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

I love Vish Puri mysteries the most!!!!!

What did you love best about The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken?

I am a Vish Puri fan, and I love this book especially because his "Mummy" plays a big role in solving the mystery, or should I say mysteries...Tarquin Hall is such a good writer-his books are so descriptive, you feel you are experiencing everything with his rich, well-developed characters.

What did you like best about this story?

Vish Puri's Mummy-ji is always a favorite character, and she reveals a lot of her past. She was a bold young woman, helping other women during the partition times of the late 1940's. I'll say no more, so as not to give anything away, but I love the fact that she has such a strong story line in The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken.

Which scene was your favorite?

I have many favorite scenes in this book; however, I must say that when Vish is left to read his mother's diary, this is my favorite part.

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

I so thoroughly enjoyed this book! While there are serious topics of murder, a look into the underworld of gambling in India, and the plight of young women, both Hindu and Muslim, in the time of the partition, not to mention Vish Puri's exploration of his feelings as an Indian going to Pakistan, Tarquin Hall provides us with some comic relief in the telling of the "moustache mystery" that Vish has been hired to solve, and the ever present weight issue that Vish's wife seeks to address.

Any additional comments?

Please don't stop bringing us Vish Puri mysteries!-That's my comment to the author and to Audible. And the reader is quite excellent, too!

Enjoyable production

What did you love best about The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken?

I really enjoyed all three of the Vish Puri books. They were not action packed but instead an enjoyable look at the life of this engaging detective. The story was a pleasant one and kept my attention and the narrator really made the characters come to life.

Would you be willing to try another book from Tarquin Hall? Why or why not?

This is the third of the series and I have read all three, enjoying every one of them.

What does Sam Dastor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It is always nice to listen to a book that may have language, dialects or names that one wouldn't know how to pronounce if just reading. The narrator gave life to each of the characters and I am sure that I would have no idea how to pronounce many of the names included in the stories.

Any additional comments?

For me, Vish Puri is a very similar character to Alexander McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe. Both are noted detectives with pleasant personalities who solve cases through perseverance and common sense. I look forward to any other books in this series.

simply wonderful

I give Hall full credit for creating a mystery that included the tragedies surrounding India's partition and the creation of Pakistan. that is not an easy subject to wade into, but India's most private detective solved the case of the butter chicken murder with his usual dash of humble hubris, yummy food stall snacks and lots of help from his mummy.

Something good about this series

These books stray and annoy me sometimes, but i really enjoy the main character (Vishi) and his mix of competence and over-confidence... He's imperfect, and amusingly so. The stories have medium pacing, which feels about right, but some might consider slow. Still, it's a comfortable listen.

Emerging as one of my favorite detective series

A great, fun and entertaining way to learn about the culture of modern India, its challenges, its energy, passion for cricket and gambling and other mores of various social classes in a very class-based and extended family network structured society. In this particular novel, you also pick up some vivid, disturbing, but important to understand history of the founding of India and the almost immediate religion and political power civil war that led to the creation of Pakistan. That backstory to the novel's primary plot line makes the pervasive history of fear, hatred and mistrust that impacts the entire region's politics and foreign affairs perspectives comprehensible, if not understandable in terms of the leaders of both countries inability to overcome or at least mitigate in terms of the education of both countries citizens. But this is not a history book. It is a fast-paced fun detective sotry ride.

Mr. Hall has created an engaging, enjoyable lead protagonist in Vishi Puri. Puri has an endearing portfolio of personal foibles, but yet has the expected hero detective wit, sharp tactics, supporting resources and core observational cleverness to inevitable prevail. This story also highlight's our hero's fundamental toughness and unflappability in facing danger. All unfolds using a witty dialog based story telling style that is throughly enjoyable in all three outings to to date. I am sure the author worked hard to craft the book, but a listener also senses it was created with a sense of fun, but with an achieved goal of entertaining and teaching, without preaching.

Some of the secondary characters are perhaps a bit less well drawn in terms of sometimes caricaturist mannerism (shooting for more humor - and effectively), and it makes them a far amount less memorably when you've finished the book. A noticeable exception is detective Puri's mother, who gets a starring supporting role in this story.

The reader did a commendable job on the accents, though the female roles seemed to blend together more than the men's.