The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken

Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator, Book 3

By: Tarquin Hall

Narrated by: Sam Dastor

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Dubbed “a wonderfully engaging P.I.” (The Times, London), Tarquin Hall’s irresistible protagonist Vish Puri has become an international favorite through a series that "splendidly evokes the color and bustle of Delhi and the tang of contemporary India" (The Seattle Times). Now the gormandizing, spectacularly mustachioed sleuth finds himself facing down his greatest fears in an explosive case involving the Indian and Pakistani mafias.

When the elderly father of a top Pakistani cricketer playing in the multi-million-dollar Indian Premier League dies during a post-match dinner, it’s not a simple case of Delhi Belly. His butter chicken has been poisoned. To solve the case, Puri must penetrate the region’s organized crime, following a trail that leads deep into Pakistan - the country in which many members of the P.I.’s family were massacred during the 1947 partition of India. The last piece of the puzzle, however, turns up closer to home when Puri learns of the one person who can identify the killer. Unfortunately it is the one woman in the world with whom he has sworn never to work: his Mummy-ji.

©2012 Sacred Cow Media, Ltd. (P)2012 AudioGO

Love this series, so funny!

Any additional comments?

I just love this series, it is so funny: The characters, the setting, the descriptions of the food, the language and customs all bring the sights smells and sounds of India alive to the listener. Also there are some very real and interesting observations about the dilemmas and difficulties faced by modern Indian society. The narrator is spot on. I can't wait for the next installment!

I love this book!

Would you listen to The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken again? Why?

Not only would I, I already have!

What other book might you compare The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken to and why?

The others in the series. Also, possibly the Birds of East Africa and the Beasts of East Africa.

Which character – as performed by Sam Dastor – was your favorite?

Mummy.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It makes me smile & warms my heart. Also very inventive and informative of Indian society & history.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for the next installment!

A Must-Listen

I had read the first of these books, which I liked very much, and I have to report that listening to them is a far richer experience. The mystery plots are strong, the details of life in New Delhi are often startling, but the narration is amazing! You'll never believe that so many voices can come out of one person! These books are humorous, insightful, and intriguing. I can't recommend them strongly enough.
This particular story has many revelations about the characters' perceptions of Pakistan, the daily experience during Partition, and a modern-day murder plot thrown in to boot. I've been waiting for this book to come out ever since listening to The Man Who Died Laughing, and now I can't wait for the next one.
Kudos to Tarquin Hall and Sam Dastor! These are my favorite Audible books.

So nice to hear a good book :)

Any additional comments?

I'm not done with this yet, but Mr. Hall has done it again and listening to Sam Dastor tell another tale of Chubby, Rumpey, Mummy Ji, and the rest of the well known cast is music to my ears. You don't have to start with the first book of the series to enjoy them, but I would recommend you do to get to know the characters.

Chubby's on a diet, but we all know he's cheating. There are mustaches, cricket matches, old friends, old memories... Mummy Ji is going to get the answers before Chubby, I wonder if she will?

In this book the characters are fleshing out even more. You know them by now, but their backstories are getting filled in, but not at the expense of the story. So far the two seem to go hand in hand and I am anxious to find out why and how and who, but not too anxious as there is no fourth book yet!

Brilliant Deep and Humorous PI Story

Brilliant story telling and narration. I loved the 1st book in series and now 2nd book. Feels like Dickens meets Sherlock Holmes meets Shantaram. Kudos to Tarquin Hall and Sam Dastor!!!

Makes me want to visit India

Probably the best of a highly enjoyable series. Vish Poori is a singular detective, stubborn, idiosyncratic, a tough guy and mama's boy who loves his samosas. He's also very funny and a clever detective to boot.

Vish Puri strikes again!

This is one of the most enjoyable audio books I own. The narrator does accents and characters beautifully!

Funny, fancy, and foodie

Started off a little slow, but ended strong! Great read. Funny and informative walk through Indian food.

Perfect summer listen

I really enjoyed the previous two instalments in this series and was eagerly awaiting the release of this one.

Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed. A joy to listen to - filled with a wonderful sense of humour and original characters. I particularly loved the expansion on Puri's mother in this book as she out manoeuvres her lovably egotistic son. The same narrator as performed the first two books returns and yet again puts in a great performance; truly adding to your enjoyment and immersion into Tarquin Hall's India.

Plot very complex, narration wonderful!

I found the book a little confusing - there were two main cases going from the start and listening to it in short sittings mainly while driving it was hard to keep up with who was who and who was doing what. The mystery was not as intriguing as in the first book of this series.

Still I enjoy Sam Daster's narration so much I would listen to anything he does.

As with all Tarquin Hall's books I have listened to I learned much about India and its conditions and history. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to hear about India and enjoys multiple Indian accents.