In the case of the Missing servant – we meet Vish Puri proprietor of the Most Private Investigations agency, where he is assisted by his operatives, Facecream and Tubelight. He is hired by Ajay Kasilwal when Mary the family maid disappears, soon Kasilwal is charged with her murder despite a less than convincing identification of an already cremated body, and Puri needs to try and discover whether the young woman concerned is indeed dead. Meanwhile, much to his disgust, Puri’s mother is carrying out her own investigation into who has been taking pot shots at her son.
This novel is certainly undemanding, inoffensive stuff. I did like how the author manages to explore the inequalities of Indian society, showing the realities of the grinding poverty, and judicial corruption that still exist. In this way it did remind me of the Marriage Bureau books – although I enjoyed them much more.
So although I was rather disappointed and was left feeling a little flat by this book, I can completely understand why it has so many great reviews on Amazon. Maybe I will try another one of this series one day – because I still feel I should have loved it. I only hope I haven’t fallen out of love with cosy. I have been reading a lot of lovely good quality literature just lately, lovely Virago books, Persephone, Thomas Hardy and Edith Wharton among others, but that shouldn’t mean I stop liking cosy should it?
