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Nov 21, 2011

Avadhut rated it:

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Summary –

In the most bizarre case baffling the entire nation, Vish Puri, undertakes to find the murderer of celebrated rationalist Dr. Suresh Jha. But how even Vish Puri, the most accomplished private investigator in the entire India can solve the case when the murder is committed by an apparition of Goddess Kali in broad daylight in front of Dr. Jha’s Laughter Club Members?

Review –

I had high expectation More...

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Sep 04, 2011

Wolf rated it:

Some crime writers made their career out of impossible crimes, but not even John Dickson Carr tackled a murder apparently committed by a Hindu goddess. Tarquin Hall's second outing for his modern day Indian detective Vish Puri does exactly that, however. And very entertaining the result is too.

The puzzle is challenging, but with enough clues for an acute reader to guess something of the solution. Be warned one section of the final explanation veers slightly toward science fiction but i More...

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Jul 20, 2011

Jon rated it:

I have a definite fault that was plainly manifest when I read this book. I started reading, and was enjoying it quite a bit. I thought that the Mr. Hall's descriptions of the setting and his characterizations were interesting, specific, and very distinctive. After a few pages, I wondered aloud how accurate Mr. Hall's portrayals of India and the dialogue of Indians are. My wife wife looked at me, amazed and bemused. "He lived in India for years and is married to an Indian," she laughed, More...

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Oct 15, 2010

Nancy rated it:

The second Vish Puri book; I didn't even realize it was out until I saw someone with a copy and dashed out to find a copy. I liked the book, but thought the charm was a bit attenuated this time around.

The primary plot of the murder was decent and the secondary "kitty party" mystery were fine (Mummy-ji and Rumpi were a pleasure). But with three locales, and various people to follow, the book had a lot of ground to cover and, I think, tried to do it too quickly or tried t More...

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Aug 02, 2010

Kathleen added it

The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing, by Tarquin Hall, B-plus, narrated by Sam Dastor, produced by BBC Audio Books-America, downloaded from audible.com.

This is another book in the series about Vish Puri, who runs the “most private detective agency”. Here, we have a man involved in a yoga class- laughter yoga-something that does really exist. In the middle of the class, there is a flash of lightning and the goddess, Kali, allegedly appears and plunges a sword into him killing him. More...

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Jul 05, 2010

Valentina rated it:

Tarquin Hall simply gets India. A British journalist who lives in Delhi and who's married to an Indian woman, he combines an insider's understanding of the country with an outsider's necessarily-surprised look at all of India's never ending quirkiness.

Food is the prime example, with Private Investigator Vish Puri constantly nibbling on all sorts of dishes, eaten while sitting down at restaurants or while playing chess at Puri's all-gentlemen club, bought on the go from greasy food sta More...

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May 09, 2011

Cliff rated it:

This is a murder mystery, set in Delhi, and featuring the private eye, family man and gourmand Vish Puri. In the field, Vish may be the scourge of criminals, but to his wife he is simply 'Chubby' and if he dares criticise her management of the household budget, he knows it will be chopped up celery sticks for lunch the next day. The writer's portrayal of the detective is one of the liveliest and most humorous I have read in a long time.

Early one morning, a university professor who ha More...

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Jun 21, 2010

Anne rated it:

Last year's 'The Case of the Missing Servant' was Tarquin Hall's very entertaining first installment in the mystery series featuring Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator. I was happy to see that 'The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing', the second in the series, was recently released and was not disappointed. In this case, Puri, the portly private detective in Delhi, investigates the mysterious death of a well-known debunker of religious chicanery who is stabbed by none other than a very lifelike More...

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Jun 29, 2010

Barbara rated it:

What joy!
The second case from the files of Vish Puri. This one is a real puzzler. Dr Jha, an outspoken critic of Maharaj Swami (India's version of a TV Evangelist)is murdered in broad daylight by what appears to be a manifestation of the Goddess Kali. Well? Was it a miraculous appearance of the Goddess, striking down an unbeliever? Or was the TV Swami somehow taking vengeance on his top critic? Inspector Singh asks Puri to turn his investigative skills loose on this case, all on More...

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Jul 22, 2010

Trish rated it:

This is the second book in Tarquin Hall’s Vish Puri series, and I am happy to say that I liked this one better than the first. The mystery in this second book was a little more complex and interesting than in his first. It also took you behind the scenes of a so-called guru and exposed some of the tricks he used to fool his ardent followers.

Vish Puri and all of his Associates from the Most Private Detectives are back, and we even get a little more background on a couple of them, Tu More...

