Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
Bribery, Corruption Also
Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
H. R. F. Keating
Class/Genre: Mystery Police Procedural Ethnic
Series: Ganesh Ghote # 21
St. Martin's, Aug 1999, $22.95, 281 pp.
Inspector Ghote loves doing police work in his beloved Bombay. Still, when his wife Protima inherits a luxurious home in Calcutta, the pair discusses his retirement and their moving away from Bombay. However, upon seeing the home, Protima's childhood memories of that house quickly shatter as the home is in utter disrepair and squatters occupy it.
Their attorney suggests they sell the pink elephant as quickly as they can to get it off their hands. To Ghote and Protima's shock, a buyer surfaces almost immediately. Perhaps, it is his work that makes Ghote immediately suspicious of the sudden appearance of a buyer. He begins to investigate, only to place himself and Protima in danger by a conspiracy that reaches into the highest levels of the local government.
The latest Inspector Ghote mystery is an entertaining tale that seems too simple for one of the genre's great police officers. The story line concentrates on layer after layer of bribery and corruption that Ghote with his spouse uncovers, sort of like peeling an artichoke. The tale is enjoyable because of the rich insight into Calcutta, but the prime plot never quite hovers more than a few feet off the ground. Still, award winning author H.R.J. Keating will please fans of the series with the latest entry that places Protina more in the spotlight than usual.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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