Case of the Reincarnated Client, The (A Vish Puri mystery Book 5) Kindle Edition

Tarquin Hall’s masterful Vish Puri series introduces readers to India through the often comical adventures of the country’s “#1 or #2 private investigator.” But Hall’s serious intent comes through clearly in each of the five novels in the series. You can feast on the delicacies of Indian cuisine that the corpulent detective enjoys so much. You’ll hear the patterns and cadences of Hindi-inflected English in the books’ clever and often funny dialogue. And you’ll experience the sights and sounds of the streets of Delhi, from its most prestigious precincts to the lowliest slums. But in The Case of the Reincarnated Client, Hall takes a further step, grounding his story in two sad episodes in India’s tragic history.The Sikh pogromPrime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. A bloodbath followed, with as many as 17,000 murdered by rioters left uncontrolled by police. In Delhi alone, where this novel is set, 2,800 Sikhs died. In this novel, Vish Puri reopens the cold case of a murder that took place during the Sikh pogrom. The blood-soaked riots were merely the latest in a long list of intercommunal massacres scattered throughout India’s tragic history.The demonetization of 2016On November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s government shocked the country’s 1.3 billion people. As of midnight that day the company’s most-used currency, its 500- and 1,000-rupee notes, would no longer serve as legal tender. The stated purpose was to frustrate money-launderers. In fact the policy merely increased money-laundering, slowed India’s economy, and caused millions of people to waste days lining up at banks to exchange the old notes for new ones. Puri’s investigation of a money-launderer unfolds in the chaotic days immediately following the government’s ill-conceived policy.Three cases for “India’s most private detective”The cold case and money-laundering are two of the three cases that engage Vish Puri, his mother, and his staff in November 2016. In the third, a former client threatens to sue Puri’s firm, Most Private Investigators, Ltd. The man claims Puri bungled the investigation of his daughter’s prospective groom. Once married, the young woman found it impossible to live with her new husband—because he snored. Very, very loudly. Loudly enough, in fact, that a neighbor complained to the police. Yet nothing in the firm’s very thorough background check had turned up any evidence that the young man snored before the wedding.The puzzling Case of the Reincarnated ClientBut the eponymous Case of the Reincarnated Client stands out in this charming little novel. It’s Puri’s secretary’s name for the cold case the firm has taken on. A young Sikh woman named Saani claims to be the reincarnation of Riya Kaur, whose 1984 murder had long since been relegated to police archives. Saani has been working with a psychologist who specializes in recovering memories of past lives. She relates her experiences as Riya Kaur with extraordinary accuracy—beyond what newspaper accounts of the murder had ever revealed.At first, Puri declines to take on the case when his meddlesome mother—his Mummy-ji—brings it to his attention. Eventually, however, he succumbs, and the two work closely together in a complex investigation that takes them on the train more than once to a village hours away from Delhi. And Puri’s staff gets into the act as well, including all the familiar characters from the series’ four previous novels.There are surprises in store for the reader in all three cases. Like his fictional creation, Vish Puri, Tarquin Hall is a very clever man. It takes a large measure of talent to transform two episodes in India’s tragic history into a mystery that’s both funny and suspenseful.About the authorAs his Wikipedia entry reveals, Tarquin Hall “was born in London, 1969, to an English father and American mother. Hall has spent much of his adult life away from England, living in the United States, Pakistan, India, Kenya and Turkey, and travelling extensively in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. He is a former South Asia bureau chief of Associated Press TV, based in New Delhi.” Hall is the author of four nonfiction books as well as the five novels in the Vish Puri series.

I have to agree with the other smart reviewers who gave this book five stars. I have read all the books in the series and think this could be the best. I wasn't crazy about the last one, but this 5th book is terrific. Who could not love an obsessed with food detective in India whose mother lovingly and bossily calls him Chubby?In The Case of the Reincarnated Client Vish Puri's daughter wants to marry the man of her choice, a client is convinced she is the reincarnation of a dead woman and Detective Puri's beloved Ambassador is totaled. There is much more, but I wanted to list a few of the highlights.The only thing that makes me unhappy is that I had to pay so much for the. real book. The same thing has happened with Alexander McCall Smith's Ladies #1 Detective Agency books and may have me waiting until the price drops if the next installments are priced so high.

