Vish Puri E-Sampler Kindle Edition

I've read all three of the Vish Puri mysteries and want MORE--great job Mr. Hall! They are so entertaining and read like a travelogue to India. I felt like I'd just finished an acculturation class. The main characters are richly drawn, imaginatively named and fun to spend time with through the three books. Vish Puri is a man immensely pleased with himself, his many talents and any food that is hot, spicy and forbidden by his darling wife Rumpi. He struggles with the rapid, and not always good, changes happening in his country. Dehli is moving too fast, even for Puri's crazy driver Handbrake. Puri laments the loss of traditional values and the progress stifling corruption in government while sampling Punjabi delacacies and outwitting criminals. The Deadly Butter Chicken story even contains recipes! The glossary was amazing and really helps the reader experience the action and characters at a truly satisfying level. I loved it all; the history, the food, the lives of people crushed together in Dehli's glass and steel towers and fetid back alleys. I appreciated that the author didn't sugar coat the problems too many face trying to negotiate living in India's lingering caste system. Puri's large, loving extended family are a delight--especially his Mommy-ji, a character with a few mysteries of her own.

It took me a while to warm up to the story, in fact I set it aside for a while. But I came back to it and it's starting to grow on me.I like the feel you get for India through descriptions of people and places, the way people relate to each other (Vish to his mother, for example) and the lilt and phrasing of Indian english. One discrepancy that bothered me is in describing Vish's gun, Hall first calls it an "automatic" then later a revolver-which is it? Furthermore, he later identifies it as a .302 IOF which I have never heard of and can find no reference to online! Rather sloppy, makes one wonder about the accuracy of other things he describes. All in all not a bad read. I will probably purchase the full story.

Honestly, I picked up my first Tarquin Hall "Vish Puri" mystery because of the beautiful cover. One of the best decisions of my life. Vish Puri is the hero of three mysteries, seen on the pictured Sampler book cover combining extracts from each book. Vish Puri is an ex-military, upper and precise Dehli resident who has established an amazing reputation as India's master sleuth. The character is so convincingly rich. He's called "Chubby" by his family and childhood friends and he has grown into that nickname rightfully. As he travels through Dehli and around India, he is constantly nibbling. A great glossary in the back of each book details the food and street slang encountered, as well as some wonderful recipes. (The pictured Sampler is worth the cost just for the recipes.) Puri has a Baker-Street-Irregulars-type group of employees that he calls by odd names, such as Tubelight, Chanel #5 and Face Cream. Each of the books in this series is esquisite but Deadly Butter Chicken, the latest, is my favorite. Do yourself an incredible favor and buy this sampler. You'll be hooked.

Okay, I'm not a fiction reader but this could well change me into one. I got this book because I like Indian culture and the sampler was free. The writer captures the flavor of Indian culture and the idiosyncrysies of "Hinglish" very well (such as ending a sentence with the word "only"). His writing is the kind that makes you laugh at the well-placed humor and very accurate descriptions that make you feel you are right there in the midst of the action. Some of the plots seem easy to guess the outcome except for the extra sample of the Love Commandos. That one had me hooked and I had to buy the full book! Kudos to Mr. Hall for capturing India so eloquently!

I'm currently reading Book 2- The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing, my first entre into the series. It's a library book (sorry Tarquin), but I can't put it down. This book is a sheer delight. I can't wait to read the entire series.

Reminiscent of The #1 Ladies Detective Agency. I will be reading more of these books they are light and fun.

Indian cooking is one of the best in the world. You can try these good recipes and see if you are going to like the books as much as I do. I was delighted by both, the cooking and the mysteries (and it is very hard to read the books without wanting to cook...

This sampler certainly led me to buy and read all three books. My sister put me onto Tarquin Hall and the Vish Puri series. I lived in the Middle East over 40 years ago and found reminders of corrupt cops, bakhsheesh, etc very reminiscent of neighbors of India. Also, of course and above all, the author is a good spinner of tales.

A lovely little taster to whet the appetite for Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri detective stories. Writing with a sure eye for the comedic, colourful and dramatic the reader will long to be a fly on the wall as Vish Puri gets embroiled in his curious cases.

Easy read, love puri's mom! Characters and landscape very vivid. Have subsequently read the entire series and hopefully waiting for next in series. I picked this up because I enjoy Mccall smith's ladies detective agency, that's where the similarities end, now hooked on both series!

this was an appetite wetter and I've gone on to read the full stories in all cases