The case of the reincarnated client From the files of Vish Puri, India's most private investigator

Many private-eye novels begin with a seductive woman entering the detective's office. The fifth in the hilarious Vish Puri series, set in Delhi, starts with a completely opposite scene. Vish's formidable mother, Mummy-ji, barges into his office and demands that he take up a case that Vish thinks is completely ridiculous. Mummy-ji knows a young woman who claims to be the reincarnation of a murder victim not just any murder victim, but a young woman murdered during the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Vish takes on the case, mostly because his late father, a former Delhi cop, was haunted by it. This leads Vish down often-comic and sometimes-disturbing paths of inquiry, aided by his inside man in the Delhi Police Force. As usual, Hall's plot is filled with engaging twists. Vish is a wonderfully realized character, and we're treated to his takes on Delhi's pollution, traffic, and food. The mystery bursts with history and street life, with Hall providing footnotes and a glossary for the more arcane parts. You can dive in anywhere in this series and be rewarded with a rich experience make sure you also check out vishpuri.com, a marvelous overview of series characters and cases, along with subjects like VP's India and Food. --Connie Fletcher Copyright 2020 Booklist

In Hall's lively, amusing fifth mystery featuring Delhi PI Vish Puri (after 2013's The Case of the Love Commandos), Puri's mother (aka Mummy) insists that he investigate the case of Riya Kaur, who disappeared during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Mummy says she has a witness to what happened: the reincarnated Riya Kaur herself. Puri reluctantly agrees, though he's preoccupied with a money-laundering scheme and the threat of a ruinous lawsuit from Ram Bhatt, a dissatisfied client who holds Puri responsible for not uncovering Bhatt's new son-in-law's thunderous snoring during the pre-wedding investigation. It's little wonder that the cases enter Puri's dreams, leaving him oblique yet ultimately helpful messages. As he says, "not every solution in crime fighting involved proof and reason and logic. Sometimes... the unexplained--the miraculous--did indeed play a part." Hall creates delightful characters and provides illuminating glimpses of contemporary Indian life. Readers will hope they won't have to wait another seven years for Puri's next outing. Agent: Emma Parry, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Feb.)

India's most private detective confronts the changing face of marriage in his native land.Vish Puri (The Delhi Detective's Handbook, 2017, etc.) tries to keep up with the times. His Most Private Investigators Ltd., uses the most up-to-date surveillance equipment. Puri himself carries the latest model cellphone. But modern as he is, he is truly vexed by his wife Rumpi's news that his youngest daughter, Radhika, wants to make a love matchand with a Bengali, no less! Why can't Radhika act more like his client Ram Bhatt's daughter, Tulsi, who married Vikas Gupta, the groom chosen by her father after a careful investigation conducted by Puri himself confirmed him to be an A-1, top-notch prospect? And if Tulsi's been driven from her husband's house by his truly thunderous snores, well, Puri still stands by his investigation, although he now must find out how he could have missed such an undesirable trait. Meantime, Puri's beloved Mummy-ji has another urgent task for him. She wants her son to reexamine the case of Riya Kaur, a young wife whose husband, Mantosh Singh, left her to die in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. Mummy-ji has stumbled across Saanvi, a young girl who claims to be the reincarnated presence of Riya, and she shares chilling memories of the Sikh woman's last hours. Can Puri, who wants nothing more than some crispy pakora and a ride in his beloved Ambassador sedan, juggle three such diverse cases and still get home in time for tea?Hall deftly handles amusing characters and serious social issues. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.