"The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck" by Tarquin Hall is the sixth installment in the delightful Vish Puri series, featuring India’s Most Private Investigator. As a long-time fan of the series, I was thrilled to see a new addition. And it is just as good as the other books!

The hero of the piece is Vish Puri, a brilliant private detective and owner of a detective agency who is offended when people dare to compare him to the fictional Sherlock Holmes. Unlike other classic detectives, he does not work alone and has a host of colorful agents at his disposal: Handbrake, Tubelight, Flush, to name a few. Also, there is Madam Rani, his secretary and the recorder of his exploits.

Vish is 59 years old, smart, patriotic, a master of disguise, and a passionate lover of everything fried and spicy (even if he's not allowed to). He is a detective in the old-fashioned sense. His main tools are common sense and intuition, combined with the technological skills and daring of his assistants.

When he wins the International Detective of the Year award, he is asked to keep it a secret. Within hours, it seems all of Delhi knows – including his indomitable Mummy-ji, who announces she will come with him and his wife Rumpy to the ceremony in London, much to their dismay. The plot thickens when a senior government bureaucrat asks him to track down India’s most-wanted fugitive, billionaire pharmaceutical fraudster code-named Bombay Duck, rumored to hide in London, a request he can't refuse.

Vish’s predicament is both humorous and chaotic as he juggles keeping the investigation secret from Rumpy - who would not approve of him working during their much-anticipated vacation - and from Mummy-ji, who has her own ways of meddling. Alongside his nephew Jags and Bromley, an English police detective, Vish dives into the case while his mother pursues an investigation of her own.

I absolutely loved the book! It’s brimming with humor, clever wordplay, mouthwatering descriptions of Indian food, and comparisons between the Indian and British cultures. Mummy-ji is a sharp, hilarious force of nature, and her adventures were a highlight. The story seamlessly weaves between London and New Delhi, juggling multiple plotlines that all tie together brilliantly.

While the book can be enjoyed on its own, I recommend reading the earlier installments to fully appreciate the characters and their dynamics. The chapters include helpful explanations of cultural concepts, and a glossary of Indian words and terms at the end enhances the experience.

Overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read that captures the essence of its settings and cultures. I found myself smiling at Vish’s struggles to find non-vegetarian food while staying with his vegetarian hosts, or when he failed to catch the irony of Inspector Bromley. If you’re a fan of Alexander McCall Smith’s series, you’ll adore this book even more - it delivers a richer mystery, vivid characters, and plenty of substance. Highly recommended!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Thoroughly Engaging..
The sixth entry into the Vish Puri series of mysteries and the long awaited rerun of India’s finest and most enigmatic of detectives. Puri has discovered that he has won the International Detective of the Year award - supposedly a guarded secret, although it appears that the world and his wife already know of his success - and is to attend a ceremony in London. With wife and mother tagging along, an unexpected undercover mission on his plate (a fraudster code named Bombay Duck), Puri is at his wits end and, so, he enlists some help….what could possibly go wrong? A delightful instalment to the series, brimming with wonderful characterisation, perfectly executed backdrops and a pacy plot bubbling with wit, humour and satirical observations. Thoroughly engaging.

Vish Puri, India’s Most Private Detective (and quirky gentleman), has won the International Detective of the Year award and travels to London to accept his prize. Mayhem and murder ensue, and author Tarquin Hall explores the intersection of Indian and British culture clashes to poke fun at the characters. Vish is a delight, a not-young detective genuinely curious about the world around him. The crimes explored in the book seem a bit caricatured (and the resolution of the Mummy-ji plot line feels rushed), but this is an excellent and fun read. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This had everything that I was looking for from the description. It had that mystery element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall concept of this. I enjoyed the way the characters worked in the story and how everything worked to tell the story. It was written well by Tarquin Hall and enjoyed this as a entry in the Vishi Puri Mystery series.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Detective Vishi Puri's dreams have come true: he's won the coveted International Detective of the Year award and is travelling to London. His wife and mother (Mummy) are accompanying him.
He's tasked with finding India's most notorious criminal,
Bombay Duck, who's supposedly hiding in the UK.
This is such a fun book, Vishi is such a delight and so is Mummy. Plus, the setting is London, what more can a reader want?