The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan
Every month I read four or five mysteries and select the best of those for my Murder of the Month review.
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan was selected as a monthly location-based read by my Goodreads Crimes, Mysteries, and Thrillers group. I was drawn in by the title, the location (Mumbai), and the delightful cover. Who can resist a baby elephant? This is the first in a series of five novels thus far.
The author was unfamiliar to me, and I did not know what to expect. It came across a bit like a cozy, but instead of a cat or a dog, there was literally an elephant in the room.
I enjoyed the novel a great deal for three reasons:
The setting: I don’t know Mumbai, so I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the description, but the city portrayed in the novel is absolutely fascinating, teeming with people who may be poor in material possessions but are rich in culture and personality. Once Chopra identifies his prime suspect, he follows him relentlessly, at first on foot and then later on a motorbike, through colorful settings that vary from a modern multi-storied mall to an abandoned newspaper shop to a fishing wharf. This part of the journey was a real thrill for me.
The hero: Inspector Chopra is an incredibly likable hero. Forced into early retirement for health reasons, he learns that his replacement plans to ignore the suspicious death of a poor young man. Despite the danger to himself, Chopra doggedly tracks the suspects through sweltering heat and torrential rain. I love this guy.
Baby Ganesha: Chopra’s uncle bequeaths him a young elephant, and in an accompanying note, proclaims: This is no ordinary elephant. So true. The author takes advantage of this circumstance to weave some fun into the story. The scene where Chopra is forced to lead Ganesha onto an escalator in the aforementioned mall is priceless. As is the scene where Ganesha recuperates in Chopra’s living room to the dismay of Chopra’s wife. Though initially furious, Ganesha wins over the wife with his charm and his newfound passion for soap operas.
As I said at the start, the novel resembled a typical cozy mystery. I knew early on that I could relax and enjoy the ride. If you like cozy mysteries and fancy taking a trip to an exotic locale, I recommend you try The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra.
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The black and white image above is called The murder of William the Silent from The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon, 1921.
