"These books are little gems. They are beautifully written, amusing, and intensely readable."
—Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
 
Long-held secrets, deadly lies, a sports scandal, and a poisoned helping of butter chicken -- all in a day's work for the head of Delhi's Most Private Investigators, in this latest book in the delightful Vish Puri detective series. When the father of a Pakistani star cricket player falls dead during a glamorous India Premier League dinner, clearly it isn't just a case of Delhi Belly. But which of the VIPs at the victim's table is responsible for poisoning the man's butter chicken? And was the victim killed for his involvement with a gambling syndicate that controls cricket's illegal billion-dollar betting industry? The answers seem to lie across the border in Pakistan -- the one country Puri swore he would never set foot in. Or do they? For Puri's beloved Mummy-ji, who has a unique insight into the killing, believes there is much more to this murder than meets the eye. Puri and Mummy-ji's search for the truth will lead them to uncover decades-old secrets and tragedies thought best forgotten in their most compelling case yet.

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"A thoroughly engaging series . . . Hall has a gift for conveying the rich stew of competing cultures in contemporary India with a wonderful economy of image. . . . Hall presents a complex hero in a complex country with a great deal of history, humor, and panache." -- Booklist (starred review)
"Unlike those of Alexander McCall Smith, the books in this series are genuine detective stories, but they are every bit as warm and entertaining and should appeal to much the same readership." -- Denver Post

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TARQUIN HALL is a British writer and journalist who has reported extensively on S.E. Asia and the Middle East for the British press. He is also the author of the highly acclaimed non-fiction books Salaam Brick Lane and To the Elephant Graveyard. Hall is now at work on the fourth instalment of the Vish Puri series. He lives in Delhi, India.

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