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The Case of the Missing Servant
- Narrated by: Sam Dastor
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
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The Case of the Missing Servant
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Summary
Meet Vish Puri, India’s most private investigator. Portly, persistent and unmistakably Punjabi, he cuts a determined swathe through modern India’s swindlers, cheats and murderers.
In hot and dusty Delhi, where call centres and malls are changing the ancient fabric of Indian life, Puri’s 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 Puri’s resources to investigate. How will he trace the fate of the girl, known only as Mary, in a population of more than one billion? Who is taking pot shots at him and his prize chilli plants? And why is his widowed ‘Mummy-ji’ attempting to play sleuth when everyone knows Mummies are not detectives?
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 ‘that Johnny-come-lately’ Sherlock Holmes donned his Deerstalker.
The search for Mary takes him to the desert oasis of Jaipur and the remote mines of Jharkhand. From his well-heeled Gymkhana Club to the slums where the servant classes live, Puri’s adventures reveal modern India in all its seething complexity.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- lamorenchie
- 19-01-17
Absolutely wonderful!
A good detective tale set in India - it made me laugh so many times. Sam Dastor's narration is perfect. A total joy from start to finish.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mel Carlile
- 24-05-23
Most enjoyable
Love the narration and the story.
It was so Indian and transported me back to times and characters I know so well
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Maja
- 17-07-11
an endearing first mystery
If you find that the intricate plot is of crucial importance in a mystery - then this may not be the right audiobook for you. The plot is fine, but it is not murder that gives this book its flavour. So why 5 stars? It is funny and witty and interesting, both through writing and brilliant accents by Sam Dastor. Regarding India's history and culture - i know very little of it so all that was there was very welcome.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SeanaV
- 15-05-19
My First Vish Puri
I enjoyed everything about this book from beginning to end. The narrator really brought the characters to life. I enjoyed the author's dialogue and found myself laughing out loud, as I recognised certain turns of phrase. He wrote a very realistic ending, and provided subtle social commentary too. I can't wait to start the next Vish Puri.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 10-12-20
Warm, witty and gripping.
perfect if your looking for a book with substance, humour.
an ideal book if you enjoyed the a man called ove..
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Penny G
- 07-03-21
An absolute joy
I am so glad I discovered this book..just what we need in these dreary times to cheer us up.
Sam Dastor is truly amazing as the narrator.He literally brought the book to life.
It was interesting too in the descriptions of modern India
I shall definitely be listening to another of Tarquin Halls books
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christina
- 19-02-19
wonderful detective story set in modern India
The story is very gripping and full of detail. The plump detective, Vish Pury, takes us inside modern Indian society for a glimpse of the exotic, charming, complex and sometimes corrupt underbelly of the society and culture. As all good story tellers, Hall keeps you enthralled right to the end. The narrator is so well chosen too.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- H. Tollyfield
- 19-11-16
Light hearted with a core of authenticity
I have really warmed to Vish Puri, the self-important private investigator at the heart of this story. His pompous self-assurance provides some beautiful comic moments, but there is much more to him. He has a real belief in ensuring that justice wins through in a corrupt and venial society and in his own way tries to make life better for the poor and the casualties of the caste system. He is courageous, vain about his appearance, has a passion for street-food and possesses a total belief in his own infallibility as an investigator.
The stories take place in modern sprawling Delhi and provide a real sense of the atmosphere of the city - it's sights, smells (stinks), bustling thoroughfares, corrupt police and crooked officials, and its complex, highly aspirational society. This is a story about modern India and is in no way nostalgic about the days of the British Raj - the heroes and the villains are all Indians. The plot and sub-plot are ingenious, but not too complex. The enjoyment of the listener is as much about following how Vish Puri, and his mother, go about solving the mysteries as it is about the solutions themselves.
Sam Dastor is an excellent narrator, bringing the language and the characters to life in a way which feels natural and makes the story very easy to listen to.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ms.art
- 22-02-20
Light hearted
if you want an easy listen, that makes you smile and laugh in places, this is the one, a good detective novel, onto the next one
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ravi Dass
- 24-11-21
An enjoyable romp
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had me laughing together as intrigued on how the crime and side issue would be resolved
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