The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator

I loved the first book in this series and immediately upon finishing it bought the second book. I love the detective (Vish Puri) and his mother especially. He reminds me of Hercule Poirot while Mummy and Vish Puri's operatives remind me of Mrs. Jeffries and her household. The book is very funny and the mystery is well done. The side stories round out the book and introduce you to additional characters and settings and give the author an opportunity to expound on Indian progress and conditions. They also add a lot of opportunities for humor. To address the issues with dialect and vocabulary I think it's vital to read through the glossary before you begin reading the actual book. You don't need to memorize it but it helps to have seen the words and phrases up front so that when you read them in the story normal contextualization will kick in... otherwise you'll spend a lot of time flipping back and forth and you'll get frustrated. As someone who works with a number of Indians the sentence structure was an "aha!" moment, and perhaps worked better for the prior exposure. The setting is extremely realistic, insofar as I can tell from second hand stories, and you really do feel as though you can see the characters in the settings and watch the story unfold. Great book, great series. I am really looking forward to the next book!

And, our Most Private Investigator is still in his unique form (and size). Day-to-day life in India is still astoundingly different from that in America. This is a murder mystery, so we have at least one body; at least one murderer; at least half-a-dozen suspects; and a variety of interesting people and places. Most of all, though, we have Puri and his cast of helpers in the search for the solution. As in The Case of the Missing Servant, we also have Puri's multi-generational family members involved in their own investigation. Hall's writing is so smooth that you never notice it. Not once does it get in the way of the story being told. That alone is worth five stars. The humor, red herrings and setting are great, too. But, as with his first Puri book, it's the characters that makes this so much fun. The eleven page glossary was a very good addition. The book is quite readable by Westerners; but those unfamiliar with India might want to do a bit of study before jumping in. A reference search for India society will generate an amazing amount of useful information. Lovers of classic mysteries, especially those by British authors, will feel right at home with the Puri books. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

The case of the man who died laughing, the second book in what I hope is a long series is even better than the first. Although some consider Vish Puri the Sherlock Holmes of India, he is actually more the Hercule Poirot of India. With his sandown cap, moustache, and big belly, he has a striking resemblence to Peter Ustinov's Poirot in Death on the Nile and Appointment with Death. The second book finds the strange appearance of Kali, a laughing club, an Indian holy man who may or may not be all that holy, and of course some strange goings-on at Rumpi and Mummy-ji's kitty party. Considering the setting, languages, and all other aspects foreign to an American reader, the book flows well. As for some reviewers complaining about the constant discussion of food, I personally found those extra little tidbits as something that made me feel more "there" than I would have otherwise. I feel this book is even better than the Case of the Missing Servant, the first book in the series. At it's current price ($13.20), it's a steal. Go to any bookstore and you'll pay nearly double. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up. It's definately a good read for any fans of mysteries or of learning of foreign places.

I loved this book, the second in the Vish Puri series by Tarquin Hall, as much as Hall's first book in the series, "The Case of the Missing Servant". Both mysteries are set in India and the sights, sounds, and smells of India are immediate on every page. Vish Puri, nicknamed "Chubby" by his wife, loves to eat, and so lots of great Indian food is described as Vish falls often off the diet wagon. Vish Puri is a smart, funny and lovable character whose Indian/English dialog is spot on. The book includes a glossary of Indian words that I've enjoyed reading to expand my Indian vocabulary, but one can skip the glossary and just get the general meaning of the words from contextual cues. If you've enjoyed the "Ladies Detective Agency" series by Alexander McCall Smith and the "Marriage Bureau for Rich People" series by Farahad Zama, you'll love Tarquin Hall's delightful Vish Puri books.

Tarquin Hall's new "cozy", is a great read for those interested in India, its people, and its customs. "Died Laughing" is Hall's second mystery, and again features Vish Puri, a 50-something detective in Delhi who bills himself as India's "Most Private Investigator". He's often called on by public officials to look into crimes, as well as investigating for private clients. Puri also has a large family; wife, children, mother, and siblings as well as a large cast of "operatives", who often figure into Puri's cases. In both books, so far, Puri's mother, "Mummy" and his wife, "Rumpi" team up to solve a more home-grown crime among their friends. Vish, who wishes his wife and mother would just stop trying to do what he does, thankfully never learns about their crime-busting. "Died Laughing" is a somewhat complicated story that involves magic, murder, and fake Swamis. Operatives "Face Cream", "Handbrake", and "Tubelight" join Vish as he follows it all to a curious end. Hall writes in detail about Indian society. Reading his books is almost a learning experience. His plots are almost incidental to character development. I'm looking forward to number three in his Vish Puri series.