out who shaved off his award-winning mustache. Was it his mustachioed rival, who covets his title?
It's a wild tale of food and family, criminals and computers and cricket, along with a somber look at a dark period of history: the partition of India and Pakistan.
And I can't wait to try the recipe for butter chicken in the back of the book! I sounds delicious.
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