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The Case Files of P.I. Pojo - The Killing of Mr Heathcote
Something smells fishy here and I don't mean Mr H's uneaten dinner. Meet Pojo Pande, aspiring private eye prowling the corridors of Heathcote International with a ready ear for eavesdropping and a nose for intrigue. And he's got two sidekicks-Radha Rao, a senior and the latest in a long line of Raos to skirt the school rules and Pops, a pesky junior who insists on being Pojo's protege. Together, they face the toughest case of their career yet-the killing of Mr Heathcote, the beloved school cat. Join Pojo on his adventures in this hugely funny, unputdownable book as he gets to the bottom of the killing of Mr Heathcote!.
206 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 5, 2015
Its been a log time I have read a Mystery for kids.
A kid acting as a PI and having unusual side kicks.
The Story is about a Boarding school HeathCote and Pandey(aka POJO) trying to solve mysteries in the school. He solves people losing their articles , pranks being played for favors.
Mr. HeathCote(The cat) the Symbol of the School has been around the school as is the Lucky charm of the school. Its the pride and is believed to looking after the school.
Mr HeathCote is Found dead and and next day the body is CATNAPPED. Our Hero POJO jumps in and tries to solve the mystery. Along the way come POPS and RADHA and help him solve the mystery.
POJO has lots of suspects and systematically eliminates them and in true Sherlock/Poirot style reveals the mystery in the end.
Its a sweet book although little stretched. you will be fascinated with the way author has intermingled the Hostel life and the mystery.
Every element of the hostel life has been highlighted , from Senior-Junior divide to, bad meals to punishment so inter school rivalry.
The best part being the way these have been merged into the story.
The characters are lovable and give a warm feeling to the readers.
There are parts when the book gets stretched and is little drag. specially the introspection by POJO.
I loved POPS and his enthusiasm.
Overall a lovely book
3/5 from me
DeVil D
A kid acting as a PI and having unusual side kicks.
The Story is about a Boarding school HeathCote and Pandey(aka POJO) trying to solve mysteries in the school. He solves people losing their articles , pranks being played for favors.
Mr. HeathCote(The cat) the Symbol of the School has been around the school as is the Lucky charm of the school. Its the pride and is believed to looking after the school.
Mr HeathCote is Found dead and and next day the body is CATNAPPED. Our Hero POJO jumps in and tries to solve the mystery. Along the way come POPS and RADHA and help him solve the mystery.
POJO has lots of suspects and systematically eliminates them and in true Sherlock/Poirot style reveals the mystery in the end.
Its a sweet book although little stretched. you will be fascinated with the way author has intermingled the Hostel life and the mystery.
Every element of the hostel life has been highlighted , from Senior-Junior divide to, bad meals to punishment so inter school rivalry.
The best part being the way these have been merged into the story.
The characters are lovable and give a warm feeling to the readers.
There are parts when the book gets stretched and is little drag. specially the introspection by POJO.
I loved POPS and his enthusiasm.
Overall a lovely book
3/5 from me
DeVil D
March 20, 2021
The Killing Of Mr. Heathcote By Meghna Singhee(Known Author) Genre Adventure rating 5/5
Pojo Pande, a private eye prowling the corridors of Heathcote International School, has to solve a mystery when the school’s cat( a mascot) that lived for nine generations mysteriously died on the premises. With his two sidekicks, he probes the mystery through and through. Does he solve the mystery?
I recommend this book to all!
Pojo Pande, a private eye prowling the corridors of Heathcote International School, has to solve a mystery when the school’s cat( a mascot) that lived for nine generations mysteriously died on the premises. With his two sidekicks, he probes the mystery through and through. Does he solve the mystery?
I recommend this book to all!
February 11, 2021
An interesting teen novel for teenagers and I must say, I enjoyed the light reading. I love those occasional ventures in the realm of children's and teenagers books. This one was for early teens or even younger.
The protagonist being a young child playing detective in school and the victim being a CAT. Nicely woven storyline with an interesting cast of characters.
The protagonist being a young child playing detective in school and the victim being a CAT. Nicely woven storyline with an interesting cast of characters.
March 5, 2023
Loved it.
April 14, 2026
Amazing book. Had all the elements of a good mystery novel. Very fun read.
March 20, 2020
It's a good book
Makes for a fun read and the atmosphere is nice thus getting involved in this book is easy and you dont feel like putting the book down .
