The Case of the Missing Servant :: Tarquin Hall

Title: The Case of the Missing Servant

Author: Tarquin Hall

Read: NYC

Format: Trade paperback

Vish Puri is a rotund Punjabi private detective with an overblown sense of his own ability and an incessant hankering for fried treats. In this first installment of his adventures, he has to solve the mystery of his own attempted murder, find a missing servant (of course), and investigate the character of a wealthy client's future son-in-law. With the aid of his mother, a team of crack assistants, and, indeed, his own ability he manages to get to the bottom of everything. Though it takes a minute to get used to, the telling is charming and fun to watch unfold.

I obviously enjoyed Hall's series debut even though it wasn't particularly innovative insofar as the mysteries are concerned. But it was light and Puri is truly a lovable new character (even if he is, apparently, Poirot-ish). What I find interesting in my own reaction is that even though a white, British man writes this Indian tale (set in Delhi), it doesn't bother me. Not in the way McCall Smith's Ladies Detective Agency series troubled me. Maybe because the voice that Hall is inhabiting is a man and therefore the difference is smaller and easier to overlook. Or maybe it's because Hall doesn't exoticize his protagonists culture in the same way that McCall Smith does. Somehow, I feel like it's more respectful. I could totally be projecting that, th0ugh.

Anyway, I really enjoyed The Case of the Missing Servant for what it is: a light, charming, fun read. And while I didn't run out to buy the second installment (now still in hard cover), I expect it's just a matter of time.

Fun, colorful, charming.

4 out of 5 stars

the girl who played with fire :: stieg larsson

Title: The Girl Who Played with Fire
Author: Stieg Larsson
Publisher: Knopf, 2009
Read: August 2009; NYC
Format: Kindle

In This One: We reconnect with Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist over a year after the Vanger investigation and Wennerstrom Affair (of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – see earlier post). Blomkvist is back at the publishing helm of his Millennium magazine, which soon plans to release a book and special issue on sex trafficking. One night, Mikael finds the writers of the book and article – a couple – murdered in their apartment; a gun with Lisbeth’s finger prints on it is found at the scene. On the other side of town, on the same night, Salander’s court-appointed guardian is also discovered murdered. The police investigation soon focuses on Lisbeth as its prime suspect. Though Lisbeth has cut Blomkvist out of her life, they work separately - but together - to unearth the truth about the killings.

Top Observations and Thoughts

1. Like TGWTDT, there is sometimes too much detail and time spent on trivialities (e.g., a list of every ikea item Salander furnishes her posh new apartment with and exactly how much she spent at the store)

2. The villains are awesomely scary. There are many and each presents a different kind of deviousness, ranging from the seemingly physically-invincible giant to the various sinister tormentors, unjustly in positions of authority.

3. I think it would be helpful to know more about the geographic layout of Sweden. As characters dash from location to location, it would be useful to know how long it should take to get from setting A to setting B. Especially at the end, the book is intensely suspenseful on every page. Knowing these details could maybe have taken the edge off.

4. A lot goes on in this book. There is a ton of action and several different storylines, most of which converge. Yet, there are also some seemingly purposeless threads. Why? Maybe it’s because the books are in a series and they're meant to be significant later?

5. Larsson offers a delicious plenty of red herrings. I'm easily duped, but there are so many evil characters you never know which one is ultimately to blame. Until the end of course.

6. Even though the characters are the same, TGWPWF avoids becoming a formulaic series. This book is a different type of suspense novel than his last: you know who (prob) did it, but we wait to find out the interconnectedness of all the evil men. The effect is equally riveting--maybe even more so--as the straightforward suspense in TGWTDT.

7. I appreciate that the almost wholly plot-driven novel adds in a little layer of complexity through its anti-misogynist subtext.

This book is awesome. I don’t read a lot of suspense, but having bought into the ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ phenomenon, I eagerly attacked this book as soon as it was released in the US. My expectations were high—I really liked the first book and had heard that the follow up was even better. It totally was.

The pageturneriest page turner I’ve ever read.

5 out of 5 stars

the no. 1 ladies' detective agency :: alexander mccall smith

Title: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher: Anchor

Read: June 2009; Madrid, MAD>JFK

Format: Kindle

In sum: The Botswana backdrop and its lively inhabitants are given their first chance to charm you in the pilot of McCall-Smith’s popular mystery series.

