07 October, 2015

#BookReview :: The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra (Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation #1) by Vaseem Khan

In this Indian-set mystery, Inspector Chopra inherits an elephant and an unsolved murder on his last day at work. A joyful, charming read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Rachel Joyce.
Mumbai, murder and a baby elephant combine in a charming, joyful mystery for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Rachel Joyce.
On the day he retires, Inspector Ashwin Chopra inherits two unexpected mysteries.
The first is the case of a drowned boy, whose suspicious death no one seems to want solved.
And the second is a baby elephant.
As his search for clues takes him across the teeming city of Mumbai, from its grand high rises to its sprawling slums and deep into its murky underworld, Chopra begins to suspect that there may be a great deal more to both his last case and his new ward than he thought.
And he soon learns that when the going gets tough, a determined elephant may be exactly what an honest man needs...


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The story begins with Inspector Ashwin Chopra retiring the police force and settling in the life of a regular retired civilian. After eating, living and breathing for his career for such a long time, the transition is difficult for him. However, with the help of his wife, he tries to settle in when he is left in charge of an elephant who has bequeathed is to him. On the other hand, there’s a case of a boy who had drowned and yet no one seems to be taking any action for it. As a result, the retired life of ex-Inspector Chopra is no longer so quiet as he takes on to investigate the case himself, all the while trying to ‘manage’ his elephant.

You have to admit that getting an elephant of all the things in the world, seemed a bit odd and made me curious about the book at the same time. The character of Ashwin Chopra is quite likeable and I did like his open view of the world that is so sanguine. His wife does have her moments in the book too. And the elephant… What does he add to the book you ask? Well you have to read to find out. Let’s just say, it’s an addition that I enjoyed completely. The characters are all well etched up and they feel complete on their own. The plot however was quite simple and easy to see through. Also, there some typical Bollywood cliché moments in the book that made me shake my head while reading. The climax was so much like a movie where the villain just doesn’t know when to shut up and inadvertently confesses all the gory details of his crimes. It was bit too dramatic and disappointing.

So while this book was not the BIG entrance to the literary world that one wishes to make, the book still is actually quite nice at the end of the day. As a reader, I have become attached to Baby Ganesh and Ashwin Chopra and I can see all the possibilities that lay ahead of them. I will be sure to pick up the next instalment to see this relationship develop.


Review Copy received from Hachette India 

1 comment:

  1. The theme of the book look interesting and a baby elephant involved in the quota makes it sound so intriguing.

    Great Review Debdatta
    Aparajita @Le' Grande Codex

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