Happy Friday.  My summer reading is in full swing and

I need more hours in the day or the ability to function well

with little or no sleep to keep up the momentum.

Reading is great any time of the year but

I seem to require more reading in the summer time

to keep me happy.  As you know, I am crazy about mysteries

and sometimes I get to read books that I don’t sell.  Andrea Davies,

owner of Hager Books in Vancouver gave me a book called

The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall

It is the first in a series about Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator,

and is a fun, informative and funny mystery.  The story is set in

contemporary Delhi, there is a marvelous cast of characters

(Vish nicknames his associates and others – meet Handbrake,

Facecream and Flush) and lots and lots about food.

Vish’s wife wants him to lose some weight but he just can’t resist all

the fabulous food available to him at his favourite roadside stands or

cafes. (Luckily for me a handy index of Indian terms has been provided

so I can decode everyday Indian words and phrases that

I’m not familiar with.)

Vish uses investigation techniques that predate Sherlock Holmes;

indeed he bitterly resents any comparisons bewteen himself and the famous

detective.  This is the first in a series and Vish is hired to investigate a

servant girl who has gone missing.

His normal routine is doing background checks for prospective mates in arranged

marriages so this is a change of pace.   The story is sharply written and

I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times.  The book

doesn’t sugar coat the way things are and are done  in India

and one gets a picture of some of the good and not

so good qualities about Indian life while being entertained by an engaging

story.  I’m looking forward to the other books in the series.

Speaking of not sleeping:

Have a great weekend.

Dot