The Case of the Missing Servant, by Tarquin Hall

A cozy mystery series set in modern day Delhi.

The Case of the Missing Servant,
by Tarquin Hall.

Meet Vish Puir, the lead investigator of Delhi's Most Private Investigations Ltd. His detective agency specializes in background checks for arranged marriages and prides itself on discretion. Vish's team of quirky detectives, recruited among friends and family, are unlike any other agency and help bring a truly unique approach to each case.

Puir gets a high profile case, involving a missing servant, rumours of infidelity and a prominent lawyer friend as a client, one who is absolutely desperate to clear his name before it is too late. Puir sees real career opportunity in this case.

Among the strongest appeals of this novel are the Delhi setting and language. Hall easily and effectively transports his readers to Delhi and completely enthralls them with the charm of the dialogue and description. Most reviews have drawn very strong parallels with Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.

"Vish Puri, a somewhat overweight (and reluctantly dieting) middle-aged man, is owner and founder of Most Private Investigations (if you’re thinking Mma Ramotswe, you’re right on the mark). Puri heads a large cast of employees, friends, and family members, each of whom is realistically portrayed and thoroughly distinctive, from the slow-to-start Tubelight, through undercover woman Facecream, and on to Mummy-ji, Puri’s obstinate but intelligent mother. Set in modern-day Delhi, the novel is dense with atmosphere, creating a delightful mix of the exotic and familiar through wildly idiomatic American English dialogue and nicely integrated references to food, customs, and clothing" - BookList

"In his fiction debut, British journalist Hall (To the Elephant Graveyard )—who lives in London and New Delhi—captures his second country with grace and humor and creates a protagonist able to put more cases in his "conclusively solved" cabinet. An entertaining start (complete with expletives-included glossary) to a promising series" - Library Journal

"What Cara Black does for Paris, Hall achieves for India in this lively and quick-paced series debut." - Kirkus Reviews

The second book in the series is:

The Case of the Man who Died Laughing: from the files of Vish Puir, most private investigator.