The Case of the Missing Servant (Vish Puri 1)

Author/Guide: Tarquin Hall

Why a Booktrail?

2000s: A Delhi detective who gets under the skin of the criminals and a city that gets under his.

ISBN: 978-0099525233
Genre: Crime, Humour

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What you need to know before your trail

Vish Puri believes himself to be India’s most accomplished detective, working in hot, dusty Delhi. He may actually be more Sherlock Holmes than CSI but he works well in a modern city and he gets the job done.Along with some fantastically named employees ( Handbrake, Flush, and Handcream to name but a few) Puri works on a case of a investigating a man who wants to marry a woman whose own father says she is not the marrying kind. And what about the servant of a Punjabi lawyer who mysteriously disappeared?

Very funny stories about a hapless detective in Delhi which gives an insight into the subtleties of India culture

Locations

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Travel Guide

This series of books paints a wonderful picture of India and uses every colour on the palette to bring out the beauty and the spice of every facet. ( Don’t forget to visit the very fun interactive website of the man himself! – http://www.vishpuri.com/

We see and experience through Puri’s eyes and we can’t think of a better guide for whilst he goes about solving a mystery, he introduces us to a whole new world

The food

Puri is supposed to be keeping off the fried foods (doctor’s orders)

Puri considered the doctor’s stern warning as he sank his teeth into another hot, crispy pakora and his taste buds thrilled to the tang of salty batter, fiery chilli and the tangy, red chutney in which he had drowned the illicit snack.

The man in the city

Vish Puri himself is described as the Sherlock Holmes of india and his zeal and passion for the investigation takes him all over the city. the city comes alive in many ways and tells us more about the man himself –

But for all his deductive powers, Puri was just as lost in many areas of New Delhi’s newest suburbs. His map which was the most up to date available in the market, as been printed two years earlier and did not include many of the roads ….

The language

Perhaps the most evocative way that the book immerses you in Delhi is by the use of the spoken language. Puri and the other characters speak English with a Delhi slant

“You want I should send someone with you?” There is a glossary at the back of the book too for all the die hard linguistic fans or ‘gori’ as we believe we are called.