The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing..., Tarquin Hall
The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing..., Tarquin Hall
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The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing
From the Files of Vish Puri, India’s Most Private Investigator

Author: Tarquin Hall

Narrator: Sam Dastor

Unabridged: 8 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/15/2010

Synopsis

Dr. Suresh Jha, best known for unmasking fraudulent swamis and godmen, dies in a fit of giggles at his morning yoga class when goddess Kali appears from the mist and plunges a sword into his chest. The case is a first in the "annals of crime," according to Vish Puri, head of Delhi's Most Private Investigators. Puri and his team of unstoppable undercover operatives must travel from Delhi's Shadipur slum, home of India's ancestral magicians, to the holy city of Haridwar on the Ganges.

About Tarquin Hall

Tarquin Hall is a writer and journalist who has lived and worked in much of South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States. He is the author of Mercenaries, Missionaries, and Misfits: Adventures of an Underage Journalist; To the Elephant Graveyard; Salaam Brick Lane: A Year in the New East End; and the Vish Puri series of mystery novels.

About Sam Dastor

Sam Dastor studied English at Cambridge and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His early theatrical experience includes a spell at the National Theatre under Sir Laurence Olivier and time spent acting in the West End. For the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has been seen in Timon of Athens, Tales from Ovid, and a world tour of A Servant to Two Masters. His many television appearances include I, Claudius; Yes, Minister; Mountbatten; Julius Caesar; and Fortunes of War. He has also appeared in the films Made, Jinnah, and Such a Long Journey, recorded over a thousand broadcasts for the BBC, and narrated numerous audio books.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Valentina

Tarquin Hall simply gets India. A British journalist who lives in Delhi and who's married to an Indian woman, he combines an insider's understanding of the country with an outsider's necessarily-surprised look at all of India's never ending quirkiness. Food is the prime example, with Private Investi......more

Goodreads review by Julie

I listened to the audiobook this time around, streaming from my library. I still think the ending felt rushed with a lot crammed into it, but I enjoyed it more this time. Possibly because I was listening to it and partially because I have since had an education of sorts in Indian life thanks to the......more

Goodreads review by Jon

I have a definite fault that was plainly manifest when I read this book. I started reading, and was enjoying it quite a bit. I thought that the Mr. Hall's descriptions of the setting and his characterizations were interesting, specific, and very distinctive. After a few pages, I wondered aloud how a......more

Quotes

“Hall writes amusing mysteries…[his] affectionate humor is embedded with barbs.” 

New York Times Book Review

“[A] funny, entertaining novel... The characters—including members of Puri’s complicated family—are splendid, and it’s a joy to read.”

Times (London)

“Delightful…Hall splendidly evokes the color and bustle of Delhi streets and the tang of contemporary India.”

Seattle Times

“Warm and entertaining.”

Denver Post

“Modern India, in all its colorful squalor, provides a vivid backdrop for this well-crafted whodunit.” 

Buffalo News

“Hall has an unerring ear for the vagaries of Indian English, the Indian penchant for punning acronyms, peculiarly Indian problems...and an obvious affection for India, warts and all.”

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Narrator Sam Dastor slips in and out of Indian accents that represent all classes, castes, and personalities.…He’s hilarious as Puri’s Mummy-ji and his wife, Rumpi, attempt to solve a crime and appropriately precise as Puri himself, the man of a thousand opinions. This is the second book in a winning series.”

AudioFile

“As tasty as Puri’s favorite aloo parantha.”

Kirkus Reviews

Awards

  • AudioFile Earphones Award
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