Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The second in the Baby Ganesh Agency series, following last year's The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, is every bit as captivating as its predecessor. The reason has much to do with Khan's ability to craft such quirky, three-dimensional characters and the fact that he places them in such believable difficulties amid the rich stew of Mumbai. In the first Baby Ganesh novel, Inspector Ashwin Chopra is close to despair after heart problems have caused his dismissal from the Mumbai Police. An uncle dies, leaving a very thin, sad one-year-old elephant to the care of a bewildered Chopra. The elephant, Baby Ganesh, turns out to be a pure gift, getting Chopra involved in the world again. A year later, when this book opens, Ganesh helps Chopra with surveillance for Chopra's fledgling detective agency. A huge case falls into Chopra's lap after a heist from a selection from the British Crown Jewels displayed in Mumbai's Prince of Wales Museum. The most spectacular and (legend has it) the most cursed jewel in the exhibit, the Koh-i-Noor diamond, is stolen in a daring daylight raid. The head of the security detail, scapegoated for the crime, begs Chopra to investigate. Khan varies the tempo throughout, mixing fast-paced, plot-driven segments with satisfyingly meditative segments describing Chopra's emotions, or the habits of elephants, or the wrenching poverty of Mumbai. Fans of Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri will rejoice, but so should all mystery lovers.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Khan's winning second Baby Ganesh Agency mystery (after 2015's The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra) smoothly combines an affable lead, a seemingly impossible crime, and an endearing and highly unusual sidekick-a baby elephant named Ganesha-who's adept at surveillance. While PI Ashwin Chopra, a retired police inspector in Mumbai, India, and his wife are attending an exhibit of the British Crown Jewels at the Prince of Wales Museum, smoke fills the room, Chopra faints, and the crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, is gone by the time he regains consciousness. The jewel in that crown is a legendary diamond, the Koh-i-Noor, which many Indians believe the British stole from their country in the 19th century. When the corrupt police arrest Insp. Shekhar Garewal, a former colleague of Chopra's who was in charge of the exhibit's security, Garewal beseeches the detective for help. Fans of Alexander McCall Smith will find a lot to like. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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