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

Reviewer: Catriona Troth

What We Thought:

Ganesha: a riddle inside an enigma wrapped inside an elephant.

The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown is the second book in Vaseem Khan’s Baby Ganesh series

Inspector Chopra has at last retired. He and his tireless wife Poppy have opened a restaurant for Mumbai’s police force, and Chopra has set up the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency. Ganesha himself, the baby elephant Chopra mysteriously inherited from his uncle, has settled happily into the yard behind the restaurant. But finding lost cats and uncovering cheating husbands is not supplying Chopra with the same excitement that policework once did.

When the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond is stolen from the crown jewels during a rare visit to India, and an old police-colleague-turned-security-expert is accused of being complicit in the theft, Chopra is once more thrust into the thick of a dangerous investigation. And where Chopra goes, Baby Ganesha is rarely far behind.

Chopra and Ganesha have a couple of new helpers this time – ex-policeman Rangawalla and a young street urchin, Irfan. And of course Poppy remains a force to be reckoned with. There may be some dubious characters now in charge of the Mumbai police, but with Chopra on the case, you can be certain that justice will prevail.

In this classic locked room mystery that playfully references the Sherlock Holmes short story, ‘The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle,’ Vaseem Khan conjures the same charm and humour that he brought to The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, poking fun at Mumbai life while neatly exposing its darker side. 

This is an ensemble of characters you will fall in love with, and a series you will want to return to again and again. Good thing, then, that Book 3 (The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star) is already out there.

You’ll Enjoy This If You Loved: The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan, The Necessary Deaths by David C Dawson, Inspector Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri, Bad Apples by JJ Marsh

Avoid If You Dislike: Crime Fiction laced with gentle humour

Perfect Accompaniment: Butter chicken with tandoori roti

Genre: Crime Fiction

Available on Amazon