I'm declining to rate this book, because I feel disloyal to Vish Puri and Tarquin Hall for not liking it as much as I have the other 3 books. Maybe it's because my brain is whirling at a faster pace right now (We sold our house! We are house hunting! We are moving! Soon!), but I really had a tougher time reading this, and found myself skim reading at some points. I fully admit the fault is mostly mine. Tarquin Hall has again placed his familiar, truly human characters in another (actually several) situation(s) which require the skill of India's premiere detective (and his mother) to solve. It fascinates me how Hall manages to weave so much of India's social traditions and problems into each story, as well as keeping to a realistic blend of Indian and Hindi in the language. If you are in India, speaking English there, the language bears a smattering of native language/vernacular quite naturally. And though I know (or knew at one point) a large number of the terms dotted in the narrative, a glossary is thoughtfully provided.
This time, Vish Puri is feeling a little blue after a string of bad luck (for instance, he solved a case of a heist, but couldn't find the goods.) He's off with his wife and mother for a trip, when he gets called away by one of his agents to help find a missing groom. No, the guy hasn't gotten cold feet -- he's been kidnapped. He is of a different class than his beloved, and at the same time she's run away to run away with him, he vanishes. His mother, back in his village, turns up murdered, and the father of the bride to be is accused of the crime.
The twists and turns normally would be great fun for me, as well as watching Vish's ego and brains at work, but it just didn't fully cut it for me right now. Even the recipes at the end of the book didn't grab my interest, so I really must be preoccupied, because after reading, one of my favorite things to do is cook.
Forgive me Vish?
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