Image Credit: the author via Canva with photo from kikatani from Pixabay.com
Not That Cozy
“The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra” by Vaseem Khan is the first in the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency Novels (2015). Although it is categorized as a cozy mystery, there were parts of the book that were not very cozy. Typically, cozy mysteries do not actually show a certain level of violence, which this book did. I really enjoyed the book, and the fact that there were some violent parts did not detract from it at all for me.
However, I was a little surprised to see it categorized as a cozy mystery. It made me wonder if I am becoming overly sensitive. Maybe. Maybe.
Summary
Inspector Chopra is forced to retire from the Mumbai police force by a heart problem only to find that he has inherited a baby elephant. “This is no ordinary elephant,” says the message that comes with the elephant. The elephant becomes an unlikely ally as Chopra fights corruption to solve the case of a drowned boy.
Overall Impression
I really enjoyed this book. When I pause to think about it, there are some potentially negative things I can say about this book, but as soon as I finished it, I immediately purchased the sequel (audiobook) and listened to it right away. Clearly, there is something very compelling about this book.
I liked the character of Inspector Chopra. He has integrity and is a good man in a corrupt system. I enjoyed the book’s criticism of the system while the book never became heavy or despairing. The story was interesting and quirky. I don’t know whether it was intended to be 100% plausible or whether, rather, it was supposed to be comical in parts. If the latter, it succeeded. If it was meant to be plausible, well, I am not certain that an elephant, even “no ordinary elephant,” would behave in such a manner. However, I do not know many elephants personally!
“In a country where thieves and crooks were becoming ever more commonplace, particularly in the highest offices in the land, where people openly applauded those who managed to hoodwink millions and get away with it, Chopra was a man who stood for everything that was right and good about India.”
One thing I found implausible was that they explained how much an elephant eats and drinks every day, and it was more than Inspector Chopra could possibly afford. Yet the elephant never starves to death. That is never explained. It just magically works out. I hate when writers do that!
Also, Inspector Chopra is a man of integrity and a modern man, and yet he is in many ways not very sensitive to the plight of modern Indian women including his wife and his wife’s mother, who is a widow.
Conclusion
In general, I thought the story was very well executed. It was deeper than the usual cozy mystery such as Agatha Christie. Vaseem Khan commented on the “new India” as he put it. There was a family storyline, a quirky inheritance storyline, and a murder mystery storyline. These layered storylines gave the narrative texture and kept the pace moving forward.
Having read the second book in the series already, I am interested in reading the third. There is an addictive quality to Vaseem Khan’s writing. It is definitely genre fiction as opposed to literary fiction, but it is compelling and fun. I highly recommend this series as “escape” literature. Just don’t ask yourself how that elephant is getting enough food. That will drive you crazy.