The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken: From the Files of Vish Puri, India’s Most Private Investigator

The opening of Hall’s outstanding third mystery featuring PI Vish Puri (after 2010’s The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing) sets the tone nicely as Puri tinkers with the bathroom scale to prevent his wife, who refers to him as Chubby, from learning that he’s gained weight. Soon after, a representative of the Moustache Organization of Punjab (MOP) asks him to find the fiend who cut off half of the record-setting long whiskers of one of its members. This case fades as he looks into a more serious matter—the poisoning of a guest at a dinner following a high-stakes cricket match. A resourceful and dogged investigator, Puri follows a twisting trail that connects with corruption in the sport and illegal gambling. Well-drawn colorful characters bolster a whodunit sure to appeal to those who enjoy a dash of humor with their crime. Agent: Christy Fletcher, Fletcher & Co. (July)