The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken: A Vish Puri Mystery by Tarquin Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Puri would never forget the meal as long as he lived. The marinated mutton was so tender, so succulent, that it melted in his mouth. The yogurt-based gravy was a revelation; creamy with a perfect blend of coriander and chilli and just a hint of lemon. He lapped it all up with the crisp pieces of roghini naan, wiped the container clean with his finger and sucked every last bit of marrow from the mutton bones."

I read The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken (2012) by Tarquin Hall on a recommendation from an outstanding student of mine. It has been a very interesting read, less so in terms of a crime/mystery novel, but much more as a primer on life in Kashmir, India. I have never been to the soon-to-be most populous country in the world, and despite having Indian students and faculty colleagues, I have never known much about the country. Obviously, one should not readily generalize one author's observations, but Mr. Hall, originally a news reporter, had lived in India for many years, and has garnered quite a reputation among literary community for the accuracy of his social commentary, so I tend to have a high degree of confidence in the picture of the country he paints.

This is the third installment in the series of mysteries featuring Vish Puri, "India's Most Private Investigator." We meet Vish (a gourmet, nicknamed "Chubby" by his wife), as he commences work on a strange case where the owner of the longest moustache in the world, nurtured and groomed for more than thirty years, has his treasure stolen "from right under his nose."

Yet this is not the main case whose solution we are following in the novel. The father of an internationally famous Pakistani cricket star dies of poisoning during a well-attended dinner at a luxury hotel in Delhi. Mr. Puri's British friend, the head of the anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Federation, asks him to help solve the case. There are suspicions that the victim's son participated in a match fixing scheme. As the captivating plot progresses, we learn that the case may have connections to historical events from the past.

For me, the vivid and compelling portrait of Indian life and society is the most valuable aspect of the novel. I found precious the social commentary about the basic ways of life in India (the story happens in the Punjab area; I am not sure how representative it is for other regions of India). The ways of "getting things done," are so very different from our Western norms. Using family and personal contacts is the main way of achieving most objectives in life. The ubiquity of bribery and corruption must be a bit stunning for a Western-born reader (not for me, accustomed to moderate degrees of corruption and bribery in my native country). It is also illuminating how different the crime solving process by a private investigator in India is from the one in UK or US. More importantly, the reader will learn about the horrors of the 1947 Partition of British India into independent India and Pakistan, when at least half a million people lost their lives.

My opinions about the literary aspect of the novel are mixed. I did not particularly care for the prose - I found it hard to focus on the text, generously peppered with Hindi/Punjabi words and phrases. True, it added to the overall feeling of authenticity, yet it made it difficult for me to focus. While the glossary of Hindi/Punjabi phrases at the end helped, I found using it disruptive in my reading.

Also on the negative side, Vish's miraculous escape from the near-death situation seems artificial and not fitting the rather somber tone of the story at that juncture of the plot. It sort of reads as a contrived way of adding "excitement" to the plot. Also, while I like how irreverent the narrator's approach to Mr. Puri's investigating excellence is, the presence of a big army of his helpers offsets the humor.

The best thing in the book, from the literary point of view, is - to me - the author's ability to gradually change the mood of the novel from light and full of humor to very dark and serious. I did not expect this, and I appreciated it a lot! I love when the author does things that I do not expect they will do.

Compellingly readable novel, highly recommended! Thank you, LF!

Three-and-a-half stars.

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