The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star (Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation #3)

by Vaseem Khan

Overview

Mumbai is a city that thrives on extravagant spectacles and larger-than-life characters.
But as Chopra is about to discover, even in the city of dreams, there is no guarantee of a happy ending.

Rising star and incorrigible playboy Vikram Verma has disappeared, leaving his latest film in jeopardy. Hired by Verma's formidable mother to find him, Inspector Chopra and his sidekick, baby elephant Ganesha, embark on a journey deep into the world's most flamboyant movie industry.

As they uncover feuding stars, failed investments and death threats, it seems that many people have a motive for wanting Verma out of the picture.

And yet, as Chopra has long suspected, in Bollywood the truth is often stranger than fiction. . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316434515
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	07/18/2017
Series:	Baby Ganesh Agency Investigations , #3
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	986,386
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Vaseem Khan first saw an elephant lumbering down the middle of the road in 1997 when he arrived in India to work as a consultant. It was the most unusual thing he'd ever encountered and served as the inspiration behind his series of crime novels.

He returned to the UK in 2006 and now works at University College London for the Department of Security and Crime Science where he is astonished daily by the way modern science is being employed to tackle crime.

Editorial Reviews

06/12/2017
Khan’s offbeat third mystery featuring retired Indian police inspector turned Mumbai PI Ashwin Chopra (after 2016’s The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown) takes on Bollywood. At the start of the book, Chopra, his wife, and his sidekick—a baby elephant named Ganesha—attend a concert featuring Vikram “Vicky” Verma, “enfant terrible of Bollywood, and superstar in the making.” The performance is punctuated by several magical disappearances and reappearances by Verma, though Chopra suspects that the Verma he saw last wasn’t the same person who began the show. That becomes more significant when Verma’s mother, Bijli, who was once a leading movie star, reveals that Verma is missing. While she doesn’t suspect foul play, Bijli fears that her son will be blacklisted if he doesn’t complete his work on his current film, the most expensive in Indian history, and hires Chopra to find him. The path to the truth contains some comic scenes that readers with a taste for broad humor will appreciate. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Wildly inventive ... a great warmth and wisdom infuse this and the other Baby Ganesh books."—Booklist (starred review)

"Smoothly combines an affable lead, a seemingly impossible crime, and an endearing and highly unusual sidekick-a baby elephant named Ganesha.... Fans of Alexander McCall Smith will find a lot to like."—Publishers Weekly on The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown

"An entertaining feel-good read in the tradition of Alexander McCall Smith.... Utterly charming." —Guardian on The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

"The deep love for Mumbai and its people - warts and all - that Inspector Chopra shares with his creator infuses the novel from the beginning. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra is certainly a delightful and uplifting crime caper, but it also comes with an edifying dose of serious social comment, with many of Chopra's preoccupations mirroring those of his creator."—The Bookseller on The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

"An enchanting start to a new series."—Woman & Home on The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

"A winning debut...Khan's affection for Mumbai and its residents adds to the novel's charm."—Publishers Weekly on The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

"Debut Mumbai-based 'cosy' - complete with baby elephant - keeps things heart-warming while tackling corruption at the highest levels and violent crime at the lowest. Endearing and gripping, it sets up Inspector Chopra - and the elephant - for a long series."—Sunday Times on The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

"Thought-provoking mystery... promising debut."—Booklist on The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

"Charming."—Marie Claire on The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

"A fantastic and heartwarming read... I can't wait to see what happens next!"—First for Women on The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

From the Publisher