Author(s): Tarquin Hall

Crime

Meet Vish Puri, IndiaÂs most private investigator. Portly, persistent and unmistakably Punjabi, he cuts a determined swathe through modern IndiaÂs swindlers, cheats and murderers. In hot and dusty Delhi, where call centres and malls are changing the ancient fabric of Indian life, PuriÂs main work comes from screening prospective marriage partners, a job once the preserve of aunties and family priests. But when an honest public litigator is accused of murdering his maidservant, it takes all of Puris resources to investigate. How will he trace the fate of the girl, known only as Mary, in a population of more than one billionW Who is taking pot shots at him and his prize chilli plantsn And why is his widowed ÂMummy-ji attempting to play sleuth when everyone knows Mummies are not detectivest With his team of undercover operatives  Tubelight, Flush and Facecream  Puri ingeniously combines modern techniques with principles of detection established in India more than two thousand years ago - - long before Âthat Johnny-come-lately Sherlock Holmes donned his Deerstalker.