First Line: "Without doubt, this is the best day of my life!" declared Vish Puri to his executive secretary, Elizabeth Rani, as he sat beaming with pride behind his desk in his Khan Market office in New Delhi.
Vish Puri is euphoric-- he's won the long-coveted International Detective of the Year award. It's supposed to be a secret, but within hours it seems as though everyone in New Delhi knows, and his indomitable Mummy-ji announces that she's coming with him, and the lack of an official invitation isn't about to stop her.
To make matters even worse, a senior government bureaucrat gives him an undercover mission he can't refuse: track down India's most wanted fugitive, a billionaire pharmaceutical fraudster rumored to be hiding in London.
Puri is only spending a week in London, and he's already promised his wife that he won't work during this once-in-a-lifetime trip. But desperate times require desperate measures. Once in London, he enlists the help of his nephew Jags. Only time will tell if he can make the government official happy... as well as his wife and meddling mother.
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It's been a long wait for this latest installment of the adventures of private investigator Vish Puri. I have missed the humor, the food, and the insider's look into life in India so much that I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck. I'm thrilled to say that the chubby private investigator's London experiences do not disappoint.
There is plenty of humor to be found in Puri's trip to London. He finds that the food is not up to his high standards, although he might make an exception for Harrods Food Hall. He's also not a fan of London's DYI (Do It Yourself) culture; he likes having things done for him wherever possible. With the help of his employees in New Delhi, Puri soon finds clues to the wanted man's whereabouts, and his detective work just manages to fly beneath the radar of his wife and mother because they have a "case" of their own.
As much as I enjoy the mystery and the humor, I love Hall's insights into Indian culture, and this time it's Indian culture transported to England. If you're an armchair sleuthing foodie who likes strong mysteries filled with humor and the appreciation of other cultures, you will love Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri mysteries. Although it's not necessary to begin with the first book, don't be surprised if you read The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck and find yourself looking for all the others in this entertaining series.
The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck by Tarquin Hall
eISBN: 9781448308200
Severn House © 2025
eBook, 224 pages
Private Investigator, #6 Vish Puri
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley
Oh, goodness, I love the Vish Puri series, Cathy! It's got such a fine blend of culture, characters, the mystery itself, wit, the whole thing. And it sounds as though this one is just as good. It sounds like a tonic to everything that's going on right now. It goes on my 'I am GOING to read this!' list.
ReplyDeleteIt is a tonic for everything that's going on now, so I'm glad that you put it on the "right" list!
DeleteAnother series I am very far behind in!
ReplyDeleteBut at least you know you have some very good reading ahead of you! :-)
DeleteI read the first book in this series some years ago, but have not read another. This one does sound good and I know how fun it is when an author that you haven't 'heard from' in a while publishes a new book. :-)
ReplyDeleteI can remember attending his event at The Poisoned Pen, and there were several people there (including me) who'd gotten hooked on Indian cuisine from reading Vish's adventures.
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