• The Case of the Missing Servant

  • By: Tarquin Hall
  • Narrated by: Sam Dastor
  • Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (720 ratings)

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The Case of the Missing Servant  By  cover art

The Case of the Missing Servant

By: Tarquin Hall
Narrated by: Sam Dastor
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Publisher's summary

Meet Vish Puri, India's most private investigator. Portly, persistent and unmistakably Punjabi, he cuts a determined swathe through modern India's swindlers, cheats and murderers.

In hot and dusty Delhi, Puri's main work comes from screening prospective marriage partners, a job once the preserve of aunties and family priests. But when an honest public litigator is accused of murdering his maidservant, it takes all of Puri's resources to investigate. How will he trace the fate of the girl, known only as Mary, in a population of more than one billion? Who is taking pot shots at him and his prize chilli plants? And why is his widowed "Mummy-ji" attempting to play sleuth when everyone knows Mummies are not detectives? With his team of undercover operatives--Tubelight, Flush, and Facecream--Puri ingeniously combines modern techniques with principles of detection established in India more than 2000 years ago - long before "that Johnny-come-lately" Sherlock Holmes donned his Deerstalker.

From his well-heeled Gymkhana Club to the slums where the servant classes live, Puri's adventures reveal modern India in all its seething complexity.

©2009 Sacred Cow Media Ltd. (P)2009 BBC Audio

What listeners say about The Case of the Missing Servant

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Complete Surprise

Narrator Sam Dastor completely changed my viewpoint on audio books. Because of him, I no longer look for a book to be read to me. I look for a book to be performed for me. Dastor makes a well-written book come alive with characters you really get to know and care about. The narrator does an admirable job of bringing every character to life. They all have distinctly different personalities because of his voice. In audio books I usually find women's voices sound fake, but Dastor slipped in and out of women's voices with great credibility. Peppered with humour and tension, the story of the missing servant unfolds in vivid descriptions of Delhi, Jaipur and other places in India. I enjoyed the Hindi words sprinkled in the story, and felt like they added another layer to the story for people who know some Hindi. This is quite an enjoyable book, and yet the author calls attention to social issues like the abuse of servants, arranged marriages and rape without being heavy handed or didactic. Listeners get the message. In my book, this is my pick of the year 2016. It's a great way to end the year.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Delhi Chatter

Vish Puri is a private detective in Delhi juggling several cases -- the missing servant girl of the title, a judge accused of murder, potential political corruption, and the suitability of a prospective groom, as well as an attempt on his own life. Helping him are an array of characters, including (under his perpetual protest) his mother. All set to the sights and sounds, tastes and smells, people and places, morals and mores, and social and religious diversity of modern India.

But what sets this IMFL (Indian-Made Foreign Literature) apart, especially in audio, is author Tarquin Hall's masterful use of Indian English. Though born in London to American and English parents, the former journalist now lives in Delhi with his Indian wife. Clearly reveling in the charming (as he calls it) way Indians have appropriated (malappropriated) the English language, Hall has created a series of novels that allow us to listen in.

"English is a mongrel language and the English themselves have had no qualms about looting tens of thousands of words from other languages (and often changed the meanings) so why shouldn’t others do the same," Hall writes in introducing his Indian-English glossary. We are the beneficiaries of his golden ear for how English has evolved in his adopted land in this first entry in the Vish Puri mystery series.

As much as I have come to appreciate audiobooks set in India or about Indians (far more than in print), as I have previously remarked in reviewing Q&A (Slumdog Millionaire), A Son of the Circus, Life of Pi, and The 100-Foot Journey, there has to be more to it than just their lilting present tense manner of speaking. There has to be a good story. Hall's story is in the mystery format, with a complex plot that has all the hallmarks of ultimately coming together in a manner essential to a good mystery -- at once anticipated and unanticipated.

