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Book Cover for: The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck, Tarquin Hall

The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck

Tarquin Hall

Portly, perceptive and spectacularly moustachioed, India's finest private detective, Vish Puri, tackles his most difficult case to date in the long-awaited return of Tarquin Hall's delightful humorous whodunit series set in New Delhi.

"Vish Puri is the Indian Poirot" Financial Times
"A wonderfully engaging PI" The Times
"Vish Puri [is] a Punjabi Sherlock Holmes" The Guardian

For Vish Puri, India's Most Private Detective, the news that he has won the long-coveted International Detective of the Year award, to be presented in a glitzy ceremony in London, makes this the best day of his life.

But to his deep dismay, a senior bureaucrat from the Ministry of Finance gives him a secret mission he can't refuse: to track down India's most-wanted fugitive. Dr Bhatt's medicines caused the deaths of hundreds, and the billionaire fraudster - code named the Bombay Duck - fled for the UK before he could be arrested.

Puri's only spending a week in London. He's never set foot in the UK before. And most important of all, he's already promised his wife he won't do any work while they're away.

There's only one solution: lie, lie, lie. Puri dives headfirst into the case, in between visiting all the tourist sites, aided and abetted by his formidable, meddling Mummy-ji, who Puri definitely didn't invite to join them. But can Puri hook the Bombay Duck and bring him to justice before the fugitive's many enemies get to him first?

Packed with the sights, sounds and flavours of both New Delhi and London, author Tarquin Hall - who divides his time between India and the UK - delivers an irresistible read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith, Harini Nagendra and Jesse Sutanto.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Severn House
  • Publish Date: Mar 4th, 2025
  • Pages: 224
  • Language: English
  • Edition: Main - undefined
  • Dimensions: 0.00in - 0.00in - 0.00in - 0.00lb
  • EAN: 9780727889225
  • Categories: Mystery & Detective - Private Investigators

Praise for this book

Hilarious . . . Filled with engaging twists. Vish is a wonderfully realized character . . . You can dive in anywhere in this series and be rewarded with a rich experience-- "Booklist Starred Review of The Case of the Reincarnated Client"
Lively, amusing . . . Hall creates delightful characters and provides illuminating glimpses of contemporary Indian life-- "Publishers Weekly on The Case of the Reincarnated Client"

Humor is mixed with skilful plotting and realistic descriptions of contemporary India's overflowing street life

-- "Booklist Starred Review of The Case of the Love Commandos"
Thought-provoking and charming-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of The Case of the Love Commandos"
A thoroughly engaging series . . . Hall presents a complex hero in a complex country with a great deal of history, humor and panache-- "Booklist Starred Review of The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken"
A strong setting, a likable cast of characters, and a well-plotted story that will appeal to all mystery lovers, particularly fans of Michael Stanley, Alexander McCall Smith and Colin Cotterill-- "Library Journal on The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken"
Outstanding . . . Well-drawn colorful characters bolster a whodunit sure to appeal to those who enjoy a dash of humor with their crime-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken"