Indian Mysteries: What to Read After Her Nightly Embrace

Adi Tantimedh creates a memorable character in Ravi Singh, a Hindu religious studies dropout and disgraced teacher in London when he is recruited to Golden Sentinels, a top-of-the-line detective agency. They handle stuff so secret for such prominent clients, it never makes the news. Her Nightly Embrace is a fast read, with several short mysteries instead of one long one. What holds the book together are the quirky characters and their relationships. Singh lives up to his mother's name for him, Child of Kali, while trying to ignore the gods he sees out of the corner of his eye and not completely destroy any good karma he may have. A BBC series is already in the works, and there are two more books on the way.

If you can't wait around for the other two books in Tantimedh's trilogy, there are other books that should satisfy your need for mysteries with Indian protagonists. The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan is another rollicking adventure. The Koh-i-Noor diamond has caused chaos for centuries, such is its size and perceived value. Now part of the Crown Jewels of Great Britain, the famous diamond is on display in Mumbai when it is stolen along with the crown that held it. Ashwin Chopra, retired from the police and now working as a private detective, gets pulled in not only because he is a witness, but his former colleague is arrested by corrupt elements in the police force. Inspector Chopra and his baby elephant, Ganesha, are out to solve this "impossible" crime in an outing that may also appeal to Alexander McCall Smith fans.

Of a somewhat darker tone, Chain Of Custody by Anita Nair stars Inspector Borei Gowda of Bangalore. The daughter of Gowda's maid goes missing at the same time Gowda is assigned to look into the death of a prominent lawyer. As the tale unwinds, the two are connected by a vicious human-trafficking ring. The parts about child enslavement drive the story, but there are also chapters about Gowda's personal life with his colleagues, wife and girlfriend to keep things from getting too grim. Nair provides us with a complex protagonist in lushly-described environs.

Of course, there are always the Vish Puri mysteries. I've written about them before, but I'll summarize here. Vish Puri is a private detective in New Delhi with a penchant for fast food and gallantry. In these atmospheric novels, Puri and his crew don disguises, infiltrate corrupt organizations, and get their man. Hilarity often ensues, especially when Puri's mother steps in to pull their chestnuts out of the fire. Good if you're looking for something light with the taste of India.