Reviews

Murder at the Grand Raj Palace by Vaseem Khan

laramariereads's review against another edition

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DNF @ 57/355

I tend to not like detective stories, but I thought the idea of a baby elephant sidekick would be fun. I expected it to be gimmicky, but it ended up being too much.

All the characters were flat, and I wasnā€™t pulled into the murder. It all felt to mundane for me.

lindzieh's review against another edition

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5.0

Really like this series.

annemieks's review

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adventurous medium-paced

3.75

frogggirl2's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

My favorite entry in the series to date due to the greatest presence of elephant and the fact that Poppy is also pursuing her own investigation.Ā  As ever, the weakest part of this book is the actual mystery - it's quite easy to guess who the guilty party is for both plots.

polyhy_14's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

rebelbooksta's review

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5.0

Took a leap of faith couple of years ago to read Vaseem khan's inspector Chopra and baby Ganesh agency series. Surely an unexpected discovery I made in the world of crime fiction books and indeed one of the best decisions I've made so far.

Vaseem khan is an intelligent writer, and a focused storyteller. He threads through the chaotic Mumbai throngs as he sets his case and it's premises.
He doesn't go in circles and that's what I adore most in his writing because each step to solving the crime is carefully layered. The plot and the justifications are well-thought-out.

Khan writes of the undercurrents of corruption, warped mentality, social class prejudices, political expediency, malleable justice always exploited by the wealthy and powerful, in India.
It's written prolifically and makes you reflect on the justice system. I've known my country's law follows India's constitutional criminal law and reading stories revolving it makes the read all the more intriguing.

Although retired, Chopra (the book character) is a thrill lover deep down, a good sort of stubbornness and the thirst to solve mysteries (his brain is such). I've enjoyed his character as many times it has resonated with me as a person.

Chopra leaves no stone unturned in his conviction to stop a committed criminal. As the plot thickens, the oh-so adorable Baby Ganesh pulls out an intelligent stunt in the nick of time. He's the ideal sidekick to Chopra because he's psychic intuition literally helps Chopra in finally kick-starting the little 'click' in his head. The deadly duo and their true animalistic instincts: experienced Chopra along with the intuitive elephy cannot be thwarted as they hunt down malicious criminals who certainly deserved to be punished with a lawful rigour.

Magnetic read and 5 smashing golden stars

bookwrm526's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

bambiilisa's review against another edition

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funny informative lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

swathi_narasimhan's review

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5.0

This series looks like it is set out to become my new favourite!

Inspector Ashwin Chopra is called to investigate the death of Hollis Burbank, an American who is interested in buying paintings. He arrives in Mumbai for the auction where he buys ā€˜The Scourge of Goaā€™. He is later found dead in his room with the painting hanging above hhis bed post.

Whodunnit??

Meanwhile , we also have Poppy, Chopraā€™s wife who arrives at the Grand Raj palace because her husband seemingly caught up in the investigation of Burbankā€™s death has no tome to spend with his wife on 25th anniversary. When she arrives to be with him, because he cannot be with her, she takes the responsibility to solve the disappearance of Anjali Tejwa, the princess.

Meanwhile we have the kids Irfan and baby Ganesha the elephant aiding them whenever they can.

Beautifully penned and highly humorous. I laughed out on many occasions! I couldnā€™t put it down as the story was beautifully flowing at a steady speed.

Well done Vaseem Khan! have already picked up two other books of this Author.ā˜ŗļø

elusivesue's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25