I understand why people have latched onto this series. Sort of. The #1 Lady herself, Precious Ramotswe, is a wonderful character, full of sensitivity, warmth and courage. She's experienced loss, heartbreak and abuse. But she not only makes the best of her situation, but is even brave enough to take the risk of opening a Ladies' Detective Agency, her longtime dream.

While business is slow at first, her first cases do allow McCall-Smith to set the geographic and cultural landscape of Mma Ramotswe's Botswana. The mysteries center around adultery, religious zeal, Southern African life, fraud and child abuse. But, the heaviness of these topics is far from dwelled upon. Instead, more time and pages are devoted to painting the scene of Gaborone, telling Prcious' history and developing her lovely and memorable companions. Specifically, her skillful. rigid and hilarious secretary Mma Makutsi breathes incredible life to every scene she is in. Also, the adorable, doting Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni warms the page, even when he doesn't bring excitement.

Great characters and setting aside, I felt the pace of this first installment to be a little too slow for my tastes. What I remember most of the novel is wanting more to happen or, rather, for it to move more quickly. I know it's a little unfair to enjoy the effect of the author's descriptive writing but find its telling tedious, but that's just how it is.

Also unfair: For me, it was hard to observe the Death of This Author and, frankly, I felt funny about this older white man writing in with sing-songy, cartoonish cadence for this Botswanan woman. The whole thing left a vaguely colonialist taste in my mouth, which I recognize to be wholly undeserved, untrue and unfair. Yes, I know he is African. It still felt funny, though.

Sweet. But slow:
2.5 out of 5 stars*


*I keep going back and forth between 2.5 and 3 for this one. The deciding factor? I've had the second book loaded up on my Kindle for months and have not at all been tempted to read it.

the girl with the dragon tattoo :: stieg larson

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
Publisher: Knopf, 2007 (US translation)
Read: March 2009; NYC
Format: Kindle

In a nutshell:
Swedish journalist and magazine publisher Mikael Blomkvist is hired to investigate the decades-old disappearance and presumed death of Harriet Vanger. Given the tumult in his personal and professional life, and always up for a challenge, Blomkvist agrees to the unusual request. Joining him is 24 year old misanthropic-genius-hacker, Lisbeth Salander. Together, they unearth deeply hidden secrets and justice is ultimately, if not totally legally, doled out.

TGWTDT is part one (of three) in the late Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Series. The trilogy centers around characters at Blomkvist's Millennium magazine and the title character, Lisbeth Salander. Since the author passed away in 2004, the translated US editions will be posthumously released through 2010.

So:
I have to say, it kind of took a while for me to get into this one. It starts out with several complex story lines that, while interesting and easy enough to follow, seemed to take a while in the telling. I found myself losing focus and getting all judge-y, fearing that the novel itself lacked focus. The book is an international sensation, though, so I figured it was probably going to be worth pushing through. A smart gamble, it turns out, because as soon as the separate threads started to gain sight of each other, the novel gripped me, with surprising developments and twists through to the very end.

Plot-wise, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is everything a good crime novel should be: twisty, turny and for the most part unpredictable. I’ll admit that I’m easily duped, but I didn’t know where the story would land pretty much until it was laid out in front of me. And really, isn’t that the best mark of a suspense novel? Also, each branch of the plot is layered with detail upon detail, bringing real life to the story. You could possibly argue that there is too much detail at times - this might be what made the beginning seem so slow to me, after all. I think for the most part, though, that in the end the effect is a better-imagined world with rich and more relatable dimension.

For a plot-driven novel, Larsson satisfyingly develops and executes his primary characters. Salander and Blomkvist, at first come off almost one-dimensionally steadfast and principled. I wondered whether this willfulness would eventually - and banally - lead to their downfall. Thankfully (and again, I shouldn’t have doubted), Larsson cultivates his characters throughout the work, planting a great mix of the realistic and unrealistic. The leads are heroes and victims, moral yet untraditional. The balances are artfully struck and provide the depth that catapults TGWTDT over other suspense novels where plot alone tends to rule.

A sum of many fascinating parts - corporate critique, classic detective novel, suspense thriller and indictment of misogyny - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is definitely a worthwhile read that leaves followers clamoring for the quick translation of volumes 2 & 3.

4 out of 5 stars.