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Aug 04, 2010

Smita rated it:

If you have been following my book reviews then you would remember a book review of mine “The Case of the Missing Servant”. One of my favorite books of the last year, I was waiting for the next one in the series of Vish Puri, “Most Private Investigator”. Surprisingly I wasn’t aware of the release of this book and when I chanced upon it I grabbed it with both my hands! :D

This time again the author doesn’t disappoint us. This book is centered around the clash of so called Swami’s/ self More...

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Oct 20, 2011

Cmorice rated it:

Dans la chaleur infernale de Delhi, une fièvre qui ne doit rien à la canicule s'est emparée de la population : le docteur Suresh Jha, une célèbre figure du pays, mathématicien et « chasseur de gourous », aurait été tué devant témoins dans un parc de la ville, de la main même de la déesse Kali. Événement surnaturel ou habile mise en scène, le pays tout entier se passionne bientôt pour cette incroyable apparition. Impossible d'imaginer Vish Puri, meilleur détective autoproclamé de toute l'Inde et More...

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Aug 20, 2011

Lane rated it:

The Vishnu Puri mysteries are definitely cozies, but with a wonderful, foreign flavor. Author, Tarquin Hall, seems to know the Far East well, and I love all of the atmospheric details he incorporates into his stories. My daughter has gotten me interested in India and Indian stories, and I get a kick out of the Hindi words (there's a glossary at the back of his books) and his charming sentence structure...it is that I am hurrying, only. Some times I read out loud, just for the fun of the word More...

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Mar 04, 2011

Chris rated it:

Vish Puri is a modern Sherlock Holmes like PI with a network of informants and operatives canvassing the streets of New Delhi. I only say Holmes-like because he doesn't compare himself to the "Great One." This book will make Indian-Americans homesick. Lots of Indian terminology. You will definitely use the glossary of Indian terms provided but there are several not listed in the glossary. It became annoying after awhile to find them not listed or being able to remember them all and the More...

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Jun 27, 2011

Richard rated it:

Amusing, and stereotypical look at the Indian middle class through the eyes of Inspector Vish Puri. Probably most amusing if you've spent some time in India. This particular case involves a very nice skeptical look at the Indian phenomenon of Godmen - charlatans who claim to have high spiritual powers, the more adept of them able to swindle the gullible at all levels of society; the best of them making forays into the west to swindle New Agers looking for something old to believe in.

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Mar 28, 2011

Helen rated it:

This is the first novel of this series. It is set in Delhi. Vish Puri is the owner of Most Private Investigations, performing most 'discreet' investigations with very funny results.

Besides Vish Puri there are all kinds of characters that add to the story not the least of which is his mother and his staff.

In this story a prominent Indian scientist dies 'laughing' in front of a lot of people when a Hindu goddess appears in a mist and plunges a sword into his chest. No matt More...

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Jul 11, 2011

Carl rated it:

The first Vish Puri book made some top 10 or notable mystery list in the NYT Book Review, but our library never got it, but they did have this one, so figured it's worth a try.
Certainly comparisons to Alex. McCall Smith's Ladies #1 or (#1 Ladies) are inevitable. Brit author writing PI stories set in outposts of the former British Empire, rather light-hearted (in comparison with usual US or Swedish detective stories), with seemingly accurate cultural portrayals, making for fun, if not deep, More...

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Aug 26, 2010

Carolyn rated it:

I read this second book first, so I missed a bit of the set up; but I didn't miss a thing. This was a delightfully rich book. There was the intricate murder mystery, the Indian culture and food, rich characters and another introduction into the complex life in India. The humor is light and based on character development and the complex interweaving of multiple religions.

It could be compared with Precious Remotswe of #1 Ladies Detective Agency simply based in another country. I fo More...

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Nov 11, 2010

Michael rated it:

Perhaps not fair, but one ends up comparing this to Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. The story and dialog seem more mechanical with this series, but I realized after reading this that I appreciate how McCall Smith develops his characters from novel to novel - admittedly I have only read the first two, but there doesn't seem to be much to bring me into a third to find out how the characters' lives are developing. (Yeah I know it's fiction, but still.) And most ot More...

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Jul 05, 2010

Richard rated it:

If Rumpole of the Bailey were Indian, he would be Vish Puri. This is Mr. Puri's second book and Mr. Hall delivers the goods again.

This is a highly entertaining book, set in Delhi, India. Mr. Hall captures the flavor of this huge city, injects words from some of the many languages of this very complex nation adding to the atmosphere of his tale, creating a remarkable setting. Many aspects of Delhi life are touched upon as we follow India's Most Private Investigator during his most uno More...

