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Vish Puri considers himself the best Private Detective in all of India, but of late he has been in a bit of a slump. After solving some extremely interesting and difficult cases such as recovering a kidnapped dog and assisting a client in hacking computers, he is at loose ends with no other case on his desk. Though he is not looking forward to the pilgrimage his wife and mother have planned, he figures there is no escaping the trip. At the last minute, "Facecream," one of Vish's operatives whose real name we discover is Laxmi, calls Vish asking for his help. Laxmi moonlights as a Love Commando, an organization of people who are determined to help lovers from across caste lines marry. After Laxmi helped the bride run away to meet her husband to be, they found instead a trashed house with no sign of the groom. Worse, they discovered the body of the groom's mother.
Hall writes his mysteries with a very light-hearted tone. From the ridiculous names he's given his associates such as :Facecream" and "Headlight" to the silliness of his squabbles with his mother (with whom his wife often sides) to the often mentioned Indian dishes he consumes, the tone of the books in this series is one filled with interesting characters and a good bit of humor. But beneath all of this, behind the distractions of the interfering mother and huge plates of fine food, Hall has chosen to take readers into the culture of everyday India - the areas not in the guide books. A couple of books ago, the mystery was set around a Laughing Club in THE CASE OF THE MAN WHO DIED LAUGHING. Until now, that was my favorite book of the series. This time, Hall takes on a more serious subject, that of the caste system which defines life for Indian citizens. He uses the Love Commandos, a real group of people determined to undermine the caste system by encouraging people to choose their mates based on love instead of arranged marriages which are still very common in India. While the set up for the case is nearly slapstick in its description of ladders and getaways on motor bikes, the subject is serious. Later in the book, a research lab figures into the plot showing another angle of the fight to bring down the caste walls. This subject matter is a step up for the series.
There is an extensive glossary of Indian words at the end of the book which is helpful. This book also includes the recipes for some of the dishes Vish consumes. While Hall has deepened the subject matter for his series he has maintained the light-hearted feel to the books. His descriptions are so detailed that he really puts the reader on the streets of Delhi, complete with sounds and aromas. I look forward next year's visit with Vish Puri and company.
§ Caryn St.Clair resides in University City, Missouri and is a former elementary school media specialist, President of the Parks Commission and a docent at the St.Louis Zoo.
Reviewed by Caryn St Clair, October 2013
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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