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3 timely foreign mysteries to savor

These books all reference current events while also giving readers a gripping whodunit.

3. 'The Case of the Love Commandos,' by Tarquin Hall

  • By Randy Dotinga

British men have quite a presence when it comes to foreign mysteries in countries that used to be European colonies: There’s Alexander McCall Smith with his “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series set in Botswana, John Burnett’s Thai novels starring detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep, and Colin Cotterill’s nifty mysteries featuring retired coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun. Tarquin Hall, whose fourth Vish Puri novel is now out in paperback, belongs with the best of the bunch.

In “The Case of the Love Commandos,” the rotund and much put-upon Puri – “India’s Most Private Investigator” – investigates the disappearance of an “Untouchable” young man who tries to get married to a high-caste woman with the help of an underground organization.

With a sympathetic and often-twinkling eye, Hall paints vivid portraits of the characters and India itself in all their chaotic and larger-than-life gusto. Puri’s mother, Mummy-ji, is especially delightful, as is the private eye’s assistant, a young Nepali woman nicknamed Facecream. And Puri, known as “Chubby” to his family, is a charming creation.

Underneath the humor, however, is a serious look at the cost of prejudice. Like the romance at its center, “The Case of the Love Commandos” is more than a lark.

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Mark Sappenfield
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