I read it in one sitting.
Honestly a delightful little read
Makes for a fun read and the atmosphere is nice thus getting involved in this book is easy and you dont feel like putting the book down .
I read it in one sitting.
Honestly a delightful little read
June 30, 2015
At times, it is good to go back to what got you started off with a particular habit. The avid reader that I was used to like reading mysteries quite bit as a kid. Kids do have it easy. There is a time-tested and an established set of books that one gets to read as a kid, mostly in the form of books from the school library. Having started off my reading with the Three Investigators series and Enid Blyton mysteries in which would have kids solve the mysteries, I was really excited to pick this debut book of Meghna Singhee.
The first in the series of what is called ‘The Case Files of P.I.Pojo’ is the mystery titled ‘The Killing of Mr. Heathcote’. A young sleuth Pojo, with his two ‘sidekicks’ Pops and Radha tries to solve the case of a murdered victim (a cat) who also happens to be missing. Set beautifully in a residential school Heathcote, the book has everything going almost right for it from the start to the finish, including the tiny bits of school senior-junior rivalry, the legacy of the school, and most importantly the mystery and how it builds up.
The writing in the book is definitely above average and should appeal to the 10+ year old audience it is targeted at. There are few words and phrases in the book which I would have loved to read and learn as a kid, and that way this book is definitely a valuable educative addition to an avid reader’s collection.
What I liked about the book the most was the fact that it delivers exactly what you look for without the frills and extra elements that can get distracting. Starting from the well narrated prologue to the establishment of the main characters and the premise (and some back story), the book follows a linear narrative that works best with kids. Another key thing that helps this book is the tight editing which keeps the book well under 200 pages overall, hence becoming an apt sized book for a kid’s Saturday afternoon. For the genre, the book delivers and that’s a victory in itself.
I can’t wait to see this book get popular among the kids.
PS: I loved how the ‘About the Author’ is penned down. Kudos to you Meghna!
The first in the series of what is called ‘The Case Files of P.I.Pojo’ is the mystery titled ‘The Killing of Mr. Heathcote’. A young sleuth Pojo, with his two ‘sidekicks’ Pops and Radha tries to solve the case of a murdered victim (a cat) who also happens to be missing. Set beautifully in a residential school Heathcote, the book has everything going almost right for it from the start to the finish, including the tiny bits of school senior-junior rivalry, the legacy of the school, and most importantly the mystery and how it builds up.
The writing in the book is definitely above average and should appeal to the 10+ year old audience it is targeted at. There are few words and phrases in the book which I would have loved to read and learn as a kid, and that way this book is definitely a valuable educative addition to an avid reader’s collection.
What I liked about the book the most was the fact that it delivers exactly what you look for without the frills and extra elements that can get distracting. Starting from the well narrated prologue to the establishment of the main characters and the premise (and some back story), the book follows a linear narrative that works best with kids. Another key thing that helps this book is the tight editing which keeps the book well under 200 pages overall, hence becoming an apt sized book for a kid’s Saturday afternoon. For the genre, the book delivers and that’s a victory in itself.
I can’t wait to see this book get popular among the kids.
PS: I loved how the ‘About the Author’ is penned down. Kudos to you Meghna!
September 16, 2015
Payal Dhar reviews the book on Goodbooks: "Indian children’s writing is still waiting for a cracking contemporary detective series. It’s not that there haven’t been attempts, but there is yet to be one, or even a standalone novel, that sweeps mystery-story-hungry readers off their feet. The latest to take up the challenge is Meghna Singhee with her The Case Files of P.I. Pojo: The Killing of Mr Heathcoate, featuring the boy-detective Pojo, and set in a residential school.
Pratap Pande, a.k.a. Pojo, is a somewhat precocious thirteen-year-old, a newish student at Heathcoate International school, and a fledgling private eye. Pojo, as he’s been nicknamed in school for unspecified reasons, solves crimes wherever he goes, from cases of stolen sweets and pilfered newspapers to missing prizewinning orchids. It’s no surprise really, coming as he does from a background of crime. No, it isn't anything seedy, just that his parents write and produce a highly popular TV crime series starring the sassy Inspector Maurya." Click here to read the full review: http://goodbooks.in/node/7373
Pratap Pande, a.k.a. Pojo, is a somewhat precocious thirteen-year-old, a newish student at Heathcoate International school, and a fledgling private eye. Pojo, as he’s been nicknamed in school for unspecified reasons, solves crimes wherever he goes, from cases of stolen sweets and pilfered newspapers to missing prizewinning orchids. It’s no surprise really, coming as he does from a background of crime. No, it isn't anything seedy, just that his parents write and produce a highly popular TV crime series starring the sassy Inspector Maurya." Click here to read the full review: http://goodbooks.in/node/7373
December 17, 2015
It was truly a delight to read this book at one go !