But... it didn't come together in the way I anticipated, and the unanticipated elements were not satisfying (for me). I don't want to get into details that would be spoilers. Stylistically, the story rushes too hurriedly to its denouement, leaving a lot of plot potential on the table. My understanding is that the Puri series gets better with each entry, so I will definitely be giving it another go. Whether this works for you, however, depends on how interested you think you would be in the landscape and language -- without that, this is just another mystery novel.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Delightful Characters

If you could sum up The Case of the Missing Servant in three words, what would they be?

Amusing intricate mystery

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoy the family life of the lead character Puri, especially his mother Mummyji. Their interactions are amusing while still advancing one of the subplots that enliven the story. Similarly, the characters of Puri's various operatives as they investigate one or another mystery are by turns delightful and effective in turning up clues. Throughout the book, Indian culture and daily life provide an exotic background without minimizing the effects of poverty and corruption on the lives of the Indian people.

What about Sam Dastor’s performance did you like?

His narration is excellent. His accents and enunciation make the characters come alive and enhance the setting of the story.

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

It made me smile and chuckle while keeping me hooked on the central mystery as well as the two subplots.

Any additional comments?

This is the second of Tarquin Hall's mysteries I have read. The first (The Man Who Died Laughing) was more exotic and involved unusual characters - gods and magicians, while this one seemed more down to earth. With Sam Dastor's wonderful narration, I'll order the the rest of the series to enjoy.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great mystery with local India color

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The narration and character voices were outstanding. I was sick while listening, and this audio book helped keep me distracted.
The mystery itself kept me engaged, but I especially loved the local flavor. Woven into the mystery's seems were lovely extras about Indian life, from TV shows to the legal system, medical system, castes, country clubs, socioeconomic inequality, etc.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

Would you listen to The Case of the Missing Servant again? Why?

Yes I am sure I get something new out of it

What did you like best about this story?

The slice of life in India

What does Sam Dastor bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

His accents

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

Made me laugh

Any additional comments?

When is the next book

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Delhi English and sense of modern India

What did you love best about The Case of the Missing Servant?

The narration is, to put it in the words of Vish Puri, truly first class. Dastor beautifully captures the nuance and rhythms of Delhi English just as Hall captures the details of upper middle class Indian life.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The twists of the plot are engaging, as is Vish Puri.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend for anyone who knows anything of the culture, or indeed anyone who wants to get a charming (and realistically dodgy and corrupt) taste of modern India.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

India's Sherlock Holmes

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I am currently working in the Middle East and many of the characters seemed very authentic (as well as entertaining).

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Case of the Missing Servant?

The relationships portrayed in the book were spot on.

Any additional comments?

I am planning on purchasing the other books in this series. A very nice listen on the way to work.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Delightful Detective

What did you love best about The Case of the Missing Servant?

I loved the characters-all of them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Chubby.
He has such an ego, but he also is wise and compassionate to his servants and clients.
I also loved Mummy very much.

What does Sam Dastor bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Thank you, Sam Dastor, for giving us perfect voices for the series. .
I'm already listening to the second volume and very much anticipating enjoying the third installment.
I would definitely listen to Sam Dastor in other books and series.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Living the Modern Indian Dream Life.

Any additional comments?

I wish there were a way to translate the slang used. I get the point, but I'd love to understand more of the particulars.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Weak mystery wrapped in ol fashioned misogyny

What could Tarquin Hall have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

This is a story of an older Indian man with old fashion beliefs and extreme arrogance. He spends the entire story bragging about in intellect and ranting about the downfall of Indian culture due to sex, drugs and Western influence.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator did a good job differentiating the voices of the many characters.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I was amused by the main character's disdain of Sherlock Holmes while the storyline is written within the same template.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Few books are this fun to listen to

This book is just perfect. It's one of the best listens, & I've been an audible member for 4 years or more. I also got the other Vish Puri mystery & love it as well. I sure hope there are more in the works. Never been to India, but I feel I'm there when I listen to these books.

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