Inspector Ghote's First Case

This prequel to H. R. F. Keating's Inspector Ghote series takes place in 1960, with good news for the Assistant Inspector and his wife, Protima. The two are living in a cramped junior officer's flat when they learn that Ghote has been promoted to Inspector and will be posted to the Detection of Crime Branch in Bombay. No longer will he be forced to deal with petty criminals in Dadar; soon, he will be a full-fledged detective investigating "only important murder cases or affairs concerning people of the highest influence." Inspector Ghote eagerly looks forward to his new duties and hopes that he and Promita will be able to move to a more comfortable and conveniently located apartment equipped with a telephone. Much to their consternation, however, they cannot celebrate their good fortune immediately, for Ghote suddenly receives a message from the Assistant Commissioner of Police. As soon as possible, he is to visit Sir Rustom Engineer, "the first Indian to hold the post of Commissioner of the Bombay Police." It seems that Sir Rustom wants Inspector Ghote to drive to Mahableshwar to find out why the much younger wife of a retired English sahib, Robert Dawkins, shot herself to death. This book brings to mind the Precious Ramotswe series by Alexander McCall Smith. Although Precious is a private detective and Ghote is a trained policeman, both are unassuming people with a strong sense of duty and a great deal of common sense. While Precious reveres Clovis Anderson, author of "The Principles of Private Detection," Ghote's favorite work is "Criminal Investigation," by Hans Gross. Gross states that "a good detective must know men and be eternally vigilant," and that "tact is indispensible." Indeed, Ghote proceeds to carefully interview Dawkins, his servants, and acquaintances. The inspector learns that the circumstances of Iris Dawkins's death may not be as clear-cut as he has been led to believe. Instead of protecting his own interests and backing off, Ghote risks his career and digs deeper until the truth finally emerges. "Inspector Ghote's First Case" is an amusing and easy-to-take mystery that celebrates hard work, integrity, and family values, but also acknowledges the sad truth: Some people are venal, racist, petty, and malicious. Readers may be annoyed by the fact that the Indian characters speak in a weird English dialect (it is artificial and irritating). In addition, the author is a bit repetitious at times. Offsetting these deficits is the solid presence of Ghote, an ordinary man who is by turns decisive and uncertain, self-confident and insecure. To his credit, he is steadfast in his pursuit of justice, but savvy and empathetic enough to understand why, in a moment of weakness, a person may commit a terrible crime. "Inspector Ghote's First Case" should find a receptive audience among fans of humorous and exotic mysteries with well-drawn characters.

In 1960 to celebrate his promotion to Detection of Crime Branch Inspector, Ganesh Ghote and his pregnant wife Protima plan to see Olivier's Hamlet. However, before they leave for the movie, his new superior Assistant Commissioner Divekar directs him to visit Sir Rustam Engineer ASAP. Sir Engineer is a legend as the first Indian to become Commissioner of the Bombay Police, but has since retired. Sir Engineer asks Inspector Ghote to investigate the death of the pregnant wife of a friend. Retired civil engineer Robert Dawkins refuses to believe his Iris would kill herself especially carrying their child. Ghote reluctantly leaves his spouse behind, a sort of harbinger of things to come in "future" investigations, as he travels to Mahableshwar. There his inquiry is stonewalled by servants who refused to speak and by his schoolboy classmate Inspector Pathan "Bullybhoy" Barrani. Returning to a beloved inspector for the first time in about a decade, H.R.F. Keating provides a super first case prequel that enables readers to solve the case before the hero. However Ghote's sympathy and compassion surface early on and the profound look back at the convoluted Indian-British relationships makes for a great police procedural. Fans will relish the return of Inspector Ghote and Protima as they wait the birth of their first child, Miss Hamlet, and ponder to tell or not to tell that is the question. Harriet Klausner