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Jul 03, 2011

Cathy rated it:

First Line: Ensconced on the backseat of his Ambassador with the windows rolled up and the air conditioning working full blast, Vish Puri kept a wary eye on the crack in the car's windscreen.

An eminent Indian scientist attends a morning class in a park and dies laughing when a Hindu goddess appears in a mist and thrusts a sword into his chest. Now the only person who's laughing is the prime suspect, Maharaj Swami, whose most vocal critic is dead.

Vish Puri, India's Most Pr More...

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Jul 24, 2010

Bonnie rated it:

The second top notch series entry about the self proclaimed best private investigator in India! I don't think a mystery could have more "local color" than this and the characters are great, too. Besides the main mystery involving a seemingly impossible crime-the murder of a famous debunker of phony spiritualists by the goddess of death herself-their is also a robbery at the kitty club that Vish Puri's mother and wife belong to and the ladies decide to solve that! (Mommy-Ji is especi More...

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Sep 07, 2011

bookczuk rated it:

Another excellent adventure with Vish Puri and his operatives as he puzzles out the mystery of the man who died laughing. As per the formula for the first book, Puri handles one or two other cases on the side and Mummmie gets her detective on (dragging her daughter-in-law along for the ride.) Lots of delicious details on food, culture and the society/culture of modern day India, along with some info on guru-debunking. The description of Arti's beauty parlor is priceless. My hope is that by th More...

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Nov 06, 2010

K rated it:

I understand reviewer comparisons to Alexander McCall Smith's Number One Ladies Detective Agency series, but the resemblance is basically skin-deep, in that both series involve a sole proprietor detective agency in a foreign (to the US) country and that their cases are quirky. Well, OK, both detectives like to eat, and both authors employ subtle humor. Still, I think of Hall's books as more traditional detective novels and McCall Smith's as mostly slice of life novels about a group of people who More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Scilla rated it:

I liked this book better than Hall's first one. It seems a little less complicated and easier to read. It was amusing, although some parts are a little preposterous. I guess Indians (in New Delhi) are more believing in the supernatural. Vish Puri is investigating the death of Dr. Jha, a scientist whose life has been spent trying to expose charlatans, and who is supposedly killed by Kali, a four armed goddess during Jha's laughing club in the park. In a side story, his wife Rumpi and Mummi (h More...

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Sep 04, 2011

Jack rated it:

An interesting and amusing detective tale set in modern day India. The detective fancies himself as part Miss Marple and part Hercule Poirot. A lot of dry humor. The detective has nicknames for all the people he works with - Facepaint, Handbrake, Fossil, etc. Which turned out to be a blessing for the reader since it was a challenge to keep all the Indian names straight. Made you wish he had nicknames for everyone in the book! The plot involved exposing the religious charlatans of India so t More...

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Sep 13, 2010

Leslie rated it:

Hall does for Delhi and India what McCall Smith did for Botswana - creates a compelling detective and places him in an exotic setting that quickly becomes familiar due to a pervading sense of humanity.

More Sherlock Holmes than Mma Ramotswe, Vish Puri nevertheless is middle-aged, plump, and well-versed in human nature and his love of India reflects Mma Ramotswe's love for Botswana. A tinge of James Bond creeps into the story with Puris associates and the powerful villain(s). Amusing More...

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Apr 24, 2010

Doris rated it:

Vish Puri, most private investigator, master of disguise and lover of all things spicy, does not believe that Dr. Suresh Jha's death was brought about by supernatural powers. While he sets his team of operatives--Facecream, Tubelight and Flush--off to investigate, he tries to ignore the fact that his wife, Rumpi, and Mummy-ji are investigating their own crime. This series (this is the second) is a hoot. It's set in India and contains a lot of words in that language, but Hall has been kind enou More...

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Aug 29, 2010

Peter rated it:

The second in an apparent series of mysteries set in India revolving around the adventures of Vish Puri "most private investigator". There's a fair amount of Poirot, some Sherlock Holmes, a bit of Ghote...lots of colour, some nice apt comments on Indian Society and a few subtle riffs on Indian politics. This novel involves a 'godman' and his suspicious, perhaps criminal abuse of dupes and lost souls...there is a light theme involving rationalism vs religion which is provocative and ref More...

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Aug 14, 2011

Susan rated it:

I really enjoy this series and hope Tarquin Hall is working on the next installment - what a wonderful hero! Vish Puri is a Punjabi private investigator in Delhi, and through him and his investigations as India's "Most Private Investigator" we meet a wonderful, funny, fascinating variety of modern Indian characters. At the beginning of this outing an academic known as the "Guru Buster" (due to his efforts to use rational thinking to rid modern Indians of blind belief in false More...

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