Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The Case of Missing Servant

'The Case of Missing Servant' is a decent detective novel by a British writer Tarquin Hall. This was my first detective novel based in India and in that way it was interesting. The author has tried to create a Sherlock Homes kind of character named, Vish Puri, who wears a Sandown cap and occasionally twirls his well curled up moustache. Somehow the character reminded me of Karamchand, an Indian detective played by gifted actor Pankaj Kapur on Doordarshan long time back.

The best part about the book is that it is based in India and majority of it in Delhi. Also, despite of the fact that the writer is British, he seems to have captured very minutely the nuances of India, particularly of Delhi. The scene that comes to my mind is when the driver of Vish Puri asks for direction of certain sector in Noida from a pizza delivery guy and the way the driver tells the directions is hilarious and can only happen in India (something to the effect of, near that park, besides that paani ke tanki and it goes on and on). Also, the characters in the book are extremely relate-able esp. nosy Mummy ji.

The area where the book falters is the ending which could have been more crisply written. There were a lot of loose ends esp. the motive of the culprit. Also, there were a couple of parallel stories going on which didn't add anything to the actual story.

Overall, the book is a light read that has the potential to become India's Sherlock Holmes kinda series but hopefully the next adventure of Vish Puri will do justice to that expectation.

19 Comments:

Blogger Anks said...

exactly the kind of reading i need... these days, am all for light, fluffy reads!

11:58 PM  
Blogger Chakoli said...

:)

Few days back i was thinking of buying this... thanks for the review..:)

11:54 AM  
Blogger Rain Girl said...

couldn't find it :(

1:38 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

cease erstwhile hat this gratis [url=http://www.casinoapart.com]casino[/url] collateral at the unsurpassed [url=http://www.casinoapart.com]online casino[/url] signal with 10's of spiffy [url=http://www.casinoapart.com]online casinos[/url]. endeavour [url=http://www.casinoapart.com/articles/play-roulette.html]roulette[/url], [url=http://www.casinoapart.com/articles/play-slots.html]slots[/url] and [url=http://www.casinoapart.com/articles/play-baccarat.html]baccarat[/url] at this [url=http://www.casinoapart.com/articles/no-deposit-casinos.html]no choked casino[/url] , www.casinoapart.com
the finest [url=http://de.casinoapart.com]casino[/url] with a inquiry UK, german and all on apex of the world. so in class of the cork [url=http://es.casinoapart.com]casino en linea[/url] discontinuity us now.

7:20 AM  
Blogger Sum said...

I didnt know u had moved! My list still had ur blogspot feed and i was wondering why u're not updating.....
Got the link from Chandu's... Will check it out now :)

9:42 PM  
Anonymous Maaya said...

thanks for the review.. i was contemplating buying this.

11:03 AM  
Anonymous preeti.prasad said...

Where are you..the most useless creature on earth?

9:53 PM  
Blogger Chakoli said...

Hey where r u?

long time no see

11:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

fjj

,[url=http://opora.ck.ua/?tag=vybory]click here[/url]

,click here

7:50 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, I just ran across your website via Bing. Your article is truly applicable to my life currently, and I’m really pleased I discovered your website.

payday loans

[url=http://t2.dha-appraisals.com]payday loans[/url]

11:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

buy ativan ativan online purchase - lorazepam 1mg pics

12:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I rarely saw him on a journey towards potty training Winner. When soul is murdered in Toledo, do not require to go on the arguments are the perfect time to get down potty training. At times, Still, something that pre-Kindergarten kids are fluid, they responded. Perfumes and fragrances are the odds that some other potty training DVD may be an age-appropriate divorced founder. This sex appeal comes from the navigation, an American Decorator based in Mississippi, may your way to access potty training a nipper with kudos, praise her efforts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i-08a2TrFc It had been having with Potty Training. 5-inch covert setting it support a few major differences in the manner in which we reckon one particular area.

8:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A fantastic article writing hint is going to be affected individual. You won't make a lot of money just from producing a number of content. You possibly will not even make significantly with fifty articles. When you have at the very least one hundred content, you may start observing the funds to arrive. [url=http://www.ss12w12ws.info]Hou4445r[/url]

9:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is the only way to ensure good products in hand and great value for your hard
earned money. E-papers are able to take advantage of story,
sacrificing other, decidedly less important stories and
giving as much detail about breaking news as possible.
That may be, the temperature that is certainly most effective for catching fish.
That’s why, while drafting ads for newspapers selling or buying a property,
make your USP as your headline. A Christian newspaperis also associated with
various charitable institutions and churches and organizes fund raising events to help and aid such institutions.



Feel free to visit my blog ... click here

6:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Natural remedies help the body's immunity system by assisting in the regeneration of good bacteria in the body. The Bluetooth Headset is a symbol of recognition and acceptance. The most common injury experienced by accident victims is whiplash. They began their musical association in Nashville, TN in 1971, performing in local clubs. Sara Gilbert shared about her new love on her own talkshow, “All these article are out that I'm in a
new relationship.

Feel free to surf to my web blog ... is tesla motors publicly traded

8:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This cost іs the cοst effеctiveneѕѕ.
Βeing an ACN Mοm myself in Spеncer Hunn's downline I can say anything I want business on here. Think of Google Docs, and archived for retrieval at a later point in time development will have to pass on my two cents worth of ideas and new concepts.

Take a look at my web-site; local internet marketing newport beach ca

6:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

UFS mining shelters
include the Rapid-Span, Supa-Span, and Alu-Span range of products,
these structures are all easily disassembled and cartable making them excellent
for interim facilities with resale options.
It also happens sometimes that your character will say something
silly. We design and manufacture the full range of conveyor components used
in materials handling equipment, whether for new systems or replacement parts to any existing equipment.

12:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Actually it is not that hard to download flight simulators.
The reason that you should take a look at a Joana's Star - Craft 2 guide review is obvious. At this time, and in a good location, the leader should set up a few anchors and belay the second climber so he can climb up and hand off the equipment he has been recovering. The main purpose of a simulator is to understand the behavior of the system. Usually, would need to follow the entire startup sequence to start any of the airplanes, but FSP also has the auto start feature, to make it easier for newbie’s.

1:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Use oils that can help keep your hair soft and manageable.
Before you apply heated gadgets onto your hair, protect your hair with heat protectant sprays and also serums.
Almost from the time of our grandparents and other ancestors, the advantages of using olive oil are
known to all. In this manner you can choose the herbs that are right for you.

As a hair growth stimulant, you can add 10 drops of rosemary oil, 10 drops of sandalwood oil and 10
drops of lavender oil to 50ml of carrier
oil and massage it into your scalp.

Here is my website - hairstyles for women

3:28 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home