![]() With a few suggestive details, Hall is able to bring to life the social complexities of the large, polyglot country. The case itself–the quest to clear the name of a high-profile reforming lawyer who’s been accused of murdering one of his servants–almost takes the backseat to Hall’s depictions of modern urban India. It’s an interesting cultural juxtaposition, since in the US a similar detective would be doing a lot of divorce work. Enter Puri, whose investigations reveal the financial, social, moral, and criminal reality of the proposed husband or wife. ![]() ![]() Now, with the rise of mega-cities and geographic mobility, parents no longer know exactly what they’re getting in a marriage. This is a great example of the way that Hall weaves socio-historical observations into his mystery: once, marriage was a local affair, as the families involved knew each other intimately before the arranged match. Living in Delhi, Puri has his share of exciting cases, though he mostly picks up routine matrimonial investigations. Hall has created a complex, sometimes-opaque, but nonetheless likable character in Puri. Vish “Chubby” Puri is the self-proclaimed finest private investigator in India, and in this, the first novel to feature him, the reader follows him as he cracks a case and, along the way, picks up some of his backstory. ![]()
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