The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star Synopsis
The enchanting new Baby Ganesh Agency novel sees Inspector Chopra and his elephant sidekick investigating the dark side of Bollywood.
Mumbai thrives on extravagant spectacles and larger-than-life characters.
But 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...
About This Edition
Vaseem Khan Press Reviews
Delightful - Good Housekeeping
There have been many insipid imitators of the Alexander McCall Smith formula, grafting a cosy mystery into a depiction of a foreign culture dripping with local colour, but Khan has the quirkiness and hint of grit to make his portrayal of modern Mumbai memorable - Sunday Express
Praise for THE UNEXPECTED INHERITANCE OF INSPECTOR CHOPRA - .
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. - The Sunday Times
A sparkling debut with a zippy plot and an endearing set of characters - The Lady
Enchanting - Woman & Home
Chopra, diligent, incorruptible and not entirely at ease with shiny new India, is a delight, as is his redoubtable wife, Poppy - and Ganesha the elephant, once he has cheered up a bit, proves a very useful ally indeed. Utterly charming - Guardian
A cast of intriguing characters that it will be a joy to see develop. But the greatest strength is the setting in the teeming city of Mumbai, from which the colour and atmosphere flows out of every page in this enjoyable, whimsical tale - Daily Express
A quirky murder mystery... full of colourful characters and insightful details about human motivation - Irish Examiner
This mystery works on every expected level and on a couple of unique ones...A great warmth and wisdom infuse this and the other Baby Ganesh books. - Booklist
About Vaseem Khan
Vaseem Khan first saw an elephant lumbering down the middle of the road in 1997 when he arrived in India to work as a management consultant. It was the most unusual thing he had 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 on a daily basis by the way modern science is being employed to tackle crime. Elephants are third on his list of passions, first and second being great literature and cricket, not always in that order.
Author photo © Nirupama Khan
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