With this third installment, Tarquin Hall firmly establishes Vish Puri as one of the most entertaining Private Detectives in modern fiction. Additionally, in The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken, Hall displays a growing skill of blending the delicious ingredients of puzzle, relevant historical background and humor.

It took me much longer than normal to finish this latest Vish Puri adventure because I was so intrigued by Hall's historical background descriptions that I sought out as much online information as I could find about the partitioning of India and Pakistan. It is the subtle yet powerful narrative related by Hall's characters that gives life to a period of history that most of the Western World is ignorant of its existance. That fact alone should make this required reading.

Still, there is plenty of fun to go along with the serious. From Vish Puri's meddling Mummy-ji to the always wacky yet brilliant crew of India's Most Private Investigator, Hall dishes out a wonderful curry of mystery and history.

Unfortunately, I still know nothing about Cricket.