Meghna Singhee has done justice to the whole idea of representing a hostel life set in a hill station, be it the junior-senior divide, the banter, the pranks, the hostel food, the allowance, the midnight escapades, the social gatherings, the hot shower restrictions, the free time break and the finer and innocuous details of the on-goings of the staff and the students day in and day out. The characters have be described well, with each of them distinct from the other.
Overall, I liked the smooth flow of the book's narration with witty and funny anecdotes, with one chapter after the other connecting the dots of the mystery flawlessly. And in the end, when the mystery unfolded, it was a wonderful surprise! A must read for those who are fans of the Sherlock & the Poirot series and other mystery novels.
Meghna Singhee has done justice to the whole idea of representing a hostel life set in a hill station, be it the junior-senior divide, the banter, the pranks, the hostel food, the allowance, the midnight escapades, the social gatherings, the hot shower restrictions, the free time break and the finer and innocuous details of the on-goings of the staff and the students day in and day out. The characters have be described well, with each of them distinct from the other.
Overall, I liked the smooth flow of the book's narration with witty and funny anecdotes, with one chapter after the other connecting the dots of the mystery flawlessly. And in the end, when the mystery unfolded, it was a wonderful surprise! A must read for those who are fans of the Sherlock & the Poirot series and other mystery novels.
May 23, 2015
It is a kid's mystery book - a contemporary Feluda.
Pratap Pande aka Pojo is a precocious private detective (PI) who has currently come to study at The Heathcote International boarding school in Panchgani. Born to writer-detective parents, it was only natural that Pojo would turn his attention to matters of detection and mystery. So far Pojo had opened his ‘office’ in derelict corner of the boarding school where he took petty cases such as ‘case of missing tuck’, ‘case of prize winning orchid’ etc meticulously documented in his case files. Read more at https://alchemistpoonam.wordpress.com...
https://instagram.com/p/2xpoZcElVt/
Pratap Pande aka Pojo is a precocious private detective (PI) who has currently come to study at The Heathcote International boarding school in Panchgani. Born to writer-detective parents, it was only natural that Pojo would turn his attention to matters of detection and mystery. So far Pojo had opened his ‘office’ in derelict corner of the boarding school where he took petty cases such as ‘case of missing tuck’, ‘case of prize winning orchid’ etc meticulously documented in his case files. Read more at https://alchemistpoonam.wordpress.com...
https://instagram.com/p/2xpoZcElVt/
January 13, 2016
Bought it for my 11 year old nephew and as usual decided to skim it before I gave it to him, but ended up actually reading it through on a train ride. It was far better and arresting than I expected. The writer seems highly talented, her language witty and fluent and a very pleasant surprise in the current Indian English novels scene where book shops are riddled with the cultivated( I hope!) mediocrity of the likes of Chetan Bhagat and Shiva Trilogies. Plot is admirably outlandish. Think the lad will love it once he is allowed a read after his exams. Though I wonder if parents will be edgy about business as usual depiction of school romance, ragging and corruption that appear here and there. In that it is one step past the safer bounds of Roald Dahl.
October 12, 2015
Link to the Book Review at ALOP
Nimue feels that she can never praise the book enough. And asks you to read this one this summer for sure and to pass it to all the book lover kids you know. She rates this 5 stars.
Nimue feels that she can never praise the book enough. And asks you to read this one this summer for sure and to pass it to all the book lover kids you know. She rates this 5 stars.
May 18, 2015
it is always a pleasure to read a book that you know even kids will enjoy. and more than that when you like it much , you feel a little happy that some one wrote a book meant for all ages. a very entertaining cast and much engaging plot. enjoyed this one a lot.
June 14, 2015
A sheer delight, something that all the boarding school kids will relate to at some level. Being from a boarding school I am a little biased in my liking.
Would recommend it to all 10 to 16 year olds and especially ones who have had or are having a boarding experience.
Would recommend it to all 10 to 16 year olds and especially ones who have had or are having a boarding experience.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews