From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra (Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation, #1)

Vaseem Khan

Start date: January 10, 2019

Finish date: February 9, 2019

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: A buddy read requested by members - first in a series which will be new to the group.
[close] A buddy read requested by members - first in a series which will be new to the group.

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What Members Thought

Jan 03, 2019 Susan rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is a fun, and gentle, mystery, set in modern India. Inspector Chopra has been a Mumbai police inspector for many years, when he is forced into retirement because of a heart problem. However, his chance of stress free relaxation is made difficult on his last day of work, when he inherits two things – firstly, a case that his successor is unwilling to investigate, and, secondly, a baby elephant, left to him by his uncle.

The case involves the murder of a young man, found drowned near a sewer ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Oct 26, 2022 Julie Durnell rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery

Mediocre-I have finished the Vish Puri series by Tarquin Hall and was looking for something similar, sadly this won't fit the bill for me. ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2019 Shabbeer Hassan rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019, mystery, indian-lit

A sort of fun story with a baby elephant (India of course, so duh!) serving as the literal avatar of deus ex machina to a grumpy, stoic DI Chopra of Mumbai Police. Complete with cliches picked up in heaps from Bollywood, this is what a book version of the famed Tinseltown would have been.

My Rating - 2.5/5

8 likes · Like · see review

Jan 15, 2019 Susan in NC rated it liked it · review of another edition

I couldn’t get this book from my library, so listened to the audiobook through Scribd; the narrator was very good, expressive and giving each character their own voice, adding to my enjoyment.

I agree with other reviewers that this seemed more like a cozy mystery in parts, but I enjoyed it; Inspector Chopra is a great character, an admirable, decent, straight arrow, and I look forward to getting to know him and his wife Poppy in future mysteries. They seem to enjoy a loving, warm relationship, an I couldn’t get this book from my library, so listened to the audiobook through Scribd; the narrator was very good, expressive and giving each character their own voice, adding to my enjoyment.

I agree with other reviewers that this seemed more like a cozy mystery in parts, but I enjoyed it; Inspector Chopra is a great character, an admirable, decent, straight arrow, and I look forward to getting to know him and his wife Poppy in future mysteries. They seem to enjoy a loving, warm relationship, and I hope we see more of that in future books. I also enjoyed Khan’s information about life in modern Mumbai, and the ongoing conflict between traditional Indian values and modern ideas and economic and social pressures.

The story opens on Chopra’s last day in the police force; he is being forced to take early retirement after having a heart attack. As he enters the station he is confronted by a grieving mother; her son is dead inside, and she has been told he was drunk and drowned. She believes he was murdered, but that poor people, like her and her son, can’t receive justice. Chopra is haunted by the woman’s grief; when it appears his successor will not pursue an investigation into the young man’s death, Chopra decides to investigate himself - and uncovers a very dark criminal conspiracy.

Chopra receives a baby elephant as a retirement gift from his uncle - a strange gift for a city dweller, especially one who lives in a high-rise apartment! I’m not sure how I feel about sweet little Ganesh being dragged along while Chopra tracks a potential murder suspect or chained to a post in the apartment complex garden, but after reading Khan’s bio information on Goodreads, it became clear that he is fascinated by elephants, which inspired this book.

This was an easy, fast read (listen), with a few “debut” issues, mainly (for me), how can a heart patient chase criminals without risking further health problems? But Chopra, a very honorable policeman to his bones, clearly feels a sense of responsibility to investigate. I look forward to future books to see where Khan takes these enjoyable characters. ...more

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Feb 14, 2016 Yorky Caz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Loved it. quick read. I polished this off in a couple of hours. The main character and his wife are very likeable anyway but the addition of baby elephant Ganesh is just perfect. love books set in india and this one was perfect. Looking forwards to the next!

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Jul 30, 2016 Louise Culmer rated it really liked it

a very enjoyable detective story set in present day Mumbai. Chief Inspector Chopra is reluctantly taking early retirement for health reasons, and on the very day he retires he comes across an intriguing mystery - and inherits a baby elephant. The mystery is interwoven with learning about elephants, and there are a number of interesting characters, including Chopra's charming wife Poppy, and of course the elephant Ganesha. Although the mystery is a serious one, there is plenty of humour in the st ...more

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Apr 24, 2021 Sarah Niebuhr Rubin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mysteries, mystery-series

I laughed and cried a bit and really enjoyed this book. Inspector Chopra is forced into retirement for health reasons, and the reader knows from the very beginning that he is not the type of man to sit idly in retirement. Of course, this is going to cause trouble with his wife. But so is the unusual gift that comes from Chopra's uncle. We might suspect that caring for a baby elephant would be enough, but the now-former inspector refuses to let his replacement brush aside the suspicious death tha ...more

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Apr 11, 2019 Lillian marked it as abandoned

Shelves: read-in-2019, mystery-modern-cozy

I thought I would enjoy this one but I'm half way through it and it is not only slow but one particular plot point killed it for me. I can go along with a little bit of stretching of reality obviously but some things just turn me off. ...more

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