Reviews

This is a cozy Indian mystery with a cozy detective! I love Vish Puri’s mom. The plot is entertaining, and you’ll enjoy the book if you can put aside any lofty expectations that the book be anything other than a mystery ride through the colorful suburbs of Delhi, where shady characters are bought to justice. My only issue with the book is that the Indianness of the characters is sometimes unnecessarily overemphasized. Still a heartwarming read with good natured characters, dashes of suspense, and some interesting social commentary.

jess_mango's review against another edition

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3.0

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. It was the first time that I've read anything by the author.

For me, the book had a similar vibe to the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books by Alexander McCall Smith. The central character in this book is Vish Puri, a private detective in India.

neuroqueer_af's review against another edition

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4.0

A fun read. I thought the author deftly handled of cultural issues regarding the role of women in Indian society. I would have liked to have the the other members of Puri's PI firm be fleshed out a bit better.

I recommended this to my mom, who loves mystery series more than I do. One is enough for me, but I'm sure people more interested in the genre would devour the others.

holly_keimig's review against another edition

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4.0

I am really enjoying this series. The mysteries are not easily solved, I end up learning a lot about India and it's rich history almost by accident, and the characters keep you coming back for more. In this installment, a celebrity of sorts is offed at dinner and its up to Puri and perhaps even his Mummi-ji to help solve the case. They may even have to travel to Pakistan! A mustache is also stolen. I recommend!

cstaude's review against another edition

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2.0

Learned a lot about India and Pakistan, but as mystery novels go, this one dragged in terms of pacing. The detective sounded a bit like an Indian Hercule Poirot wannabe, which I found less than original.

carolinehodgson's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

mg_in_md_'s review against another edition

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4.0

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book via First Reads and thoroughly enjoyed it. As a bonus, the third installment of the Vish Puri cases includes some delicious-looking recipes at the end of the book, which I can't wait to try! What a great addition since my mouth is often watering as I read about the tasty treats Vish Puri (or should I say "Chubby?"):) eats. I really enjoyed this one, as the 1947 Partition played a key role in the main case...as did Vish's Mummy. I think Vish would have to admit that maybe, just maybe, mummies are cut out for detective work, after all. The primary case requires Vish to travel to Pakistan...but the decision about whether he will make the trip is almost as much of a mystery as who killed Faheem Khan. As was the case previously, Vish is working on two cases with the help of his resourceful crew and the outcomes of both cases are not revealed until the final chapters. The minor case seems more lighthearted on the surface but when the motive is revealed, the reader sees that it has deeper meanings. I've really enjoyed being introduced to this series -- the writing is "tip-top," I love the setting and reading about various issues India is dealing with, and the characters are quite likeable. Thanks to First Reads again for the opportunity to read the latest Vish Puri case!

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