So good is this series that a whole industry of knock-off Indian 'cozy' mysteries has grown-up while the world waited for another installment. The good news is that the quality of the work is as good as anything Mr. Hall has yet done.VP's small army of assistants & the wonderful variety of foods available in Delhi, often prominent in the series, are in the background in this installment. Where the book concentrates is on VP, his relationship with his intrepid amateur-detective mother, and on various aspects of present-day Indian society and events in the past. In this case, the riots after the murder of Indira Gandhi in 1984. The twists in the plot are, as they should be, both unexpected and logical, though the reader has to pay close attention to catch a very vital one that goes by in the midst of a short conversation. The great fun of the books for a non-Indian audience: the distinctive constructions and style of modern middle-class "Hinglish" (or a semi translation of it into English) is on display.'Cozy' is a horrible adjective for this style of mystery. As with the first of this series, the book does not shy-away from painful or grim topics. What it and the whole series does do, very well indeed, is respect the dignity of the characters and suggest, without being preachy, that there is hope.

This is simply a wonderful book. I have read all the previous Vish Puri offerings and this one is my favorite, partly due to the fact that I was in India during the 2016 banknote demonetization which forms part of the background for the story. I am not normally a mystery book reader, but these stories by Tarquin Hall are just too good not to read. Plus- even after 20+ trips to India- I still learn much about the country in each one; every book is an Indian culture and history lesson. If you want to learn something (or a lot) about India, and enjoy a compelling and entertaining mystery, don't hesitate to read "The Case of the Reincarnated Client"!

I have really enjoyed reading all of the books in this series, and this latest one is so great. Detective "Chubby" Puri is a wonderful character and so is his "Mummy-ji." We ahse his frustration with her and his respect for her insights and funny manipulations. The details about life in modern day India are so interesting and colorful.

I loved this Tarquin Hall book. I love the setting, he paints a very vivid picture of India. I love some of the characters, particularly Mummy-ji. Puri was working on more than one case, as usual. The mystery was very good. But the characters and the humor is what make this special. He even manages to touch on some of India's problems.

I have fallen in love with this detective, his family, employees and India. Clever and funny with much humanity. Really appreciate Mr. Hall's insight into the culture and have learned much about the history of that part of the world.

I enjoy this series so much that I had to go to Flavors of India to eat onion bhajis and lamb biryani afterward-- especially since it's been a few years since the last Vish Puri mystery, and The Case of the Reincarnated Client met and exceeded all my expectations. You can enjoy this series for the mouth-watering food (I'd never tried it until I made Vish Puri's acquaintance) or the (often) laugh-out-loud humor or all the things you can learn about both modern-day and historical India or the interactions between the marvelous characters... or you can just enjoy the excellent mysteries. But when you can combine all of these into one series or one book, it's magic.The humor comes into play when Puri faces the possible demise of his beloved car, but it is also scattered throughout the story. But everything isn't all slapstick and laughs. The author can also make you furious or make you want to cry. The main mystery involves a woman who disappeared during the terrible riots following Indira Gandhi's assassination and justice is the major theme-- both of obtaining it for Riya Kaur and for its total absence in the wake of those riots.India's demonetization also brings forth another element of mystery, and while Puri is traveling around the city to keep up with all his cases, readers experience New Delhi's pollution. So much of modern Indian life is explored here that I want to talk about it all-- and I know that I can't because I want you to read this book. It's all seamlessly woven into the story in such a way that you can almost feel as though you're actually there as you read. Perfect for armchair travelers, eh?And The Case of the Reincarnated Client is also perfect for armchair sleuths. Can justice be brought to a money launderer and to Riya Kaur? Can an irate matrimonial client be made happy and forget to file a lawsuit? If anyone can do all this, it's Vish Puri. Fans of this series, rejoice. Vish is back! Those of you new to the series, I envy you. You have so much good reading ahead of you!

I have really enjoyed this series and this book doesn't disappoint. Hall paints a wonderful picture of modern India not least because the characters speak Indian English. He is not mocking them; he is giving them an authenticity. You get the impression the author is writing about people he likes and admires. There is humour in the book and the author spares you any hobby horses he might have while at the same time informing you about important events in Indian history and he also gives a flavour of daily life all in the context of a slightly mad but satisfying story

Love these books.ly

Love all of these books. Wish there were more.

Hilarious and so evocative of Delhi