The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan

Reviewed by Jeanne

Police Inspector Chopra (retired) is enjoying his new job as a private investigator.  He named his business "The Baby Ganesh Agency" after his sidekick, a baby elephant inherited from his uncle. Ganesh certainly seems to have a flare for detective work, or so thinks Chopra-- or maybe he just enjoys having the energetic little elephant around.

In this third entry in the series, Chopra receives a call from a legendary Bollywood star who is searching for her missing son, Vikram.  The boy was starting to make a name for himself as an actor, but had the reputation of being difficult.  Now he’s starring in one of the biggest productions ever, but has inexplicably vanished.   He’s disappeared before, so it’s possible that he’s off partying somewhere but Chopra is troubled by some of the messages the young man had received.

Meanwhile, Chopra’s associate Rangwalla has been summoned before the Queen of Mysore, a formidable person who rules the eunuchs of the Red Fort.  She has been supplying entertainers for a mysterious patron who never appears.  He pays well, the girls aren’t harmed, but the Queen suspects there may be some malicious intent behind it. She wants to know exactly what is going on and the only way to find out is for Rangwalla to go undercover—as a eunuch.

I have enjoyed the previous books in the series, in part because I like the exotic (to me, anyway) setting and I am fond of the characters.  In some ways the books remind me of Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies Detective series:  not only is there a warmth to the books, but the characters have strong moral beliefs in things like justice and mercy and are able to recognize their own limitations. Chopra was a bit of a thorn in the side of authority when he was a policeman because he stood above the corruption: he didn’t take bribes and he didn’t turn a blind eye to crimes committed by the wealthy and/or powerful but did a thorough investigation no matter where it led him. There’s a well-developed supporting cast, too:  Poppy, Chopra’s devoted but independent wife; Irfan, a street urchin who they have befriended; Rangwalla, the more conventional but ever loyal assistant; and, of course, the baby elephant Ganesh, who steals every scene he is in.

The Indian setting was especially vivid in Bollywood Star.  The movie industry is incredibly popular, and everyone knows about the private lives of the actors.  Productions are lush and expensive, and many are based on Indian literature, history, or religion.

More than the film industry aspect—which reminded me of the American film industry in the 30s-50s, with the carefully crafted images of the actors—I was fascinated with the culture of the eunuchs.  They occupy an odd niche in Indian society where they are both reviled and feared.  They refer to themselves as female, hence the Queen. 

I am looking forward to the next in the series!

The books are:

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown

The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star

Murder at the Grand Raj Palace

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan

Reviewed by Jeanne

Periodically, I will find a collection of first lines from novels that a compiler has found to be especially interesting or effective.  I have never done such a list myself, because I try not to judge a book on its first line any more than I try to judge it by its cover.  But if I do ever create such a list, the first line of The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra might be a contender:

“On the day that he was due to retire, Inspector Ashwin Chopra discovered he had inherited an elephant.”

Inspector Chopra is a reluctant retiree, handing in his resignation on doctor’s orders.  He enjoys his job; moreover, he believes in his job.  He knows corruption is widespread, that class and wealth grants privilege and too often immunity from punishment, but he loves his city of Mumbai and his country and he wants to make it a better place.

On this last day of work, he finds a poor woman crying over her dead son.  The official verdict is that the young man died after passing out drunk in a creek but the mother is insistent that he was murdered but “for a poor woman and her poor son, there will be no justice!”

There is some truth to her words, Chopra knows, but he is determined that the matter will be investigated—even if it has to be done unofficially.

I actually read the second book in this series first, just because it was handy.  It was good and I enjoyed it, but this one was a real delight.  The plot was well constructed, and the conclusion surprised me.  Chopra is a thoroughly likeable character: honorable, intelligent, kind, and persistent.  The supporting characters are also well developed, especially his wife Poppy, and his . . . um. . . opinionated mother-in-law, Poornima Devi. Khan makes excellent use of the setting, describing the sights, smells, and rhythms of Mumbai.

And of course, there’s the elephant, a doleful young calf later dubbed Ganesh.  He seems so sad and frail when he’s delivered to the apartment that the Inspector’s heart goes out to him. Chopra is determined to do what is best for him, though that might mean sending him away.  (Even small elephants do not make good apartment dwellers, and having an elephant in the courtyard draws complaints—from Poornima Devi.)   I gave this book to an elephant-loving friend and she was as charmed as I was. 

If you’re in the market for a solid mystery with an exotic setting, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra might be just the ticket.

The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan

Reviewed by Jeanne

 Inspector Chopra, lately retired from the Mumbai police force, is an unwilling visitor to a museum’s display of the British Crown Jewels.  It’s not that he doesn’t like museums or the British, but that his wife, Poppy, has succumbed to the mania surrounding an upcoming visit from Queen Elizabeth.  The traffic is dreadful, the lines are long, and security is so tight that it makes the pace wearily slow, but that all pales after the museum is robbed.  Although he has no official standing in the department anymore, Chopra is determined to help solve the crime—and even more so when a former co-worker is accused of being an accomplice. With help from another former colleague, Rangwalla, and from his atypical pet, a little elephant named Ganesha, he begins his investigation.

This was my introduction to the Baby Ganesh Agency series.  I was in the mood for something a bit exotic but not taxing and this fit the bill admirably.  Although I usually hold out for starting with the first in a series, I had no problem following this one.  The characterizations are well done. I especially liked Poppy, a modern Indian woman who knows how to get things done but who also mothers Irfan, a street boy who has been working for the Chopras.  The relationship between Chopra and Poppy is warm and respectful; they may have their differences at times, but they obviously love each other.  Most charming of all is Ganesha, the baby elephant who seems to have a nose for solving crimes.  He is portrayed as very toddler-like, bright and curious but also prone to sulking.  Both Poppy and Chopra dote on him as a surrogate child. 

I do plan to read the first book in the series, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, because it explains how he came to have Ganesha. That sounds as if it should be a fascinating story in itself—a mystery would just be a bonus!  The third book in the series is due out next year.

The author is of Indian descent, but was born and raised in England.  He worked in India for a decade before returning to London in 2006, which gives him a foot squarely in both worlds and gives him the ability to make his work accessible to both.  He has said that he wants readers to feel what modern India is like, and I feel he succeeded in large part. He also loves elephants, and that certainly shines through.  The first book has been optioned for a movie from an Indian film company.